Pike Place Market is the best shopping in Seattle for edible things: fresh Dungeness crab, salmon, oysters, local honey, jams, and an extraordinary range of flowers at prices that make supermarket bouquets look like a bad joke. The lower levels of the market have antique dealers, booksellers, and craft stalls. Come on a weekday morning to actually buy rather than just watch.
For books, Elliott Bay Book Company has been the city's independent bookshop anchor since 1973, originally in Pioneer Square and now in a large and handsome space on Capitol Hill at 1521 10th Ave. The stock is wide and well-chosen, the reading programme is extensive, and the staff recommendations are worth reading.
Fremont and Capitol Hill have the best concentration of vintage clothing and independent retail. The University District's University Way (the Ave) has a dense strip of used bookshops, record shops, and affordable clothing. Ballard has developed into the neighbourhood for independent home goods and Scandinavian-influenced design.
REI's flagship store at 222 Yale Ave North is one of the largest outdoor equipment retailers in the world and worth visiting even if you aren't buying — the building has a climbing wall and a testing loop for bikes and boots.