Lined with early 1900's brick warehouses, storefronts and automobile dealerships, the area was a sketchy urban ghost town 15 years ago. But over the last decade, the buildings have been reborn as restaurants, stores, galleries, art studios and bars. Two streets, Pine and Pike, run parallel between the heart of Capitol Hill and downtown. The blocks bookended by Interstate 5 and 12th Avenue, known as the Pine-Pike Corridor, hold furniture and clothing stores that have turned the area into a destination for the style-obsessed who will not settle for anything mass-produced.

Get Ready

Fuel up at BAUHAUS BOOKS AND COFFEE (301 East Pine Street, 206-625-1600), a friendly neighborhood hub known for its double-height ceiling, worn wood furniture and towering bookshelves crammed with used film and architecture books. If it is sunny, take coffee out to a sidewalk table.

Glam Vintage

A pioneer on Pine Street 11 years ago, LE FROCK (317 East Pine Street, 206-623-5339) is a consignment shop packed with clothes from the 1930's and 40's, along with new designer pieces that were used in fashion photographs and are being sold by stylists. Typical finds include Fendi and Coach handbags, Giorgio Armani and Donna Karan men's suits, and women's shoes by Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana and Chanel.

Antique Modern

The granddaddy of Capitol Hill's midcentury-modern furniture stores, AREA 51 (401 East Pine Street, 206-568-4782) occupies a circa 1910 Ford showroom that takes up almost an entire block. It is a cheerful whitewashed space and houses a mind-boggling, constantly changing selection of handpicked furnishings. In addition to standards from Herman Miller, Knoll and Charles and Ray Eames, the store offers a chance to score a George Nelson bubble lamp ($300) or a coveted 40's standing surgical light ($2,000).

Girly Heaven

Jennifer Gallucci is the force behind LIPSTICK TRACES (500 East Pine Street, 206-329-2813), an homage to independent designers, many of them young women. One wall acts as a gallery with rotating exhibitions by up-and-coming Northwestern artists. Another displays obscure art and fashion books. Look for locally made goods like cabernet- and green-tea-scented candles, stationery and journals and record players by a fledgling design business, Truckstop.

Lunch Break

BIMBO'S BITCHIN' KITCHEN (506 East Pine Street, 206-329-9978) specializes in surly waiters and tasty burritos and tacos stuffed with fillings both traditional (rice and beans) and unexpected (herb-roasted chicken, garlic mashed potatoes).

For Hipster Children

Image-conscious parents should walk two blocks east of the main drag to BOOTYLAND (1321 East Pine Street, 206-328-0636), a new and vintage clothing store for children. Babies and toddlers will exude retro cool in never-worn early-80's Nikes, chunky knit sweaters in earthy colors and best-selling T-shirts with photos of Bruce Lee and Elvis ($11 to $13).

The Real Deal

When Marc Jacobs showed 80's-inspired rainbow belts last year, ATLAS CLOTHING (1515 Broadway, between Pine and Pike; 206-323-0960) had the real thing, along with Diane von Furstenberg wrap dresses and Jordache jeans. The racks are now filled with Izod shirts, Adidas track suits and a veritable rodeo show of Western wear, lacy Gunny Sacks blouses, men's cowboy shirts and weathered Levi's 501's ($24).

Furniture on Display

Windows with bright green borders draw customers to CHARTREUSE INTERNATIONAL (711 East Pike Street, 206-328-4844), a sprawling collection of vintage designer furniture. The five partners scour estate sales all over the country for pieces by Charles and Ray Eames, Arne Jacobsen, Vladimir Kagan Hans Wegner and the like. Smartly arranged vignettes mean that even if visitors do not buy a thing, they leave with an eyeful of inspiration.

Asian Options

For a departure from the mod aesthetic, duck into FUGIO (1507 Belmont Avenue, between Pine and Pike; 206-322-6677) for a wealth of Central Asian home furnishings. Walk over piles of tribal rugs from Pakistan and Tibet ($40 to $6,000) and through hand-carved Pakistani temple doorways ($1,200 to $20,000), and recline on a Balinese daybed ($2,000) covered with kilim pillows ($25 to $125). The store also carries pieces by local glass artists and metal- and woodworkers.

Fab Fabrics and Alligator Bags

A charming shop with a green and white awning, PRIVATE SCREENING (1530 Melrose Avenue, between Pine and Pike; 206-839-0759) sells clothes, fabrics and furniture from the 1930's to 50's. Quirky treasures include French damask and 50's atomic-print fabrics ($50 to $110 a panel), alligator handbags ($75 to $85) and classic Lilli Ann suits ($85 to $125). For alterations, visit the tailor, Lisa DeFrance, in her sunny alcove upstairs.