Downtown Shopping in San Rafael

Posted by Kristin Lee on Tuesday, November 1st, 2011 at 12:14pm.

downtown_san_rafael_500

Downtown San Rafael offers a large main street retail shopping location in Marin County. Clients new to the area often ask me as we are driving around looking at homes, "where is the good shopping?" Those who know Marin well, know that there are several pockets of good shopping in several Marin communities, but a fun place to shop all kinds of stores in one trip is downtown San Rafael!

The main street of the downtown San Rafael shopping district is Fourth Street with several cross streets and parallel streets also including many shops and restaurants of interest. Check out the downtown San Rafael map for a visual picture of the area.

There are several boutique shops including imported gifts and clothing, and vintage clothing stores where shoppers can find great value on designer clothing for second-hand prices. There are several specialty foods and restaurants, (our family favorites are Umi Sushi, Citrus & Spice (Thai) and Sol Food (Puerto Rican) . If you are shopping for art, there are unique art and antique galleries such as Art Works Downtown, Inc. and Discover Art on Fourth. These two art galleries are both located in the fourth street of San Rafael.

Downtown San Rafael is especially magical at night. They keep the trees lit throughout the year, and during the Christmas holiday season, the additional decorations just make a really romantic and friendly atmosphere. There are many city activities and events - from Farmer's Markets to holiday tree-lighting to fun runs and parades.

And if you need to occupy other family members while some are shopping, there are other things to do, such as walking tours of the downtown area and neighborhoods. This is a great way to get to know the area if you are thinking about living in or near downtown San Rafael. For more information on the walking tours, visit www.marinhistory.org.

Aside from shopping in downtown San Rafael, San Rafael has a major shopping center in northern San Rafael - the Northgate Mall. This shopping mall is about 15 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge, and offers plenty of parking as well as lots of activities for kids and families around holidays and summer weekends. It is the largest of the three shopping malls in Marin, and the only enclosed regional shopping center in Marin County. Anchor stores in the mall include Macy's and Sears, and there are also popular clothing stores like The Gap, Victoria's Secret, and Forever 21. Kids' stores include Gymboree, The Children's Place and Baby Gap. There is also a movie theater and a food court.

Plenty of shopping in San Rafael, and of course, if you ever have any questions about purchasing a home in or near downtown San Rafael or anywhere in Marin, I am happy to help. If you would like to receive listings or discuss the market, email me at kristin@marinmodern.com or call me at 415-755-7080.