13 posts tagged “b.a.r.”

  Last week's Bay Area Reporter included my February "Business Briefs" column, which was (vaguely) Valentine's Day-themed.  The topics included were:

• PartnerForLife.com, the new dating site for gay men focusing on long-term relationships, which can of course mean vastly different things for different people;
• GayCities.com, a new site which is aiming to be the definitive site for gay/lesbian travel information;
• Under One Roof's upcoming move across the street to the space currently occupied by ....
• Planetweavers, which is closing after 17 years in this spot (such a heartbreaker!);
• Harvey's's (is that NYT stylebook-approved?) new manager and new slate of entertainment; and
• Updates on two newly opened restaurants, Brandy Ho's and Thick & Thin.

Per usual, the column is available online (link provided above).  Enjoy!

Well, 3 old Briefs, actually.  During my period of blog-silencing "extreme exhaustion" I had 3 columns come out which I never linked here.  If you always turn past the news directly to the escort ads and you didn't see the articles online, here is a rundown of the topics that I covered:

September's issue:

• Gustofino Fine Foods opened on Church Street in the spot previously occupied by the Just Desserts;
• Mr. Martini's popular "Behind the Bar Show" podcast helps to promote his private bartending business;
• The Industrialists, a home furnishings shop which salvages industrial equipment, opened on Market Street;
• Too Much Fun Halloween Headquarter brought its seasonal store to the old Tower Videos spot, just in time for the Castro's canceled Halloween non-celebration;
• The SF LGBT Center sponsored a job fair for LGBT job seekers.

October's news:

• Given, on the site of Harvey Milk's old camera shop, commissioned a mural of the civil rights pioneer;
• A new bar opened on the site of the old Metro, on the second floor above 16th and Market -- at publication time it was as yet unnamed, but it has since been christened Lookout;  (not The Lookout, just Lookout)
• A delegation led by Sidney's daddy Bevan Dufty will be representing San Francisco at sister-city Sydney's 30th anniversary Mardi Gras celebration in March, 2008;
• Local, troubled, homophile company PlanetOut sponsored a short movie contest;
• The GGBA held their monthly mixer.

November's items:

• Under One Roof announced plans for their holiday store in the old Tower Videos location;
• Urban Bread cafe and bread distributor (gosh that sounds appetizing!) opened where Bean Here Brew That! was previously located;
• Castro Cafe was preparing to move into the old Bull's Head spot;
• A rundown of Thanksgiving choices, both dine-in and take-out;
• Orphan Andy's turned 30 (just as I will soon);
• Lookout (just Lookout, not The Lookout) announced its winning name.

One behind-the-scenes note:  The September column was planned to be a collection of internet-based businesses, but a series of stories fell through leaving just Mr. Martini and the tepid PlanetOut item which was pushed into the next month.  I still want to do an all-virtual business column at some point, but so far that has been an oddly elusive goal.  If you have suggestions for Bay Area internet companies which are LGBT-owned or LGBT-focused, I would love to hear them!

The second Thursday of the month means just one thing around the Castroshopper household:  scrambling to finish another B.A.R. column in time.  The new issue is out and my column is available online here.  The contents this week are:

• A discussion of the LGBT Center's Economic Development programs and how they help to develop and support small business owners in the queer community.  So if your dream has always been to open a porn/burrito/club-kid clothing (any one or combination of those) shop in the Castro, these are the people to talk to!
• John Francis Spa, a new facialist regime on 18th Street across from Delano's IGA.  This is curiously in the same building as the Tao Boutique Day Spa.  The corner is becoming the new spa center of the Castro.
• Some other news related to the LGBT Center:  The cafe on the ground floor, Vince & Pete's Three Dollar Cafe has been undergoing remodeling and will be reopening grandly on the 19th.  While I was there talking with Vince (cute!) they were filming a commercial for some sort of telecom company in the newly repainted cafe. 
• A short conversation with the new A Taste of Leather shop.
• An announcement of the next GGBA mixer on the 15th.  If you've ever wanted to find someone who knows how to use QuickBooks Pro then this is your place.

Enjoy!

As I've mentioned before, I'm writing the "Business Briefs" column in the Bay Area Reporter now.  My predecessor wrote it every two weeks, but I'm currently on a monthly schedule, coming out the second Thursday of each month, which means that my current column is in those attractive green newspaper boxes right now!

This month my column was mostly that journalistic cliche:  the holiday gift guide.  I was given the guidance to feature a wide assortment of items at a range of prices from a variety of local stores, in particular ones which hadn't been mentioned in the column recently.  It was a pretty fun piece to research and write, but I've also realized that for each additional person I need to speak with in person the time required for the column goes up and my hourly rate drops to levels roughly equivalent to what a Wal-Mart Christmas-ornament-decorating elf earns.

Now before you think I'm getting all high on my own "hottness" with this journalism thing, just know that there's always a shopkeeper to bring me back down to humble earth.   I'm repeatedly amazed that so many of the shop owners just brush me off or won't return calls or generally treat me like a sidewalk cookie.  And it's not that I think that they should fall on their knees and fellate me there in the middle of their holiday display, it's just that I'm actually giving their shops a little bit of free advertising, in exchange for a story or two and a photo, and if I were a small businessperson I would jump at the chance for a little free promotion.  I don't understand some people's attitude.

I'm on your side, people!

But having said that, those standoffish people are in the minority.  I've met some really cool, interesting, inspirational people doing this gig, and I have huge respect for anyone who steps out and chases their dream to open their own business.  People will say that about entrepreneurs who start their own ridiculous internet start-ups, but I feel much more respect for the people who open retail outlets.  The kids setting up the latest web-2.0-social-networking-community-leveraged-investment-draining start-up have this delusion of being the next smug git on the cover of Time in a tight black t-shirt.  But if you are opening a donut shop or tanning salon or Tibetan handicraft store, you have no pretensions about becoming an overnight squillionaire.  You're in it to make a living and to be your own boss, and hopefully you can beat the odds and make a long-term go of it.

So anyway, that's a long way of saying, basically, please support our local small business owners.  Forecasters say it's going to be an economically iffy season this year, so each of these locally-owned shops can definitely use your business right now.

OK, enough sincerity.  I promise the next post I'll be back to bad puns and cynicism.

Wow, it's been quite a while since my last update, and I apologize.  No doubt you have ideas about how I've been keeping busy, but mostly it has been a combination of work, home stuff, and my side-gig filling in for the writer of the "Business Briefs" column in the Bay Area Reporter.  Last week I published my second column, which is available online here.  The topics I covered this go 'round are:

• Salon Baobao, a new haircuttery, has opened between Eros and Mecca.  (Extra points if you can remember what was in this space previously.)
• Mecca checks in with news on its recovery from its recent fire.
• Another opportunity for self-indulgence has presented itself in the form of the Tao Boutique Day Spa.
• The Metro bar has packed up its shakers and scooted down to occupy the space formerly known as the Expansion bar.
• Max Muscles returns to the Castro, taking over the Maximum Strength & Health shop under the (now former) Metro.

Please read up and let me know your thoughts on the column.

And I hope you have enjoyed the column, because I'm happy to report that I'll be taking over the column full-time this month!  Currently the plan is to reduce the frequency of the column to once a month instead of every other week, so hopefully it will impact the blog less. 

If you noticed that the "Business Briefs" column in this week's Bay Area Reporter was unusually witty, well-written, and a good kisser, that's no coincidence!  I'm happy to reveal that one of the reasons I've been slow to update the blog lately is because I'm the guest columnist writing the "Business Briefs" during August while the regular contributor is in rehab.  (Just kidding!  She's just on vacation!)

I cover 5 topics in the current column:

• Frisee, the new salad-centric restaurant opening in Malacca's old space
• Palencia, the Filipino restaurant replacing Tita's Hawaiian eatery
• Brandy Ho's, the drag-liciously-named Chinese restaurant which is replacing Khun Phoa on 18th
• The Under One Roof special sale happening this month in the old Tower Video space
• Femina Potens, the art gallery opening where Image Leather used to be

I'll be posting expanded notes here in the blog, including info which didn't make it past the editors or censors.

And lest you worry that I'm some Villaraigosa-esque blogger, off shtupping a media glamazon and getting ready to dump my homely blog wife, have no fear!  Always remember that it was just a physical thing, and you are the one I *really* love. 

Of course I'm commited to write one more column in two weeks, but a man has his needs.

I know that people complain that the prices at DeLano's IGA are higher than they were at Cala, but there are a couple of ways that they've added nicely to the neighborhood:

• B.A.R. editor Matthew Bajko (extra points if you can pronounce his name correctly) pointed out to me that DeLano's has been including an advertising flyer in the paper for the last few weeks.  Because the B.A.R. is an advertiser-supported paper, the flyer is valuable income for an independent community voice.  Plus, it keeps Matthew in his tidy expense account.
  
• DeLano's has added the word "CASTRO" to their outside sign.  It's a small touch, but a nice neighborhood landmark which echoes the Castro Theater sign.  However, it could yield confusion for mai-tai-addled customers stumbling out of The Edge at 2 a.m. wondering which way to Castro and Market.
  

The cover story on this week's B.A.R. discusses a proposal by Walgreens to expand their 18th Street satellite pharmacy by busting through the wall into the long-empty As the Suds Turn laundromat (a.k.a. "the burrito laundry").  It's a pretty interesting read, contrasting the pros of having the space occupied with a store that serves a particular need of the community (a specialized pharmacy with extensive advisory services for people with HIV and AIDS) and the cons of having more chain store expansion in the 'hood, and Walgreens in particular.

Like most people, the Castro has a love-hate relationship with its drug dealer, and two choice quotes from the article sum it up nicely:

[A]t the May meeting of the Merchants of Upper Market and Castro, some in the audience said they did not want to see a chain store take up so much storefront space in the heart of the city's gay neighborhood.

Others recalled how the company "gobbled up" several much loved hangouts when it expanded its Castro Street location. Walgreens first came into the neighborhood in 1980 when it took over the Star Pharmacy on the corner of 18th and Castro streets. It then, in 1997, expanded into the three storefronts next door, which housed Rossi's Meats, the Castro Cafe, and the Phoenix gay bar, according to the Web site Uncle Donald's Castro Street.

And later in the article, couch-surfing bachelor-legislator Bevan Dufty chimes in with an opinion shared by every sentient being who has ever seen a Walgreens window:

Supervisor Bevan Dufty, ... has long complained that the main store's window displays are not stylish enough for such a prominent corner...

What?!  This isn't good enough for him?!

  This week's Bay Area Reporter has three articles about the Castro's future:

Castro mulls ways to fill vacancies

Castro planning process set to begin

Neighborhoods of the future debated

The first two are by Matthew Bajko, the same reporter who wrote last week's piece on proposals to improve the Castro as a travel and shopping destination, and both pieces are pretty interesting, presenting a range of issues and ideas for the future of the neighborhood. 

  The first specifically addresses the problem of the vacancy rate in the Castro, which is high-getting-higher, and presents some of the ideas that have been put forward, including:

• Banning chain stores;
• Removing limitations on new bars and restaurants in the neighborhood; and
• Marketing the retail market to stores and chains.

  The chain store ban isn't anything new of course, but it's not clear to me what would happen under such a ban to the substantial number of chain stores that are already in the neighborhood, including Walgreens, Radio Shack, Pottery Barn, Subway, The Body Store, The UPS Store, Peet's Coffee, 7-11, numerous banks, numerous gas stations, and Starbucks.  In general I think we're better off not looking like any strip mall from any anonymous town in the US, but I've yet to see a legislative proposal which would reasonably limit chain stores without banning them outright.

  The second and third proposals seem much more interesting to me.  Actively shopping the neighborhood around to potential tenants will help to bring in companies and entrepeneurs who might not have thought of the Castro otherwise.  But if that could happen in conjunction with raising the number of bars and restaurants in the neighborhood I think it would be much more powerful.

  Probably the smartest quote from the first article is from Lee Julien a real estate agent (I know, I was shocked too):

If the Castro were more of a restaurant and bar destination, that would help bring more mom and pop retail into the area. Maybe lifting the ban on bars and restaurants might be helpful.

Thinking back to the recent Chronicle list of best restaurants in the Bay Area, it seems wrong that the Castro doesn't have more names on that list.  We've been known for the gay thing for a long time -- it's a short step to being known as a gourmet/gourmand/cocktail center, and it would a natural and profitable progression for us.  

 The second B.A.R. article deals with two area planning projects which are looking at infill projects along the Upper Market corridor.  Here is a nice big version of the map on the Castro Area Planning + Action (CAPA) website.  The parcels being looked at for (re)development are:

• The former ARCO station at Market and Castro;
• The empty lot where the church once stood, at Noe and Market;
• Sullivan Funeral Home;
• Thai Corner Express;
• The former Shell station across from Thai Corner Express;
• The Lucky 13 bar;
• The S&C Ford showroom and garage;
• and the 76 station at Buchanan and Market.

  It's a little bit confusing, but it seems that there are two overlapping planning projects which cover most of these spaces.  One is the Market and Octavia Plan out of the city Planning Commission, and the other is Bevan Dufty's Castro charette.  (For those like me who had no idea what "charette" means, it is apparently a "visual brainstorming that is used by design professionals to develop solutions to a design problem."  And now you know!)

  The article gives more detail, but apparently there is justifiable concern that if developers have their way, all of these parcels will become housing. 

  The final B.A.R. article isn't as informative as the first two, but I throw it in for reference (read: "entertaining crazy-talk").  It reports on a panel discussion about the future of the neighborhood, and as with most/all panel discussions, the overall quality of the discussion is bounded by the inanity of the dumbest panel members.  I'll leave it to the reader to experience the excreted pellets of insight firsthand, but I detect that even the reporter, Katie Dettman, seemed to be making fun of these people.  After one guys spouts off that "the future of the Castro begins when we burn the [rainbow] flag," Katie notes that this guy moved here just 7 months ago.  Another panelist moans about feeling like an outsider in the neighborhood, and Katie reports the irony that said panelist has lived here for 16 years. Ohhh-kaaaay...

OK, not "about me" actually, but if you check out the B.A.R. this week you can read a few choice quotes from your humble blogger in the cover story "Castro Boosters Look Over the Rainbow".  The writer (Matthew Bajko) kindly made me sound a little less nerdy and insane than I was fearing.  We talked for close to an hour and the conversation staggered all over the place so I wasn't sure what would end up in print, but he managed to come up with a couple of semi-lucid quotes. 

And if you are a new reader that found me through that article, welcome!  Feel free to sign up and leave comments.  I'm particularly receptive to any rumors or gossip you have, so please send me a message.

BTW, when Matthew transcribed my age he clearly wasn't listening because I'm obviously not a day over 29.... just look at my avatar!