“Sunset Buzz” is a recurring column on changes, tidbits and other news from the Sunset. Got news? Send us tips at tips@missionlocal.com.
We have bad news from the Outer Sunset farmers’ market.
A shipping container storing equipment for the market was broken into last weekend, according to Sunset Mercantile, a Sunset business and organizer of the weekly market on 37th Avenue.
The PA system, speakers and mics were stolen, along with a safe filled with EBT and market match coins. Customers use these coins to double their food-stamp dollars when shopping at farmers markets.
“The loss is a huge blow to our program that helps hundreds of in-need families throughout the year,” wrote Angie Petitt, owner of Sunset Mercantile.
The farmer’s market previously received city grants, but is now solely funded by Sunset Mercantile. It pays for staffing and putting on performances and family activities at the farmers’ market every Sunday.
“I have a hard time asking people for money, feeling like, ‘Are we worth more than somebody else’s problem?’” Petitt said.
But after posting about the break-in and seeing the outpouring of support, Petitt said she is coming around and may set up a GoFundMe to help fund the farmers’ market in the future.
For now, Petitt asked the community to share any footage that could help with the police investigation, and keep an eye out for the EBT and market-match coins, as they could’ve been discarded nearby.
Those who would like to donate can do so via Venmo.
The West Portal brunch spot Squat and Gobble served its last crepe and coffee on Jan. 25, after 32 years at the corner of West Portal Avenue and Ulloa Street.
The owner, Issa Sweidan, is retiring. He sold the business to a new owner, who will open a new restaurant serving “Asian American breakfast” sometime in April, Sweidan said.
“It wasn’t an easy decision, but unfortunately, all good things must come to an end,” the owners wrote on an Instagram post. The closure of the West Portal location marks the end of the restaurant chain, which once had five locations all across the city.
Near 48th Avenue and Moraga Street, something delightful has been happening: Sunset Trinket Trade. A 14-by-11-inch junction box is filled to the brim with knickknacks: Friendship bracelets, claw clips, a tiny ceramic sad frog head. You name it.
It is not your typical cardboard box labeled “free” on the side of the street, but a well-maintained project. Its creator, Deanna, who was inspired by a trinket box project in Philadelphia, cleans the box every morning and removes items that are dirty or broken.
“When choosing an item to leave in the box, please think about what might make someone else happy,” she wrote in the trinket exchange guideline posted on Instagram.
Sometimes Deanna also repairs broken trinkets, or adds something to them to make them more appealing to traders. For example, she added a new chain to turn an item into a keychain, or packaged trinkets that are easy to tangle in clear plastic bags.
The trinket trade has gotten a lot of attention, Deanna said. On the weekends, people wait in line to trade items and have conversations. People have reached out to her for instructions on how to set up a trinket trade box in their own neighborhoods.
“I love the Outer Sunset to the moon and back, and gift-giving is my love language,” she wrote on Instagram. “The Outer Sunset being the recipient of this project has filled my heart with so much happiness.”
Sunset Trinket Trade is located on a residence, and the creator cautioned traders to be courteous to the neighbors.
Sunset Night Market is returning on Feb. 27 to Irving Street between 20th and 25th avenues, a week after the Lunar New Year.
It will be the first night market in a series of four this year, all scheduled near traditional Chinese holidays: Dragon Boat Festival on June 12, Autumn Moon Festival on Sept. 25 and Dong Zhi (winter solstice) and holiday market on Dec. 11.
It marks the return of the night market after a hiatus in 2025, when it was canceled amid funding strains and concerns from brick-and-mortar small business owners. Following the cancellation, some small business owners, like Daniel Ramirez from Smokin’D’s BBQ, organized their own night market: Sunset After Dark. That market ran last September, and is now on hiatus.
But, to hear the community’s feedback on this year’s four night markets, organizers are hosting a community meeting at Wah Mei school on 19th Avenue this Friday.
The outdoor film series returns Feb. 12 at Far Out West Community Garden in the Outer Sunset.
The garden is partnering with the Wild & Scenic Film Festival to show six short films, all under 20 minutes, that aim to encourage viewers to learn about “what they can do to save the threatened planet.”
“Our movie viewing setting is rustic,” the organizers warn. “We situate ourselves amongst the garden plots. Dress warmly for this February evening event under the stars!”
Tickets are on a sliding scale from $5 to $15. The funds will go toward recovering California’s wild salmon and protect the Yuba River watershed.
Far Out West Garden is a lovely community space to visit, just a few blocks from Ocean Beach. If you can’t make it to the film night, the organizers also host “coffee in the garden” at 10 a.m. on the first Saturday of the month for neighbors to hang out. The next one will be on Feb. 7.
Kothai Republic, a restaurant serving Korean and Thai fusion cuisine on the corner of 9th Avenue and Judah Street, is closing after three years. Its last day will be Feb. 15.