29 posts tagged “signs”
The devolution of Castro businesses back into the 70's continues. I actually stumbled away from my sickbed on Friday long enough to run some errands, and found myself right in the middle of the outdoor filming that was going on that day. From about midway between 18th and 19th all the way up to 19th, both sides of Castro Street were lined with retro cars, and extras in period garb were out in clusters on the sidewalks. There may have been actual heaven-sent stars present too, but I was too Nyquil-addled to tell.
At right are two crappy photos I was able to snap before security told me to put away my camera. The SFist blog has a similar picture without all the extras, so they probably took it during a break in filming.
A friend of mine who is a car-enthusiast surmised that some of these vehicles were from the local Freewheelers auto club. Does anyone know if this is true? I have my doubts since many of the antique cars were a little banged up and didn't look like anyone's babies. I loved the cranberry-colored VW bug that putted by at regular intervals, and I also loved seeing the old black and yellow California license plates from my youth.
Here's how some other businesses have transformed since my last update:
- Swirl has completely transformed inside and out, and it joins Given as being the only two stores which seem to be dislocated by the filming. The Gaycities.com blog has an interior shot which gives a better idea of the extent of the transformation. Here's an exterior shot of the finished storefront, along with a shot of the inside shelves taken through the front window. Like those prices?
The photo below is a sign which sits in the Swirl window. Apparently one significant story from Harvey Milk's life was that the Eureka Valley Merchants Association refused to cooperate with gay-owned businesses, so Milk started the rival Castro Village Association which eventually spawned the Castro Street Fair. The sign says "Eureka Valley Merchants Society" instead of "Association," so I wonder if the name was changed for legal reasons.
- Clobba's sign is now up, and the store has been renamed "The Valet" with windows full of too-hip clothing.
A helpful reader (who might be enticed to post to share her historical knowledge--please?) pointed out that this was not actually a clothing store in this spot, but rather a hair salon. I guess it wasn't in the budget for a total makeover on this store.
- Here is a slightly closer picture of the retro-looking mimeographed fliers that they have stapled over the former First American Title Company.
- Best in Show has now branched out to "shoe repairing."
- Further up the street between 18th and Market, the Toad Hall is now complete.
- But next door, the Citibank facade is undergoing a much more extensive makeover. There is a faint suggestion of a Victorian-ish overlay being built, but I can't say for sure. This will be interesting to watch develop.
- Hot Cookie is now Double Rainbow Ice Cream, and the other shops along here are getting ready for some changes. The bus shelter was removed from the sidewalk.
- Louie's removed its spiffy neon rings, and Marcello's has taken down its awning to reveal that retro-looking sign. (Yes, that was always there. It wasn't created for the filming.)
- US Bank is now Eureka Federal Savings.
- Castro Nail Salon is now taking in laundry.
- The big rainbow flag is down at Castro and Market, and all of the smaller rainbow banners are off the light poles. The MUMC president, Steve Adams, told the B.A.R. that new flags and banners will go up after the filming.
- The Castro Theatre sign is near completion, and they are lighting up the neon at night.
- Random oddity: They brought in new trash cans as set dressing. I've heard that they also disguised the parking meters to make them look era-appropriate, but I didn't see that firsthand.
- Finally, the production has taken over the old Tower space. The lower floor looks like it is being readied as the holding pen and feeding trough for the large crowds of extras that they are collecting for the march scenes.
The upper floor seems to be filled with a thrift-store of clothing racks and shoe bins, so this seems to be their costuming area.
- Film crew descends on Castro, and
- Harvey County, USA, an interview with two of the producers.
The San Francisco Music Box Store (nee Off the Beading Path) has taken a retail strategy that you won't learn at Harvard Business School:
I've been meaning to post an update on this place for over a month, and I always assume that I'm going to be too late and need to take new pictures, but every time I walk past it the place is completely unchanged.
The current condition is that the store seems to be caught mid-changeover from beads to music boxes with beads in one window and the figurines in the other. They had advertised a grand (re-)opening on July 21, but needless to say they are a little late for that date. Last weekend a truck was out front delivering boxes (presumably of "Cats" or "Phantom of the Opera"-themed treasures) but still the store remains dark. The new signage in the window all refers to the owner's other store on Pier 39.
I'm pretty amazed at this situation because it can't be cheap to have the place sitting idle like this, although admittedly they are saving huge amounts on register receipt tape.
The oft-closed, oft-opened, serial crazy-person's-estate-sale has reincarnated as a Tibetan import shop, as rumored. The new store is named Dolma, which I'm supposing has some meaning other than tasty grape-leaf-wrapped hors d'oeuvre. It's great that the place didn't stand empty long, but on the downside it basically looks exactly like the last store before it, with a window crowded with as much merchandise as possible. (Apparently Walgreens' window dresser is moonlighting.)
There are the customary prayer flags up front, which is the universal sign that either this is a Tibetan goods shop, or else perhaps a really sincere college sophomore lives here. One or the other.
One more thing to note is that there is no permanent sign yet. The only signs are computer printed sheets of 8.5 by 11 paper (two of them!) and scrawled on them is ... oh cripes. Look at this!
The store has been open a week and already everything is 25% to 30% off? Forget asbestos -- can they check the walls of this store for crazy dust?
The 18th Street Bar, which after a couple of months of feverish activity has been quieter than a Barry Bonds rally, is showing some signs of life. A week or so back large signs went up in all of the front windows announcing the concept and expected opening date of the new bar.
The sign reads:
18th Street Bar
Celebrating diversity through music
Hip Hop
R&B
Funk/Soul
Jazz
House
Alternative
Dance
Projected Opening
December 2007
This sign is notable for a few reasons. First and foremost, pretty much 9 out of 10 people you ask would say that they expected the bar to stand vacant for years, just like The Patio Cafe. (The 10th person is coming out of a K-hole and didn't hear the question correctly.)
Second, the list of music which is going to unify us through diversity-celebration is impressively exhaustive. I mean, seriously, checking the iTunes website I think the only musical genres not included are klezmer and Tuvan throat singing.
Third, it's pretty obvious that the poster was written to ease concerns that Les Natali (the new owner of the space) was going to take the only bar in the neighborhood targeted toward people of color (the former Pendulum) and turn it into another Badlands -- which, face it, is not exactly a Benetton ad. Les' troubles with the city's Human Rights Commission and the independent group And Castro For All are well-known so I won't go into them here, but part of his reported defense was his intention to keep the Pendulum space as a bar targeting a multi-ethnic clientele. I think this sign's inclusion of terms such as "diversity" and "the Hip Hop" are clear defensive move.
And fourth and finally, this sign is worth a double-take because of the expected opening date of December 2007, about a year and a half after construction began. I know things move slowly with construction and permitting in this city, but damn, that better be one fun circus under that awning.
Could we finally have a quick turnaround between stores, instead of the months (As the Suds Turn, 18th Street Bar) and years (Patio Cafe) that we've seen lately? A sign just went up on the old Welcome Home saying that the space is already leased. The inside has also been cleared out completely, ready for its coming makeover.
I've posted before and again about the supposed imminent shuttering of the flea market at 530 Castro Street. They promised us a June 15 closing, but with a touch of yellow reflective tape they've now postponed the closure to June 30. They've continued to evolve away from their origin as a poster stand and now have a product mix that is somewhere between a Pier One and a head shop. I guess it's at least one fewer empty storefront for Pride weekend, but still, when can we get a "real" store in here?
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.
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)
OK, let me know if I'm really late to the game with this post.
An operative emailed me that Sit 'n' Spin, the cute, clean laudromat-slash-cafe on 18th, was now out of the coffee and crumbs business and had essentially become a laundromat with a very large seating area. As proof of this, there is a large, hand-written sign in the window explaining the change in business plan. No more consumables, but they are selling internet access and renting computers.
This was a big shock to me,since I always thought this business idea was pretty brilliant. First of all, we are lacking in cafe space in the Castro, and second of all, a clean, welcoming, burrito-free laundromat is a rarity around here. How could it not work? After all, Brain Wash on Folsom St. has an identical business plan and they're an institution.
I was excitedly telling a friend about this new development when he gleefully informed me that actually this change had happened many months ago (his estimate was eight months ago) and suggested that if I wanted to stay up-to-date about the Castro I should read one of the many informative blogs which are out there now.
(*cough* Bitch. *cough*)
So what's the story people? Is this change new, or did it happen months ago? If it did happen way back in 2006 when people still thought Borat was funny, why is the sign still up in the window?
If what my friend says is true, apparently the cafe didn't exactly fail. The owner of Sit 'n' Spin is supposedly also the owner of the building, and he simply decided to get out of the grind of serving coffee. Furthermore, he has allegedly turned down multiple offers from people who wanted to let the front space to open their own coffeeshop. Interesting story if it is true.
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?
