7 posts tagged “salon”
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.
This is somewhat old news, but in case you haven't put together the pieces yet, it seems that two former Castro businesses have both reopened in a Victorian on 18th Street, across from Delano's.
The Eureka Barber Shop, which formerly serviced its mostly ursine clientèle in the large storefront at the corner of 19th and Collingwood, has now hung up its shingle (literally!) at 4222 18th Street. They are cutting hair up in the front parlor on the second story, and if you are passing by take a look up to see the most glamorous ceiling of any barber shop in the city. It's a traditional coved Victorian ceiling with ornate medallions and gold gilding. Faboo.
Interestingly, on weekends this house's driveway is also the site of a pretty involved yard sale, with some outlandish glassware, shiny jewelry, and naked-man statuary. If that product mix sounds familiar, it did to us too. And then we realized that the man doing the selling is the same guy who had the Black Cat antique store on 19th Street! The shop on 19th now houses Joe's Barbershop, and I always wondered what happened to the vast quantities of tchatchkes that used to line the Black Cat's windows.
Well, we have our answer now. The yard sale continues, and amazingly his product mix is seasonal to match the upcoming holiday. So there must be a lot of boxes in storage somewhere, or else he is still acquiring new stock from estate sales and the internet.
As a final note, the former home of the Eureka Barber Shop has been remodeled into Spunk Salon. Some messaging on the window references punk style, so it seems that they are targeting a more urban, funky, female audience. I like the copper doors, but somehow the storefront looks unfinished to me. Is more work (signs? paint?) coming to the exterior to polish the branding a little more? Let's hope. This corner has been the site of a succession of closed businesses, so they need to make a little more noise and live up to their name more if they want to survive.
In discussing how to fill the empty storefronts in the Castro, Supervisor Dufty memorably stated: "The goal is not to have 50 new nail salons."
Well, sorry Bevan, but I have some bad news, because the site which until recently housed Wild Card is now the new home of Posh 'n (sic) Polish, another nail salon.
(Actually, in fairness the sign advertises a variety of spa treatments, but still.)
If you look closely at the picture you'll see one of the staff hiding behind the door jamb. She caught sight of me with my camera and got a little shy I guess.
BTW, Wild Card moved a few months back to the larger storefront a couple doors up 17th to where Superstar Video was located. And just to confuse things a little more, this Superstar was unrelated to Superstar on 18th which relocated to Castro Street to become Superstar Satellite. *Whew!*
Last month the ENZI salon moved a couple of blocks down 18th Street, but for once a property in the Castro is not going to stay empty long! Signs recently went up announcing the arrival of Razors in June.
I'm guessing that this is going to be another hair salon or a barber shop. Not that I'm all that psyched about another hair-cuttery, but yay for a store not being boarded up for months!
I may seem like a jaded, world-weary (or at least Castro-weary) retail veteran, but I still get a little moist-eyed when I see a fledgling business, tentatively opening its wings to take off into the harsh winds of our eco-system. A couple months back now this charming banner appeared on the Martin de Porres building on the corner of 18th and Collingwood, announcing the debut of Michael J. and Company Salon.
The salon is upstairs above Deki Jewels -- here is a photo I took from across the street, showing someone that I assume to be Michael J. ministering to a customer's needs.
This is an odd building. As the sign says, it mostly houses doctors of different sorts. The Deki Jewels space used to be a doctor's waiting room. My partner's physical therapist is in this building, as is a dentist office whose windows look out on Collingwood.
I can't believe that this business can survive on foot traffic off the street, so I assume (hope) that Michael J. himself has the customer base already to keep going. The banner on the front of the building is gone too, so now there is no sign on the ground level to let you know what's happening upstairs. They're really going on reputation now.
So good luck and god speed, Micahel J.! Flap those wings and fly!
The salon ENZI has posted a sign announcing its move down the street two blocks to the site of the former Eureka antiques shop. ENZI has always had a pretty fabulous storefront, playing around with different fabrics and lighting effects behind the letters in the window. I hope the move down to a lower-foot-traffic site doesn't mean that they are cutting back on their fabulousness budget.
Now I admit that I may be late to the game on this one, but yesterday I noticed that the Oasis Salon and Day Spa on Market is closed. This is located next to the Pottery Barn on the north side of Market, and is one of those storefronts that has always barely registered for me every time we walk past. I hope that the next tenants can find a business that will create more foot traffic as well as more visual interest to coax pedestrians down Market from the Castro intersection
