By STEVE SALDIVAR
Who said there’s no such thing as a free lunch? Local businesses served champagne and hors d’ oeuvres on Friday night to lure Mission District shoppers to sip and buy.
Thirty-seven stores, including clothing boutiques, bars and book stores served food and placed much of their merchandise on sale from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. to catch the after-work crowd looking for some deals on local Christmas shopping.
“The champagne is good but it’s really the discounts,” said Clara Kim, one of the bargain hunters who dropped in to find an ornament for her brother, but ended up discovering some good deals for herself.
Get Local SF was an idea borne partly out of necessity. With rising rents and a declining economy, Sasha Wingate, owner of the 16th street boutique Bell Jar, co-organized the block party with Jennifer Jones, the owner of the Candy Store Collective.
The goal was simple: Get shoppers to buy in the Mission District and support locally owned businesses.
“We wanted to get people out of downtown and out of online shopping to support the small businesses in town,” said Wingate. “The diversity makes us amazing. These are privately-owned businesses by young women. Without us, San Francisco would be a big Macy’s.
“Half the stuff I sell here is made by artists locally. It’s not also about supporting the store but also about supporting the artists living here in the Mission.”
Such block parties may become a trend, they said.
“You rely on the fall as your big time of the year,” said Jones from the Candy Store Collective. “You can’t just go to the bank and say ‘times are tough.’
“There’s no bailout for the Mission.”
Although it’s too early to tell, the Get Local SF block party appeared to have been a success. Two hours into the event, 40 customers were anxiously perusing through the racks of clothing with one hand while balancing red plastic cups of champagne with the other.
Matt Conway, the bartender serving Tecate and cocktails was as busy as Jones, behind the register.
[kml_flashembed movie=”http://media.journalism.berkeley.edu/mission/newEconomy_ptw_121208/soundslider.swf” height=”300″ width=”400″ /]
Although lines began to form for refreshments, many Mission District residents preferred the deals over the drinks.
If the evening proves profitable, Mission District shoppers may see the champagne flow freely more frequently.
“It’s a campaign we are going to try and keep going,” said Wingate.
For Jones, ways to overcome the economic slump are right at the doorstep.
“You go to the mall, and the corporate office is somewhere else. They cater to you as a customer, not as a community.”