Dan Hawkins, the owner of Gestalt, confirmed today that his 15-year-old dive bar — a destination known for its pinball, live music and beer selection — is up for sale.
Hawkins said that his Mission District bar, located at 3159 16th St., near Albion Street, has “possibly one buyer,” and the sale “could happen in the next month.”
He declined to share other details, saying, “The more you talk about something, the less likely it is to happen.”
The sale of Gestalt would mark one of at least four businesses within a four-block vicinity along 16th Street that are expected to transition ownership between July, 2022, and New Year’s Day. The others are Kilowatt Bar, Bond Bar, and Firepie’s brick-and-mortar pizza shop.
Mission Local reported in April that a steep drop in revenue from the Covid-19 pandemic was the greatest factor that put Gestalt on shaky ground. Friday nights were averaging $700 in sales, compared to “a couple grand, pre-pandemic,” Hawkins said at the time.
In April, Hawkins’ business account had roughly $6,000, which he estimated would cover one or two months’ rent. Gestalt’s proximity to residences also meant that it was prohibited from applying for a cabaret license, which would have allowed live performances or DJ sets until 2 a.m., he had said.
The news of Gestalt’s proposed sale comes five days after Mission Local reported an upcoming change of ownership at Kilowatt Bar, located across the street at 3160 16th St., where owner Peter Athanas plans to retire after 28 years of operating the bar.
Also five days ago, Bond Bar, located hardly more than a block away, 3079 16th St., announced on Instagram a change in ownership after an eight-year run.
The owner, Andrea Minoo, said that, although business was sustainable, the pandemic made things “100 percent harder.”
“It’s been a positive experience; it’s just going to be a lot of work that I don’t want to do anymore. It’s just hard,” she said. “Please come by. Say ‘hi’ and ‘bye.’ Have your favorite cocktails.”
Minoo said she’s transferring ownership on Jan. 1, 2023, the owner of Thee Parkside bar, Malia Spanyol. Though Bond Bar will be renamed, the staff is staying, Minoo said.
And, a block west of Gestalt and Kilowatt, Firepie founder and CEO Rick Richman closed his brick-and-mortar pizza shop at 3228 16th St. when he couldn’t keep up with the rising costs of doing business. Richman made the call when he saw that he might no longer be able to pay his employees, he told Mission Local.
Richman transitioned ownership of the spot in July to pizza specialist John McCloskey, a former staffer at Pizza Hacker and Pizzetta 211. The new spot is slated to open this weekend, Richman said.
Please, Firepie – no more food on this block. It’s already overrun by gig-food drivers making the street super dangerous and sometimes even impassible by mass-transit and first responders. People still live on this block and have suffered enough with yuppie bars (ABV) and unused Covid parklets taking over parking and sidewalk space to the benefit of no one but themselves – the business owners. We all hope the imminent tear-down of the street during the 16th St Corridor Project will be the death of the Covid-Capitalism land grab, but more likely, Mayor Breed will continue to appease her business constituents at the expense of working people hanging on in this neighborhood and throughout the Mission.
Firepie closed – you misread the article.