Smoke Signals

Smoke Signals is great for three things: (1) just about any magazine or newspaper you can think of, including prominent newspapers from foreign countries and elsewhere in the U. S, (2) cigars and brands of cigarettes you might not find at most retailers, and (3) California lottery tickets. I don’t smoke, so the cigars and cigarettes are of no interest to me, but the selection of magazines and newspapers is really impressive. It’s also very convenient for stopping in to buy and check lottery tickets if you happen to be shopping elsewhere on Polk Street between Broadway and Vallejo Street, as I often do. I find that whoever is behind the counter is helpful and friendly and I’m always happy to go in and do business there. It’s a small shop, but big enough to display all those periodicals in an organized fashion, and it’s clean and well kept. It’s a neighborhood business, locally owned, and one of those commendable places that makes San Francisco what it is.

Let’s be honest, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of being a regular… And there’s nothing quite like the Smoke Signals newsstand. This place is awesome! Whether it’s my go-​to issue of The Economist or an Italian Vogue, Smoke Signals has the best and most expansive collection of foreign publications I’ve seen around. This place is a definite must for the printed word junkie!

The most impressive newspaper & magazine joint in the city. And if you need a pack of Dunhill’s, they’ve got you covered. I quit smoking ages ago, but this place makes me a little nostalgic for those days. A fresh pack of Dunhill’s & the new issue of Vogue or W? The Fashionista Diet.
It’s neatly packed w all the basics (Time), the favorites (Vogue), & the avant garde (titles I’ve never even heard of). My man even found something new for him; Baseball America.
The owner is polite & helpful. He lets you freely peruse without disturbance. When I asked for a certain title, he immediately guided me to what I was looking for, right from behind the counter. And he always says hello & goodbye.
I’d had a manicure/​pedicure appointment recently & my nail salon had 2 brand new beauty magazine issues. One of them ran a feature I wanted to have for reference, so I came by here to buy it. Only I couldn’t remember exactly which issue it was. The owner let me endlessly browse the pages to make sure that it was indeed the issue I wanted. All while I had my handbag plopped on top of his counter. He didn’t flinch. He really didn’t seem to mind. Props for that.
The full service newspaper & magazine shop is a dying breed. This place is a real gem.
5 stars.

I come here at times to pick up a Chinese News paper for my mom. The place got a load of magazines and loads of newspapers. This place seems pretty popular. The place is clean and very well organized.
I have all positive things to say about this place.

This place has an absolutely fabulous selection of magazines — of all types. The owner is so helpful and respectful too — along with other staff I’ve come across. If you want some help, they are happy to give it, if you want to do your own thing, they let you browse silently. I can spend hours here!!!

I quit smoking 14 years ago but back in the day I’d periodically buy my smokes here. To this day, Fadi, the owner, remembers my name and always greets me with a friendly hello. This has to be the best magazine store in town, he carries every magazine possible I think. Even my brother says so, who comes clear across town just to buy his sports magazines. Even when Fadi isn’t there, his staff is always friendly and helpful.

Smoke signals is a favorite of mine, I’ve been going here for years. My go to spot every week for magazines and papers on everything and anything you can possibly be interested in. When I was getting married, no where had a better selection of wedding magazines, and when I got pregnant nobody carried pregnancy magazines but SS, and even now as a mother I buy parenting magazines (on top of tabloids and fashion mags of course) as well!
The owner, Fadi is a really nice guy who is always very helpful!

Always a hello and every magazine you can think of. Kept neat and clean. Close to numerous cafes so you can grab a quick read and a quick bite.

T H O U G H T S: Smoke Signals has just been awarded Magazine Shoppe of the Year by the Queendom of Aslı. And so it has been decreed. Aye!
A M B I A N C E: Heaven smells like the crease of magazine. Preferably, European. But all may apply. Yes, I smell magazine pages. I love the smell of literature. It’s like I can smell the words, the colours. I was distracted by the clever usage of old Baccarat and cigar boxes in the windows, hefty design books, magazines that are like books. No topic is off limits. I found politics, religion, hunting, Japanese, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Arabic, Dominican cigars, and San Francisco souvenir lighters, Sudoku, erotica, short stories, celebrity pages, newspapers, local and global magazines. When I was in here, a couple walked in, and declared joyously, ”This smells like France!” I giggled to myself.
L O O K | A L L | A R O U N D: When you enter look for the racks of 50% off magazines, at the entrance, and throughout the store. Make use of the step-​stool. You’ll need it when you see an amazing cover, hidden in the back of the top shelves.
H A T | T I P: To the blonde man who rang me up at the register. And to the owner, Fadi Berbery, for running a great, unique, well-​stocked, diverse shop of beautiful, glorious magazines! Request! Turkish and Portuguese magazines, pretty please!

Great selection of fashion magazines! I come here for my European Fashion Fix and to Kinokuniya bookstore in Japantown for my Asian Fashion Fix.

This place is great! Only place I know in the whole Bay Area that sells foreign magazines. The owner is really cool and knows all the magazines in his store and very helpful. I go at least once a month to stock up on reading material. Idk what I would do without this place!

If you like to read a variety of magazines, you will love this place.
Aside from magazines, they sell lotto and tabacco. (I think really good chocolates will also make a good addition here. Just a subtle suggestion. :))

Probably the last great magazine/​newsstand in the city, a wonderful selection of every kind of magazine you could want.
Friendly and smart staff: all kinds of newspapers, lottery tix, and tobacco products.
There should be a dozen of this kind of store downtown.
AAA+++

Wow, great service! I called up to ask if they had a copy of Design Bureau, and the guy on the phone kindly agreed to look inside it to see if it had an article I was looking for, so I wouldn’t have to schlep across town to see for myself.
I’ll be happy to give them my business any time, with service like that. Super friendly and patient.

Hubby loves this place because it has his favorite magazines that are just so hard to find. Plus since he’s been there so often, the staff sort of knows him. It’s great when you can find that in a local shop.

I have been coming here for years for all my international magazines and know that I can always find what I am looking for here. I am so happy thatbI live close by and that it is convenient to stop in on a regular basis. Are the European magazines expensive? Yes, but they aren’t any more expensive here than in other stores.

It’s shameful that I’m just now finding this hidden gem of a newsstand in Russian Hill. I have now found a new source to fulfill my cravings for foreign newspapers and magazines. Smoke Signals is well-​stocked with fashion/​arts/​interior design magazines and domestic/​foreign language newspapers. The only disappointment that I had was the lack of certain crafts magazines.

Best magazine shop in San Francisco! Great selcection, have all of my had to find magazines, Grass Roots Motorsports and Stereophile (ya, ya, I am a geek)

If you don’t find it here, it probably doesn’t exist. But if there’s something missing, ask them and they’ll get it.
The only place in town where I can consistently pick up my France Football, Onze, or L’Equipe. Certainly better than Café De La Presse.
Highly recommended for your mag, journal, and/​or newspaper fix.
And yes … they do have cigars.

This is more than your neighborhood magazine shop around the corner. There is an incredible selection of local and international magazines ranging from fashion, to poetry, to news commentary, to décor.
While the international titles can be pricey, it is nice to have the selection available to you. There are also some rare finds that are limited release if you are willing to plunk down the change. Don’t come here to browse. The shop is small and doesn’t really welcome casual perusing.
I love magazines and if it weren’t for restraint one could spend a pretty penny here.

This place has a lot of magazines and newspapers including foreign ones. But the best thing is that they sell stamps, including international! Yeah!