The Best Sneaker Stores In San Francisco

If you’re looking for the best spots to buy new sneakers in San Francisco, we’ve got you covered. From the ultra functional to the fashion forward, everyone can find a pair of sneakers to satisfy their needs at one of these six stores.

Nice Kicks

Store

Located on the lively and thriving Haight Street, Nice Kicks offers you a wide selection of sneakers that includes more off beat brands in addition to the big names. The store began as a sneaker blog with a huge following, popular enough to fund the launch of their two brick and mortar stores in San Francisco and Austin, Texas. Here, you can be sure to find brands like Adidas, Asics, Converse, Jordan, New Balance, Nike, Puma, Under Armour, and Vans.

The Darkside Initiative

Shop, Store

The Darkside Initiative is a North Beach sneaker store offering an incredible selection of men’s casual footwear. The store prides itself on filling shelves with the most unique shoes around, featuring lots of limited edition or difficult to find brands and designs, so you can rest assured that you won’t wind up wearing the same styles as everyone else in the city. Look out for retro designs by the likes of Nike, Converse, and Vans, in addition to apparel by the German design agency ACRONYM.

A Runner’s Mind

Shop, Store

A Runner’s Mind is an independent running store with the motto ‘Movement is Life.’ The knowledgeable staff take care of each customer with an in depth, professional shoe fitting. The store also hosts a variety of group runs and training programs to help community members gear up for their next big race, in addition to a series of fitness classes and workshops. There are several locations throughout the Bay Area, with the San Francisco store located in the Presidio Heights neighborhood.

Fleet Feet Sports

Store

Fleet Feet Sports San Francisco specializes in footwear, sports bras, and technical apparel for runners and walkers of all levels. The staff will take your interests and injuries into account before measuring your feet and assessing your foot type to evaluate the best fit for you. It’s quite the thorough experience with the store also providing corporate wellness programs and a variety of running events for community members. Fleet Feet has two locations in San Francisco, one in the Marina and one in the Financial District.

SHOES-n-FEET

Store

SHOES-n-FEET prides itself on bridging the gap between the medical community and retail shoe stores by providing comfortable shoes and orthotics in a relaxed and educational retail environment. This is your best bet when looking for shoes that prioritize function over fashion. The store can also connect customers to its extensive network of podiatrists, orthopedists, physical therapists, and chiropractors as needed. The San Francisco store is one of only two independent SHOES-n-FEET locations, located on Lombard Street in the Marina district.

About the author

Courtney Holcomb

Editor of The Culture Trip's San Francisco section, Courtney is a writer, manager, yoga instructor, feminist, and arts enthusiast. Attempting to fill her days with as much creativity and humanity as possible, she loves to explore the unique spaces and cultural happenings taking place around her, taking inspiration from them to fill these pages with topics like travel, art, literature, music, wellness, and nature along the way.