San Diego Shopping A-Z

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Large stores and shops in malls tend to stay open until about 9pm on weekdays, 6pm on weekends. Smaller businesses usually close at 5 or 6pm or may keep odd hours. When in doubt, call ahead.

Arts & Crafts--The Arts Down Town guide is available at the Museum of Contemporary Art; it's a handy color brochure/map for exploring downtown galleries and exhibits.

Farmer's Markets--We love our open-air markets. Throughout the county no fewer than two dozen regularly scheduled street fests are stocked with the freshest fruits and vegetables from Southern California farms, augmented by crafts, fresh-cooked ethnic foods, flower stands, and other surprises. San Diego County produces more than $1 billion worth of fruits, flowers, and other crops each year. Avocados, known locally as "green gold," are the most profitable crop and have been grown here for more than 100 years. Citrus fruit follows close behind, and flowers are the area's third most important crop; ranunculus bulbs from here are sent all over the world, as are the famous Ecke poinsettias.

Here's a schedule of noteworthy farmers' markets in the area:

In Hillcrest, the market runs Sundays from 9am to noon at the corner of Normal Street and Lincoln Avenue, 1 block north of University Avenue. The atmosphere is festive, and exotic culinary delights reflect the eclectic neighborhood. For more information, call the Hillcrest Association at tel. 619/299-3330.

In Ocean Beach, a fun-filled market is held Wednesday evenings between 3 and 7pm (until 8pm in summer) in the 4900 block of Newport Avenue. In addition to fresh-cut flowers, produce, and exotic fruits and foods laid out for sampling, the market features llama rides and other entertainment. For more information, call the Ocean Beach Business Improvement District at tel. 619/224-4906.

Head to Pacific Beach on Saturday from 8am to noon, when Mission Boulevard between Reed Avenue and Pacific Beach Drive is transformed into a bustling marketplace.

In Coronado, every Tuesday afternoon the Ferry Landing hosts a produce and crafts market from 2:30 to 6pm.

Music--In addition to the mega chains like Tower Records and the Wherehouse, you'll find a good crop of independent outlets. Probably the best place for serious collectors is Lou's Records, 434 Hwy. 101 in Encinitas, about 30 minutes north of downtown (tel. 760/753-1382; www.lousrecords.com). Here you'll find one building devoted to new CDs (the imports are pricey), another to used CDs and vinyl, and a new store next door catering to DVD fanatics. More central is Off the Record, 3849 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest (tel. 619/298-4755; www.otrvinyl.com), which has a good selection of indie releases and used CDs, but I can't stand how cases are plastered with stickers and security tags; and note that the best of the store's collectable merchandise is sold online these days. Die-hard headbangers should make the trek to Blue Meanie Records, 916 Broadway in El Cajon, 20 minutes east of downtown (tel. 619/442-5034), where a head-shop ambience adds to the selection of metal and punk albums, T-shirts, and posters. Last but not least is Folk Arts Rare Records, 3611 Adams Ave. in Normal Heights (tel. 619/282-7833), which is nirvana for serious jazz and blues collectors. Situated in an old house, the store hasn't caught up with the CD era yet, but you'll find first-edition rarities on vinyl and 78s, most of them fairly priced.