“Tenderloin Buzzโ is a recurring column on changes, tidbits and other news from the Tenderloin. Check out our Tenderloin web page for more.
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You get a small business! You get a small business! You get a small business! โฆ Thatโs the Office of Economic Workforce and Development to the Tenderloin community, in Oprahโs voice, of course.
Two new businesses celebrated grand openings this week. Both were funded through the city’s Storefront Opportunity Grant, which provides business owners a grant to get their venture off the ground.
Sheba, a Middle Eastern clothing and specialty-goods shop, was one of these businesses. The store officially opened Sept. 18 at 318 Turk St.
Niebla, a Mexican-owned bookstore and coffee shop that we wrote about last month, is the second, and it celebrated its official grand opening Sept. 17 at 374 Golden Gate Ave.
Four other businesses that received grants this year are still in the process of opening: Tender Noodle (721 Larkin St.) Ruru Kitchen (448 Larkin St.); Reggie & Maudeโs (460 Larkin St.) and Tender Heart Thrift Store (683 OโFarrell St.).
In other news, Al Carajo, a popular Mission District Mexican restaurant known for its hearty breakfast burritos, is opening another location at 683 Geary St. The storefront was formerly occupied by Bandit, a local fast-casual breakfast chain.
The new location will come with a fresh menu, the owner told the Chronicle. Unlike the Mission location, it will only sell breakfast burritos, but with a wider array of ingredients like rib-eye, bacon, cochinita pibil, and pork belly. Iโm crossing my fingers for pork belly.
Local nonprofits The Healing WELL, Glide and Youth With A Mission have started new โGood Neighbor Nightsโ where residents of the TL can find an activity to do every weekday from 5 to 7 p.m. on the 300 block of Ellis Street between Jones and Taylor streets.
YWAM will open its doors at 357 Ellis St. every Monday and Friday for โsports and cartoons.โ Glide church is hosting a game night every Wednesday. On Tuesdays, The Healing WELL, which provides free wellness classes like yoga, is hosting movie nights at their 374 Ellis St. location.
The Healing WELLโs Director, Kathy Curran, said the partnership between the organizations on Ellis Street started in response to recent crimes on the block, including a homicide on the same block in January.
The purpose of hosting these casual get-togethers, Curran said, is to โshow up for the people that are living here.โ
โSo often, thereโs this sense of the Tenderloin being a wasteland where you only see sorrow on the street,โ Curran added. โBut, look up. โฆ This is so many peopleโs home.โ
Meanwhile, at Mid-Market, The Warfield Commons at 988 Market St. will hold a grand opening celebration on Sunday, Sept. 27, from noon to 5 p.m.
The building, which was leased as office space pre-pandemic, was purchased by the Community Arts Stabilization Trust (CAST) and KALW in February 2025.
It is currently home to an array of nonprofit and for-profit tenants, including the Tenderloin Community Benefit District, San Francisco Public Press, Litquake and others.
KALW and CAST will give tours of the building, including the Peopleโs Studio, a recording studio that can be used for local projects. Among the attractions: Aerial performance group Bandaloop will dance on the side of the building at 12:30, 2:30 and 4:30 p.m., and music groups Mya Byrne Trio and Thao Nguyen Duo will perform two sets at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, at the Black Cat, Lady Stout and Nurenssnce will play six shows starting Sept. 18.
The group is a blend of jazz, gospel, rock, funk and โfearless improvisation.โ Leading lady Lady Stout has shared the stage with legends like Alicia Keys and Pattie LaBelle.
You can buy tickets, which range from $20 to $60, on the Black Catโs website. And if I were you, Iโd order the flan, to pair something sweet with the sweet tunes youโre bound to hear.
