In one afternoon, Leibowitz watched her business go up in smoke as firefighters battled a 5-alarm fire at the Big House discount store next to The Network Store on 2640 Mission Street, where she had worked for four years, seven days a week to build a business serving the local immigrant community.
“I made my business and then there was nothing else left,” said Altagracia Leibowitz, who emigrated from the Dominican Republic five years ago. “I very much enjoy what I do –allowing people to be in touch with cyberspace.”
Leibowitz owns one of five businesses impacted by the September 3rd fire that destroyed the two-story building where the Big House discount store had been open for years. Only three of the five stores – including Big House – closed: The Network Store immediately south of Big House, and New Mission City, a discount store, on the north side of Big House. The latter remains closed. Arik’s and Latin Bridal, which are nearby, are open, but part of their inventory was damaged.
Leibowitz said she wasted no time in reaching out to find a new place to reopen the popular cybercafé. Part of her usual outreach routine includes walking the streets to talk to businesses and people, and it was in one of those outings that she came across Jorge Vega, the owner of 1155 Valencia St.
He listened to her story, she said, and agreed to clean what used to be an abandoned storefront to lease her the 700-square-foot space for the next five years years. The landlord, she said, gave her a good deal. She’s paying about $3.50 a square-foot.
Eleven days after the September 3rd fire, Leibowitz had a simple piece of paper posted outside her former space on Mission Street, redirecting customers to the new location on Valencia Street.
“We were five people working over there [on Mission] and now we’re only two,” said Leibowitz, who added that the smaller space meant she has cut her five-person staff to two. A volunteer is also helping out.
Leibowitz’s customers have already started trickling into the new location, but at a slower pace, she said. Meanwhile, she has bills to pay, including the upfront costs for reopening: rent and equipment.
While Leibowitz was able to rescue a few things from her store, most of the electronics that filled the former 2,000-square-foot space were lost because of smoke and water damage.
Her insurance company is still working on an estimate, but on the same day of the fire, the City’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development reached out and started to connect her and others affected by the fire to legal, accounting and some non-profit help.
“Right now, there is no income coming in [at the Network Store] and we put her in touch with other sources,” said John Gavin from the development office.
With the endorsement of the Office of Small Business, Leibowitz will get a no-interest loan. She has begun crowdfunding through Kiva.org for a $10,000 loan that will help her pay for the costs of re-opening and re-establishing her business. To help Leibowitz achieve her goal faster, every individual contribution will be matched by Kiva Zip. Anyone who would like to support her business can do so here.
“Lenders from all over the world will give Altagracia the money she needs to replace some of the inventory and pay the rent on the new space,” said Anne Lufkin, a fellow with Kiva Zip who is actively working with Leibowitz.
The Network Store will use the money to cover rent, buy computer equipment, printers, copy machines and re-start computer classes for her customers.
On a recent visit to the new storefront on Valencia Street, Leibowitz greeted new customers.
“We are an icon in the community,” she said of her regular customer-base on Mission Street. “We’ll have a bigger community now.”
The Network Store is located at 1155 Valencia St. #B, and they are open M-S from 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
You can reach them at 415-829-3365 or 650-477-2732
Contribute to The Network Store fundraising campaign on Kiva Zip
Alty is working VERY hard and is a “community treasure.” Please support her. Your Loan is DOUBLED by Kiva, so please go to the link at the bottom and give what you can.
I’m sure she is but why isn’t her insurance company compensating her instead?.
Assuming they eventually do and make her whole, has she committed to repaying all these donations?
Because the cause of the fire is still being investigated. Yes, of course she has committed to paying everyone back. You have to go through a vetting process, and contributions wouldn’t be doubled if Capital and Kiva weren’t sure they, and the loaners, would be repaid.