San Francisco

If you invest the time to scratch beneath the surface of the urban landscape, a precious mother lode of rare and sought-after treasures can be yours -- then again, there's an Ikea in Emeryville. Hunting down cool stuff so you don't have to, CITIZEN:Citizen, popping up Thursday.

Locally curated C:C specializes in ltd edition, often tongue-in-cheek merchandise for humans and homes; the stuff's normally online-only, but for 36 days they'll be offering 30-50% discounts on their entire catalog at a stockroom-chic "pop-up department store". Goods range from the ubiquitous "Coke Spoon" pendant (a Bic cap dipped in gold); a peel-away rubber-coated crystal chandelier (rubber controls light flow); meticulously carved wax candle-holder candles that burn themselves away; and the "Keffiyeh Wallet", made from the checked fabric of Semitic tribes -- no matter how empty it is, you'll still be livin' Ara-phat. Joining C:C signatures'll be rarities from NY's Areaware (e.g., creepy cast resin hand hooks for keys or coats), aesthetically old school computer/cell phone accessories by Britain's Hulger, and kinkiness from SF's own Jimmyjane, like the capsular "F*ck Design" vibrator -- as useful for you as its name is subtle.

Also in the house'll be copious art/design titles by SOMA's Chronicle, a leading purveyor of coffee table books (e.g., Core Memory: A Visual Survey of Vintage Computers, the sweet photo-essay Planet Shanghai) -- any of which can mask the peeling laminate of your woefully DIY coffee table.