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Teaching human kindness

By LIV JENKS On the corner of Fillmore and Jackson stands the imposing edifice that is home to Calvary Presbyterian Church, moved there from the western side of Union Square just in time to open with a community Thanksgiving service in 1902. Often overlooked is the warm, bright preschool located on the top floor of the…

‘It’s made a huge difference’

By DANIEL SCHILLER If there’s a story that needs telling, you’d want Neil Hart to tell it. That became apparent one bright recent morning when, after a 3,000 yard swim, he turned to one of his favorite topics: San Francisco Tsunami Aquatics, the gay, lesbian, trans and straight-friendly adult swim league that has been a…

Women’s clinic facing budget cuts

FEDERAL THREATS to cut funding for health care — particularly family planning services for women — have already hit a target close to home. The Women’s Community Clinic, at 1833 Fillmore Street, recently lost a $250,000 federal grant it had depended on for years and is now facing the biggest budget shortfall in its 18-year…

Fillmore’s Beauty Row

THE ONRUSH OF new fashion and cosmetics brands and boutiques onto Fillmore Street in recent years has been astonishing — and beauty and body products are the indisputable trend of the moment. There is understandable confusion about why so many have located so near each other and what sets them apart. And those seeking something new…

There’s a new Sherith in town

By JESSICA ZIMMERMAN GRAF I grew up in this neighborhood. I used to go to Gino’s grocery store at Fillmore and Jackson after school to get gummy worms in the ’80s when they were all the rage. I’ve walked around this neighborhood for years — decades, in fact. And now, I’m delighted to be back…

Throwback to a bohemian past

By DANIEL SCHILLER Visible from several points across the city, the former Sacred Heart parish at 548 Fillmore near Fell Street today provides another type of spiritual guidance. Instead of bingo, signs promote the Church of 8 Wheels, a weekly roller-skating party and yoga classes. A membership gets you all the tea you can drink…

Meditating at the bookstore

By FRAN JOHNS A magic act of sorts happens in the neighborhood every weekend. Forest Books, a small treasure house of used and rare books at 1748 Buchanan, on Japantown’s Buchanan Mall, transforms itself every Saturday morning into a quiet spot for Soto Zen meditation. From 9:30 to noon, bookshelves are rolled back, shoji screens set…