“Sunset Buzz” is a recurring column on changes, tidbits and other news from the Sunset. Got news? Send tips at junyao@missionlocal.com.
Two artists at Tight Quarters, a studio space at 1306 12th Ave, received a notice in early September bearing bad news: The new landlord, Cogs and Dogs Development LLC, who bought the building in June, is raising the rent of their 200-square-foot space to $1,850, nearly double their current rate.
They have 90 days to accept the rent increase or to vacate the space, and the property management company has already started showing the space near 12th Avenue and Irving Street to potential tenants, the artists said.
“It’s gutting to think about letting this space go,” said Orlie Kapitulnik, one of the two artists working from the studio.
The space has gone through many iterations, but has long been home and hub for artists in the Sunset. It was a gallery, a meeting space for artists, and now serves as the studio space for Kapitulnik and Shaine Drake.
Kapitulnik, a printmaking and mural artist, first encountered the space in the early 2010s, when it was The Little Lodge, a gallery and gathering space founded by Alphonzo Solorzano and Dennis McNulty.
“It was totally pivotal for myself, at least in meeting a lot of the community that I’ve now called friends and family,” Kapitulnik said. In 2018, Kapitulnik joined other artists in running the space, and converted it to a working studio in 2023.
Drake, who lives a 10-minute walk from Tight Quarters, is a marbling artist — a niche practice that needs a dedicated space, she said. Marbling requires trays of different solutions and everything needs its own zone.
“When I was able to move in here, it was literally game-changing,” Drake said. “I don’t think I can continue doing the practice without this space.”
The new rent would go into effect in mid December, just when Drake and Kapitulnik will be preparing for the holiday season, when they and other local artists typically make the most money, they said.
While San Francisco has “incredible” artist spaces in warehouses in more industrial areas, artists who make work in neighborhoods like the Sunset are all facing skyrocketing rent, Kapitulnik said.
“You’re saying that [the warehouses] are the only place where artists can thrive,” Kapitulnik said. “What are we doing to our neighborhoods?”
Shipwreck Cove, a new shipwreck-themed playground at Sunset Dunes park, is opening this Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Upper Great Highway and Kirkham Street.
The opening celebration promises sea shanties, a jazz band, big bubbles, face painting and “real-life pirates and mermaids.” The ribbon-cutting and flag-raising is at 3:15 p.m.
At the new playground, kids will be able to climb atop a giant ship, play with sand, learn about dune habitat and make music on wood instruments, according to the nonprofit Friends of Sunset Dunes, who paid for the playground.
It was designed by Something Labs, a coalition of volunteers who created exhibits for the Exploratorium and, during the pandemic, made PPE for healthcare workers.
The playground was issued a one-year permit from the Recreation and Parks Department. If Prop. G, the ballot measure to reopen the Upper Great Highway to cars on weekdays, passes, Friends of Sunset Dunes will be fully responsible for removing the playground.
Welcome SF, a cafe and retail shop at Taraval Street and 14th Avenue that opened in late July, paused its coffee service last week.
“Turns out there’s a permitting step we didn’t have fully dialed in,” wrote the owners on Instagram. “First-time business owners, learning as we go!”
The latest permits filed for the 425 Taraval St. location are from 2006, according to city records. A complaint from the Department of Building Inspection noted “coffee bar built without permits inside store,” and said that plumbing and electrical work was done without a permit.
The retail shop will remain open, the owners wrote, and coffee service will resume as soon as the permitting issue is sorted.
Sunset Night Market is returning on Friday, Sept. 25, on Irving Street between 20th and 25th avenues, celebrating the Autumn Moon Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday.
In China, it’s the time for family members to gather and appreciate the full moon — and, yes, eat mooncakes together.
If you haven’t tried mooncakes, you’ll find them at Sunset Night Market this Friday. There will be lanterns — another Mid Autumn Festival tradition — as well as music and cultural performances.
After the night market, take a stroll a few blocks down to the Inner Sunset Art Walk between Sixth and 16th avenues, and on Ninth Avenue between Lincoln Way and Judah Street.
Taraval Art Trot, a block party between 46th and 47th avenues, is returning on Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. Over a dozen local artists will sell their work and there will be live DJ, kids zone with face painting and a scavenger hunt with special prizes.
Oktoberfest is coming to the Sunset on Saturday, Oct. 3, from noon to 6 p.m.
The block of Noriega Street between 24th and 25th avenues will be closed to cars, and a block party hosted by Sunset Merchants Association and the brewery Fifty Vara will keep the cold beer flowing. Stop by before or after Hardly Strictly Bluegrass at the family-friendly event for food, music and games.
Oink oink, Mr. Landlord!
I read the other day that the average commercial rate in San Francisco was $70 a square foot, down from $92 in 2019. This includes fancy tall buildings downtown and not just holes in the wall. This means that 200 square feet should go for $14,000, and since commercial rates are quoted by the year, that means $1,167 per month. Trying to get $1,850 is robbery.
Thank goodness some balance will be restored when Prop G passes.
It is outrageous that a small group of elitists commercialized a needed highway for their own gratification.
Although there were few people on the highway on weekends, it was really nice to battle the fog and wind and walk down the stretch on afternoons.
The entire process was a complete scam. We don’t need rusting giraffes and other craps in a “park.”
If it is a park, then let us remove the road. Or, at least, ban any sort of motorized vehicle, electric or not!
https://westsideobserver.net/26/9-prop-g-take-back-great-highway-pariser.php