USC's University Park campus is an urban campus about 2 miles southwest of downtown, so this is a walking guide. Nearly everything here sits on the blocks around campus: USC Village right next door, Jefferson Blvd and Figueroa St on its edges, Exposition Park across Exposition Blvd, and Mercado La Paloma a few blocks east on Grand Ave.
USC Village (3201 S Hoover St) is the campus's own shopping street. USC lists more than 104,000 square feet of shops, dining and services there, anchored by Trader Joe's for groceries and Target for everything else. The food side covers Cava and Sweetgreen bowls, Softies smash burgers and Cafe Dulce coffee and pastries.
On Jefferson Blvd, Yoboseyo! Superette (835 W Jefferson Blvd) is a boba cafe and small-business market from the family behind Cafe Dulce, with drinks, pantry goods and local products. On Figueroa St, Dutch Bros Coffee (3726 S Figueroa St) opened its first Los Angeles shop near USC in late 2025.
Across Exposition Blvd, the Natural History Museum (900 Exposition Blvd) has two open shops and a cafe run by South LA Cafe. A few blocks east, Mercado La Paloma (3655 S Grand Ave) is a market hall of eight eateries, open Mon to Fri 9am to 9pm, Sat 10am to 9pm and Sun 10am to 7pm.
The USC Bookstore (840 Childs Way) is the official store on the University Park campus, run by USC itself. Come here for official USC gear, textbooks and class supplies. It opens Mon to Fri 7:45am to 8pm, Sat 9am to 5pm and Sun 10am to 5pm. Hours shift around holidays and big weekends, so the store asks you to call ahead at (800) 447-8620.
Two other official stores are worth knowing. The USC Health Science Campus Store (1969 Zonal Ave) serves the medical campus, Mon to Fri 8am to 5:30pm and Sat 9am to 2pm. USC also runs a store at The Shops at Santa Anita in Arcadia, handy for family in the San Gabriel Valley.
Move-in is easy because the two stores you need are next door. Target at USC Village covers bedding, storage, school supplies, toiletries and snacks. Trader Joe's, a few doors away, is where students stock the mini fridge with produce, frozen meals and snacks.
Both sit in the same center with validated parking, which helps on move-in day when you are hauling bags back to the car. Neither posts hours on the USC pages, so check before a late-night run. For textbooks, notebooks and desk supplies with the USC name on them, walk over to the USC Bookstore.
Be honest with yourself: the blocks around campus are short on clothing, sneaker and record shops. Within walking distance, the best browsing is at the museum and market shops. The Commons Marketplace at the Natural History Museum (900 Exposition Blvd, Level G) sells locally sourced goods and gifts that show off Los Angeles makers, daily 9:30am to 5pm. Yoboseyo! Superette (835 W Jefferson Blvd) mixes boba with shelves of products from small businesses.
For books, the USC Bookstore is the closest stop. For vintage, records and indie bookshops, students ride the Metro downtown; see the last section.
For the graduate, start at the USC Bookstore (840 Childs Way): official USC apparel and gifts, open Sundays 10am to 5pm for a weekend visit. Check its special hours before commencement week.
For something made in Los Angeles, try the Commons Marketplace at the Natural History Museum, with gifts from local makers. Younger siblings in tow? The Dino Hall Store (900 Exposition Blvd, Level 1, outside the Dinosaur Hall) sells gifts like Stegosaurus mini blocks and 3-D T. rex mugs, daily 10am to 5pm. The museum's main NHM Store is closed for renovations, so plan around these two.
For a food gift, Yoboseyo! Superette stocks pantry goods and local products, and Cafe Dulce at USC Village has pastries to bring back to the hotel.
Coffee: Cafe Dulce at USC Village was founded by a USC alum and pairs specialty coffee with a bakery; try the Vietnamese-style iced coffee or the blueberry matcha latte. Dutch Bros Coffee (3726 S Figueroa St) does coffee, teas, lemonades and Rebel energy drinks. Across Exposition Blvd, the NHM Commons Cafe, run by South LA Cafe, pours espresso and sells pastries, avocado toast and empanadas, daily 7am to 5pm.
Cheap eats: At USC Village, Softies started as a pop-up and serves hand-smashed Oklahoma-style burgers, fried chicken sandwiches and chopped cheese melts. Cava and Sweetgreen are the quick bowl stops. At Mercado La Paloma (3655 S Grand Ave), pick from Chichen Itza for Yucatecan food, Komal for masa-focused lunch, Oaxacalifornia for juices, Taqueria Vista Hermosa for Michoacan-style tacos and Thai Corner Food Express for pad thai. For a big breakfast, Jacks N Joe (2498 S Figueroa St), farther north toward downtown, serves pancakes and omelets.
Parents' dinner: Holbox (3655 S Grand Ave, inside Mercado La Paloma) holds one MICHELIN star for chef Gilbert Cetina's coastal Mexican seafood, from aguachiles to grilled lobster. For a sit-down evening, Bacari W. Adams (2308 S Union Ave) serves Venetian-style small plates and is co-owned by two USC alumni. USC recommends booking ahead, especially on admitted-student weekends.
The Metro E Line (formerly the Expo Line) has two stations at USC: Expo Park/USC and Jefferson/USC. The train stops just south of campus at Exposition Blvd and Trousdale Pkwy, which also puts you at the door of Exposition Park.
Driving? USC's visitor parking structures include Royal Street, Figueroa Street, Flower Street, USC Shrine, McCarthy Way and Grand Avenue, the last at the corner of Jefferson Blvd and Grand Ave just east of campus. On commencement days a tram runs from the Grand Avenue structure every 10 to 20 minutes. USC Village has its own validated parking for shoppers. Rideshare pickup zones are spread across campus; check USC's transit and parking map.
For records, books and vintage, ride the E Line toward downtown to Little Tokyo/Arts District station (402 E 1st St). Our Little Tokyo & Arts District guide covers Kinokuniya (101 San Pedro St) for books and manga, Salt Box Records (320 E 2nd St) and Going Underground Records (356 1/2 E 2nd St) for vinyl, and Hennessey + Ingalls (300 S Santa Fe Ave) for art and design books.
Going the other way, the E Line ends at Downtown Santa Monica station, at 4th St and Colorado Ave, the stop for our Third Street Promenade guide.