18 posts tagged “improvements”
I promised the follow-up to my "Ch-ch-ch-changes" post a couple days ago, but I've actually been down with a Moulin-Rouge-level consumptive episode. Otherwise known as a "Man cold." But I'm back upright for the time being, so here are some more changing storefronts in the Castro right now:
- The North Beach Chinese Restaurant Brandy Ho's has finally uncovered its Castro storefront and is getting ready for its long-delayed opening.
Back when I talked with one of the owners, Jimmy Lam, for the B.A.R. piece, the opening was forecast for September but when I ran into him the other day he said that the new opening is set for early February. Considering that the reno was budgeted at about a million dollars (and having recently gone through a monster reno myself) it is understandable that there would be delays. Here's a photo that I took of Lam and the interior while it was still in process:The interior concept was supposed to be reminiscent on the inside of a wine barrel, with the wood structures behind Lam fitting into the corner of the ceiling, to give a gradual coving from the wall onto the ceiling. Peeking into the store now it seems that they have mostly stuck with that idea, and the interior looks sleek and Valentine's Day date-friendly.
- Scents-and-soaps dealer Bare Necessities on Castro has become another hair salon, Lisa's Hair Design. This picture was taken before work started on Milk-ifying the storefront, and now the awning is completely gone. I wonder if this will give them the opportunity and the capital to fix the name on the awning, or if they'll just leave it down.
The Lisa in the store's title is the same stylist who used to work around the corner at Nice Cuts. Bao Tonthat, who opened the chic Salon Baobao next to Mecca, also previously worked his shears at Nice Cuts, and I believe that the two of them were the most popular stylists there. This goes to show how competitive the hair market is in the Castro, but it's also a testament to how big the market has become that the 'hood can support so many salons. I have had co-workers who told me that they actually drive into the Castro just to get their hair cut.
- Clobba closed down their femme-focused store on Market Street at the end of last year.
I'm told that the owner of Sui Generis, the designer boutique on Church Street, has plans for the site, but I don't know yet if it is a move or a second store.
If you haven't been following the news, you might be confused by some of the recent construction on businesses in the Castro. The Castro Theatre is undergoing a decidedly retro restyling, numerous businesses have traded in modern signage for hand-painted psychodelica, and Given, your glam-chic source for plushy excreta, has transformed into an A/V storage room from your junior high school.
All of the extra make-up on the old girl can only mean one thing -- it's time for our close-up, Mr. Van Sant!
Gus Van Sant's production entitled Milk about the life and assassination of civil rights leader Harvey Milk is preparing for filming on the streets and in the businesses around the neighborhood. There have already been the mass casting calls and rumors of who will-be-or-won't-be in the flick. (Matt Damon? Out. Josh Brolin? In. Tom Ammiano. In. As himself. Wha-a-a? Sean Hayes wasn't free?)
According to the Castro Courier filming was set to start either January 21 or 22, depending on whether you read the headline or the body of the article. Neither seems likely, though, since a lot of work is still being done on the local store fronts. The GayCities site's Travel Blog posted a few good photos last week, and here are a few more showing the continuing changes:
- The Castro Theatre is having its sign fully refurbished, including a garish paint job and repairs to its oft-collided-with front marquee.
- Given's interior has been transformed into a drab, industrial space. Really, it's remarkable how quickly it went from slick to slack.
I discussed in my column that they recently commissioned a fantastic mural to commemorate Milk, and it really is a fantastic, moving piece of art. Here's a photo which I took of Given's owner Nick Romero which didn't make the column:The artwork features an eerily prophetic quote by Milk: "If a bullet should enter my brain, let the bullet destroy every closet door." The quote spills out of the bullet of a gun, into a riot of color around Milk's figure. It really is a fantastic piece, paying homage to the man, the business that was in this spot, and the history of the entire neighborhood. I really applaud Romero for commissioning this artwork.
I worried that the movie work would damage this piece, and it seems that they've created a false wall to protect the mural. At least the artist is local, so he can repair any minor damage, I suppose.When I talked with Romero for the B.A.R. article it was still months before the filming was finalized. He mentioned that Van Sant had come by to scout the location, and he told me that he and the staff were gung-ho to support using the store as the set. He indicated that he was going to be compensated for the weeks (months?) of lost business, but that he thought it was important for the movie to be made where Milk had actually lived and worked. I hope that the movie brings publicity to Given (and to all of the neighborhood businesses), and that they come out well-compensated for their inconvenience. - Businesses around Given are also being made over. Clobba still didn't have its sign up, so I'm not sure what it is going to be, but the National Fidelity Title has become Aquarius Records and Thai Express has become China Court.
China Court actually didn't disappear from this site that long ago. I think it only shut down maybe 2 or 3 years ago. When it closed people mourned the funky booths that they had, but I have to say that I didn't miss it. As a matter of fact, when I first saw this sign my first reaction was, "Oh no! It's back!!"
- Across the street a number of businesses are also taking a trip on the Wayback Machine. Swirl is transforming back into an urban liquor store, complete with the old newspaper stands that Bevan Dufty tried to banish.
The eyeglass shop Eye Gotcha is undergoing one of the roughest transitions, as it gets boarded up like the simple garage that it used to be. If any business needs a sandwich board sign out front reminding us that its open during filming, it's this one!
- I talked with Paul, the owner of P.O.Plus and he mentioned that the production crew had asked him to take down his signs. They are concerned that the shots out the window of the camera store (i.e. Given) look period appropriate. He told them no, and so they were entering into a negotiation of sorts. I wonder how many of the stores who agreed to the refacing are being compensated, and how many just said "yes" the first time. Here is the look that you see out the window of Given:
- Around the corner on 19th, the HRC Store and the Castro Village Cleaners are both getting a little work done, but it still in progress so it is hard to say how far this will go.
- Across the street from the Castro Theatre, the 440 Castro bar is being reborn as Toad Hall.
- More updates to come as the construction progresses!
The long-touted closing of the rummage sale at 530 Castro Street has finally come to pass. Saturday was their last day, and by Sunday the place was empty and the tile floor (or what was left of it) was being scraped up. Butcher paper is up in the windows now, and bets are being taken on what is coming next. History would suggest another crazy-aunt's-parlor-inspired variety shop, but I'm hoping that this high-traffic, high-visibility spot will get a more viable tenant.
A wrap-up of small items that have been knocking around my camera's memory card for a few weeks now:
- Razors has been open and razoring away for a couple weeks now. This is the former location of ENZI salon, which is now up the street a couple blocks. I'm told that the owner of Razors used to be at Joe's Barbershop before deciding to strike out on his own.
- The perpetual garage sale at 530 Castro Street -- only the name seems to change, and did the latest incarnation even have a name? -- has sharpied an update on its "Closing soon" sign that the end is coming "June 15th or Soon" (sic). Note that I first reported this eminent closing back in freakin' April, so "soon" is a relative term for these people.
- Remember the grease fire at All-Season Sushi & Bar (or as we called it, "All Season Sushi Bar and Grill")? A quick peak inside the place reveals that much more is going on in there than repairs to the kitchen. It seems that a full remodel is underway. This photo is from a couple weeks ago:
- The Cove cafe is entering the late-night food market by staying open until 2 on Friday and Saturday night. They still aren't taking reservations for the high-visibility, window-side "attention-whore" booths though, so be prepared to wait.
- Bazouzi market and deli at the corner of 18th and Eureka has posted a notice announcing a change of ownership. I'm told that the couple who own the place have finally decided to retire. According to the posted announcement, the new owners are renaming the place Adorabella's, which is further evidence that all good store names are taken.
- A sign up at Off the Beading Path at 18th and Douglass (and nextdoor to the new location of ENZI) advertises a store-wide liquidation sale. I don't know if this is an indication that the owner is picking up his beads and going home -- or possibly to Fisherman's Wharf where he recently opened another store -- but generally store-wide 25-50% discounts are not signs of a bright future.
- I wrote about the changes over at the-cafe-formerly-known-as-Philz, but at the time had forgotten the new name. Well, the building is repainted now and the new sign is up. Welcome Bean Here, Brew That!. (ref. My comments above about the name Adorabella's)
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?!
Over the weekend I stopped by the newly renovated Harvey's for brunch, and it was like dropping by on an old friend -- one with a big liquor cabinet and a deep-fat fryer.
In spite of the major construction, on the surface little is changed. It's the same menu, the same staff, the same mysterious upstairs-around-the-corner kitchen. However, the place has been polished up with a more sophisticated color scheme and some richer finishes.
You notice it first at the entrance, where the walls are covered with a woody, rattan-like material on one wall and slick black tiles on the other.
Inside, the color scheme continues with the walls painted a rich caramel/tan color, and the bar and banquette upholstered with black leather (well, OK, a black leather-adjacent fabric).
The center-piece, literally and aesthetically, is the bar, which is the one area where the fundamental layout has changed. As before, there are high, round tables and low, square tables on the Castro side of the restaurant, and high, square tables against the banquette on the 18th street side. The two slightly-sketchy but hard-working bathrooms and the server's station are still in the back corner. But the bar which used to be a chevron jutting into the center of the room has been reshaped into a straight line against the back wall. This opens up the space considerably, and also allows for a more visually arresting design for the bar. A wide swath of the natural rattan shoots dramatically up the wall and onto the ceiling.
I am really pleased with the makeover, but mostly I'm pleased to have this neighborhood mainstay back. Looking airier and more inviting than even, it's a beautiful anchor to this high-traffic intersection. Well done, Harvey!
I have it on very good authority (OK, admittedly anyone who has time to email me tips isn't exactly a national security advisor, but still, I'm willing to report anything) that our semi-beloved Harvey's is reopening tonight with a party at 9pm! Reviews, photos, and a few bad puns to come! Stay tuned...
Some recent changes in signage in the Castrohood:
- SF MUNI has installed these new signs in the Castro underground station, and judging from the comments people have already been left, a lot of you don't like them. I actually like the font and the use of lowercase for the header words "castro" and "outbound," but the "Boarding Zone" looks like it was designed by an entirely different committee.
I wish they had installed signs like the ones that they have on train platforms in Japan, which give the names of the next station in either direction. Here's an example which I took from jpellgen's Flickr stream:
Not that our train system is so complicated, but when you are riding an unfamiliar line it is very comforting to know where you are headed next.
- And speaking of signs, DeLano's IGA has finally removed the outside Cala signs are replaced them with the new name:
Signs on the inside of the store have also been updated.
- Probably the best sign I've seen in a while is in the window of the yard-sale-like store which occupies the space which was Lot'sa Stuff which was Browser's Nook. According to signs in the window, right after the "big sale" this retail melange is "closing soon."
Although the store started out with a specialty in posters, its stock has been evolving and now funky peasant handbags, colorful scarves, and huge nativist wood carvings (no joke) fill the window. What is it about this space that only attracts these crazy, thrift-shop, do-it-yourself stores?
Speaking of Starbucks (see the comment in the Ritz Camera thread), a few months back they did some interior remodeling. This furtively snapped photo shows that the interior cubby area which originally housed a banquette (with seats that were perpetually stinky and, yeah, that's something you don't want to think about too much) and then later two tables with chairs, has been walled over and now holds a storage area.
The store was never that large to begin with, and considering that the typical Castro Starbucks customer is 20% larger than the neighborhood average, the loss of this seating space has made it even more brutal to get a table in here. I've heard that the company has an unofficial, unspoken policy of subtly encouraging table turnover -- by making the seats less comfortable, by making the interior visually busy, etc. -- but it's hard to see how losing probably a fifth of your seating space can be good for business.
This Starbucks also has the least floorspace devoted to retail (coffee beans, CDs, Mitch Albom books) of any Starbucks I know, so I'm very curious to know what calculus went into determining whether this space should be used for tables, storage, or French presses. Interesting to ponder...
More updates on construction in the 'hood:
- The old Tower space is clean as a whistle now, with all of the non-support walls removed, exposing the space all of the way into what was previously back storage. The photo on the right is the upstairs space (the old CD section) and the photo on the left is the downstairs (formerly the DVD section).
- This was another shot that I sneaked through the propped-open front door of Harvey's. You can see that the new bar is being built from the ground up, and it is straight instead of the chevron shape it was before. Actually, this photo was taken on March 24, so the place is probably much more finished now.
- Here is the Chocolate Store, shaping up nicely. You can see the chocolate brown walls, cute awnings over the shelving, and the chandeliers which are of Castro-grade fabulousness. (There is a second chandelier right in front of the front window which I couldn't get a clean shot of.)
- The paper finally came off of Zadin's windows and it looks pretty much like it looked when it was Malacca. They are apparently open now, but only for dinner. I went by on the weekend during lunch and it was closed, so I can't give a first-hand review just yet.
- Salon Enzi is up and operating in its new space, the former home of Eureka. They did a nice job. There is still no sign up, so I'm wondering if he'll move the concept from his previous space: Clear letters "E N Z I" cut out of a painted blue field in the window, with colored lights behind each letter.
