News from the Heart & Soul of San Francisco
By CHRIS BARNETT A surge in daring grab-and-run thefts is plaguing Fillmore Street merchants. Salespeople at upscale fashion boutiques on upper Fillmore say shoplifting has now morphed into blatant thievery and that some fear for their personal safety. Merchants report numerous instances — more than half a dozen in August alone — in which people case…
By FRANCINE BREVETTI February’s raucous rains may have limited the ingredients you’ve tossed into your summer salad bowl. The Fillmore Farmers Market is still trying to recoup the fruit and vegetable vendors it lost because of the rising waters on farmland this past winter. To help lead the resurgence, Grant Ike has been named as the…
FIRST PERSON | BARBARA WYETH The flower business is an early morning affair. My morning usually starts with an espresso at Jackson and Fillmore, then a short hop past Alta Plaza Park to work at Bloomers at 2975 Washington Street. Opening the door, I’m met with the fragrance of fresh flowers and the aroma of…
By CHARLES FRACCHIA He was born and grew up in public housing on Potrero Hill. When his parents could no longer take care of him and his brother, he was sent to a Catholic orphanage in Eureka. After a stint as a seminarian he attended St. Ignatius High School, where his Jesuit teachers noticed he could…
Story & Photograph by FRANK WING Sanko Kitchen Essentials, the anchor shop at the northeast end of Japantown’s Buchanan Street Mall, is sporting a new look these days. For more than 35 years, it has been the go-to purveyor of hard to find Japanese cookware, unique bento boxes, exotic children’s lunch pails and enough teacups…
CULTURE BEAT | PAMELA FEINSILBER Nick Platoff moved here a year ago to join the San Francisco Symphony’s acclaimed brass section, in which he is associate principal trombonist. Only 25, he helps kick off the fall arts season this month, performing in the symphony’s opening night gala on September 14, followed from September 22 to…
THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS lost one of its most familiar faces: Charlie, the large golden doodle known for relaxing on the sidewalk outside Peet’s at Fillmore and Sacramento, has died. Charlie always put smiles on the faces of passersby with his unusual size and gentle demeanor. He was a frequent customer at George, his favorite destination, and also…
By BARBARA KATE REPA Victoria Dunham is bucking the trend. At a time when many small businesses with unique offerings have been priced out and forced off Fillmore Street, the proprietor of the HiHo Silver jewelry store at 1904 Fillmore has just opened a second shop next door, doubling her retail space. “I live in…
THEIR FANS WERE almost ready to give up, but not the mother-daughter duo Sheila and Toni Young. Their labor of love — Bumzy’s Chocolate Chip Cookies, at 1460 Fillmore — was shut down by flooding last September and stayed closed for nine long months. But just in time for Fillmore’s annual Juneteenth Festival, their cheery pink…
FIRST PERSON | MARK FANTINO It’s Tuesday, and I’m halfway through working a typical lunch at Chouquet’s, at Fillmore and Washington, when in he walks. Immediately I ask: “Are you Richard Butler?” Turns out, I know him well. He’s the lead vocalist of The Psychedelic Furs, one of my favorite rock bands. A benefit of…