The New Fillmore

ELITE CAFE IS
GETTING JAZZIER

The Elite Cafe — an institution on Fillmore Street for more than 30 years — is showing signs of new life.

Already onboard with plans for a new menu is executive chef James London, who spent his childhood in Charleston, S.C., before moving to prominent kitchens in New York.

Elite owner Peter Snyderman has also applied for a limited live performance permit that will allow small jazz combos, which will perform two nights a week.

COOL YOGA
IN A NEW SPACE

The venerable Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco has just made the move from its longtime space in the Sunset to the neighborhood, putting down roots at 2201 Sutter at Pierce.

On April 12 and 13, the Institute is holding a celebratory open house complete with free food, music, henna and an array of hour-long classes at reduced prices.

COMING & GOING
ON FILLMORE

Just in time for Easter, the women’s boutique Roberta Freymann at 2055 Fillmore has taken on a new persona as Roberta Roller Rabbit. The newly renovated shop now also offers children’s clothing and accessories, including baby blankets, pajamas and toys.

In the tiny space at 1820 Fillmore, Muse Ten, the handbag and leather goods purveyor, quietly closed its doors and quickly was replaced by A City Obsession, a clothing boutique from the East Bay.

EMPTY DOLLAR STORE:
$16,500 PER MONTH

Hot chefs and would-be restaurateurs are sniffing around the space at 1633 Fillmore formerly occupied by the National Dollar Store, possibly hoping proximity to mondo popular State Bird Provisions’ star power might rub off on them. So far no one has been willing to pick up the monthly rental tab, said to be $16,500, plus extras.

“The space is very much available and we’re confident we’ll get a strong, interesting tenant shortly,” says Jeremy Blatteis of the Blatteis Co., a commercial real estate brokerage.

The price is high partly because it’s a cavernous space — 4,700 square feet on the main floor and another 4,700 feet in the basement. Plus, rents for restaurants are always stiffer, given the equipment, venting and permitting needed.