“Excelsior Buzz” is a recurring column on changes, tidbits and other news from the Excelsior. Got news? Send us tips at xueer@missionlocal.com.
Two more businesses will open in the Excelsior after receiving grants intended to help fill in the city’s empty storefronts, according to Eddy Martinez, a real-estate broker contracted by the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development to help manage the program, which launched in January.
Martinez said one of them will be an arcade at 4740 Mission St. at Leo Street that used to house the Colores Painting Co Inc.
The other will be a store that sells custom made quilts at 1021 Geneva Ave. between Paris and Lisbon streets. That used to be a carpet store called American Western Carpet & Flooring Company.
The first business to qualify for the grant was Mission: Comics and Arts, which plans to open a second location at 5196 Mission St. as soon as July. Mission Local was first to report that news.
Martinez said the new shop owners will have more to share in the coming weeks about their plans, and Mission Local will report back as we learn more.
Karaoke at the public library’s Excelsior branch is back on Friday, June 12! The monthly gathering takes place every second Friday of the month. At a recent session, Mission Local witnessed regulars belting out everything from Teresa Teng to Sublime.
Excelsior Library is now also offering free Mandarin workshops for beginners. The first one was June 9, but don’t worry, you still have plenty of chances for plenty of beginnings.
Attendees will learn basic vocabulary, phrases, and will practice how to hold a simple conversation in Mandarin Chinese. The program is a collaboration between the library and the Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco.
Reservations are required and space is limited. If you’re interested, call 415-355-2868.
The rest of the workshop, totalling seven sessions, will be every Tuesday on June 16, 23 and 30, July 7, 21 and 28.