Hi everyone, just got back from my San Francisco trip and many thanks for all the helpful recommendations here!
Due to the time constraint (only had one and a half days there), I only managed to travel to the shops nearest where I stayed, so I started with Town Cutler, only about a 20min walk in the nice breezy weather from my hotel.
The shop is located on a quiet street, with a very cosy interior, dominated by big work tables and an awesome sliding glass display behind which the knives are showcased. The whole panel of glass can be elevated by a system of pulleys and counterweights, a real piece of art (created by a local artist I was told)!
Selling mostly kitchen cutlery, the staff were really friendly and knowledgeable, and took the time to show me some beautiful knives, a standout of which was a large damacus chef knife. I also sent in a folder to have them sharpen while I was there, they were quick and did good, precise work, all for $8!
Next we proceeded to Triple Aught Design in Hayes Street. My first time in that area, there was an interesting mix of boutiques and restaurants, just wish I had more time to explore. The TAD shop was well stocked with apparel, packs and accessories such as water bottles, torches and pens but on the knife front they only had four knives: one green, one black dauntless (both MK4), a black Hinderer XM18 and a black Winkler belt knife.
The salesperson assured us that four knives is actually a lot, as their knives sell out extremely fast. She said most times they either have one or the other of the Dauntless, and sometimes none at all. Both Dauntless in store however, already had trails on the clip and liner side of the knife, which she said was normal due to the finish of the titanium. She also told us that the Dauntless knives are made by TAD themsleves, that's something I did not know initially.
Really wanted to pick up a green Dauntless while I was there but a recent purchase ate at my conscience so I left empty handed. About four doors away we chanced up upon a Greek eatery (Souvla), people were lining up to get in and streaming out with cups of yogurt so we just had to give it a go!
The interior was modern, chic and airy, with plenty of high stools and tables. Ordering is fast despite the queue and the food (chicken wrap, Greek fries), wine and dessert (frozen yogurt with baklava crumbles) was all delicious!! I'll definitely make it a point to visit again next time I'm there.
Last place we visited was the TAD's Dogpatch Base, which I understand is their flagship store. It's located literally in a warehouse, thus they have a lot of floor space, and even a dedicated area where they hold classes. All in all a very cool place and fun to browse in.
Selection wise, they were fully stocked with clothes and all else but only had one fixed blade knife at that location. They advised me that for some reason, more people visit this store over the Hayes location and thus the Hayes store almost always has a bigger selection of knives.
That was about all the time I had for shopping and thanks to Uber, managed to get back to my hotel pretty quickly. I remember passing by the Giants ballpark on the way back and the driver told us there was a game that night, could see people already gathering outside the stadium in orange jerseys. Should've been a fun night for them!
I look forward to going back to San Francisco always, it's one of my favorite cities, and hopefully will have more time in future to explore the other places listed in this thread and maybe even meet up with a fellow knife enthusiast or two!
