“Tenderloin Buzz” will be a recurring update on changes, tidbits and other news from the Tenderloin. Got news? Send us tips at tips@missionlocal.com.
Come out for the Tenderloinโs eighth annual Christmas tree lighting tonight at Boeddeker Park. Santa and his elves are rumored to be in attendance, and there will be music and dance performances from 5 to 6 p.m.
And whatโs Christmas without some speeches from local politicians? Catch District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, Assemblymember Matt Haney and State Senator Scott Wiener from 6 to 6:30 p.m. before the tree is lit.
BlackMaria Microcinema is a new tiny movie theatre coming to the Tenderloin and expected to open in January at 570 Larkin St. The space will host independent film screenings and offer classes in acting, screenwriting, fundraising.
Owner Maria Judice already runs the original BlackMaria Microcinema in the Mission District, and wanted to expand to a new, slightly larger โ still micro at only 45-50 seats โ location in the Tenderloin.
โA microcinema has always traditionally been a community space,โ said Judice, who wants the theatre to be accessible and bring in a diverse audience. โEven though it’s focused on screenings and films and filmmakers, the idea is that it’s a place that rotates like the community needs.โ
Judice got a grant for the cinema through the cityโs Downtown ENRG program, but she also got separate funding through the Tenderloin vacancy filling grant program with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development to open a tea shop just a stoneโs throw from the cinema.
She originally envisioned a joint cafe microcinema, but when Judice found two locations just a few steps apart, she jumped on them.
Judice’s new tea shop, LibreTe, will also open in January, just around the corner from the cinema, at 587 Eddy St. LibreTeโs main event will be the Xoffee, Judiceโs specialty brand of non-caffeinated, but energizing, coffee alternative that sheโs been selling for years at pop-ups.
Itโs tea, in that itโs a blend of herbs and spices like dandelion and cardamom and mushrooms, but Judice said it also tastes like coffee, with chicory that is an homage to her familyโs long-ago New Orleans roots.
โOur idea is a tea shop in the day, and tea bar at night,โ Judice said, โgiving the Tenderloin a non-alcoholic alternative [for] just hanging out at night and having nice, fun drinks.โ
OEWD tells us that three other entrepreneurs have also found new storefronts in the Tenderloin and got $50,000 to get started after signing a lease โ one is the bookstore, Niebla Librerรญa, coming soon that we reported in the last Tenderloin Buzz.
The Tenderloin is a focus, says the OEWDโs Kate Patterson, as the department seeks to build wealth in communities facing systemic barriers.
Another grantee is Falafelland, a Yemeni restaurant that opened on Tuesday at 265 Golden Gate Ave. The restaurant is only the latest venture for owner Billy Alabsi, who also operated the extremely successful Falafelland that once sat on Sixth Street in SoMa and closed in 2019.
“Everything was destiny,” Alabsi said, reflecting on the past few years. “I was destined to go to this place.”
As you might guess, theyโll serve Alabsi’s unique avocado-blend falafel, but will also have other Yemeni and Mediterranean fusion dishes. If the 4.8 stars on Yelp for the restaurantโs last iteration is any indication, itโs going to be good.
And at 318 Turk St., Alabsiโs brother Jalal is opening Sheba, a Middle Eastern store that will sell Arabic clothing, gifts, and packaged Arabic treats like baklava, coffee and tea.
Finally, this week kicked off the first of the Tenderloinโs โSecond Wednesdayโ event, a spinoff from the First Thursday Art Walk. While thereโs still art at some of the same locations on the art walk, the new Wednesday event will host โintimateโ pop-up shops, workshops and performances;ย this month included a piano cabaret performance and a porcelain ceramics workshop. Stay tuned for what to expect next month.ย