‘Lotería’-themed ‘shop local’ campaign coming to Mission Street on Saturday

Running a small business in San Francisco is, in many ways, a game of chance — especially in the face of e-commerce, changing demographics, and rising rents. 

In an effort to inject a little more certainty into running an establishment in the Mission, the San Francisco Office of Economic Workforce and Development and the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) are introducing a “shop local” initiative whose theme borrows from Mexico’s oldest game of chance: Lotería.  

That initiative is called the #Missionloteria campaign and it’s an effort to draw more business to Mission Street. Starting Saturday, local shoppers will get the chance to fill out a Lotería board with 12 locally designed cards that pay homage to both the Mission and Lotería, sometimes referred to as Mexican bingo. 

More than a dozen businesses and restaurants along Mission Street will each provide a card to paying customers, and shoppers who fill out the board can enter a raffle that will be decided on the second Sunday of every month. In the spring, another board with another 12 cards will be unveiled. The initiative will last six months starting Saturday. 

The cards represent common sights in the Mission District, such as the “El Mercado,” “Las Muralistas,” and “Los Hot Dogs.” They were designed by local artists Ivan C. Lopez, Valeria Olguín, and Gabriela Alemán.  

MEDA and OEWD partnered to kick off the initiative. MEDA’s building at 2301 Mission St., in room No. 301, is where the first raffle will be held, on Dec. 14. 

“We’re proud to support the #MissionLoteria campaign in collaboration with community partners like Calle 24 and MEDA,” said OEWD Director Joaquín Torres. He hopes this effort will “bring culturally informed marketing strategies that reach the Latino populations of the Greater Bay Area and engage the community to support local businesses.” 

Lotería boards and more information can be found at the following locations: 

• MEDA (2301 Mission St.) 
• The Impact Hub (1885 Mission St.) 
• Mission Dance Theater (3316 24th St.) 
• Artillery (2751 Mission St.) 
• Homey (2221 Mission St.) 

Should your business want to participate in the campaign, please contact OEWD’s Diana Ponce De Leon at diana.poncedeleon@sfgov.org. Read more about the campaign here.