Ralph Tashjian, a former radio promoter, has seen some shit – good shit, bad shit – well, just all of it. He’s seen, and done, Scarface-esque amounts of cocaine. He has worked with icons like Prince and Madonna. He’s had notable Bay Area rappers lay their guns down on his desk. In 1989, he pleaded guilty to bribing radio stations...
Off Top is growing up The Mission-based cap designer Off Top is growing fast – so much so that it’s finally getting its own space on the corner of 19th and Mission streets June 1. Co-owner Armando Ramirez, 29, said the move will allow the one-year-old cap-embroidery business to focus on its own branding. Right now, he shares a space...
Take a stroll along Mission Street and you’ll see two sides of the ever-changing city: the family-owned, brick-and-mortar stores that go back decades, and the new-school minimalist design of the more recently opened shops. No matter their tenure, nearly all of the 59 active businesses along the two blocks between 21st and 23rd streets on Mission Street are trying to...
The Mission District is shaping up to be a battleground for the two leading progressive mayoral candidates, District 6 Supervisor Jane Kim and former State Senator Mark Leno, as they try to edge out the more moderate London Breed, president of the Board of Supervisors. Take a stroll down Mission or 24th streets, and it’s not hard to notice the...
The iconic Doc’s Clock sign is going home. Well, to its new home. The bar is raising cash to have the sign transferred a block down to the bar’s new location at Mission and 20th streets. This could be the final chapter in a saga that began with Doc’s lease not being renewed last year, and an ensuing struggle with...
In the past year, Mission activists have turned their sights on Mission Street where they would like to see restrictions on market-rate housing, more commercial controls on bars and upscale restaurants, and protections for small businesses. The efforts are couched in language to “save” the Mission. However, after a look at the businesses on two blocks of Mission Street between...
Last August, the San Francisco Police Department announced plans to nearly double the number of foot patrol officers walking commercial corridors citywide from roughly 70 to 130. Moreover, Police Chief Bill Scott said the number of foot patrols would quadruple in the Mission District. But nearly five months later, merchants along the Mission District corridors that the foot beat officers...
On Friday, politicians, merchants and stoners alike flowed into Shambhala for its grand opening as a recreational pot store. For Shambhala’s owner, Al Shawa, the road has been long and bumpy — starting first with a tense battle with the federal government and, more recently, his state license was withheld while other stores began sales Jan. 6. But today, that was...
The Mission’s only comic book store is in danger of closing and is seeking support from the community. According to a post on the Mission: Comics & Art’s website, sales were down 17 percent in 2017, equal to $72,000. Owner Leef Smith has invited people on Facebook to come to an emergency meeting on Sunday night “to help figure out...
Clients looking for a new look that’s easy on the wallet may be in for an unpleasant surprise: The San Francisco College of Cosmetology, on Mission Street near 16th, appears to have permanently closed its doors. The space bears a large “for lease” banner and a sign in the door hints at perhaps an abrupt closure: Dear Students: San Francisco...
Activists intend to file an environmental appeal on a project that would build 75 units of housing at 2918 Mission St., and that plan has the developer ready to do battle. “Please consider this email to be the equivalent to a fencer’s salute before beginning a duel,” wrote Robert Tillman, the property owner and developer of 2918 Mission. “We intend...
For months, BART Director Bevan Dufty has been out at 16th and Mission streets on Wednesday morning sweeping the trash on the plaza. A few weeks in, he was joined by District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen. Appalled at the state of things, Ronen has now called out the other BART directors, inviting them to join in the morning cleanups and...
To the 12,600 people who pass through the 16th Street Mission BART Station on a typical Wednesday, the scene on the plaza can be simultaneously beautiful and ugly. Salsa emanates from junky boom boxes. Grimy stairs rise up into a rainbow-colored railing etched with birds and suns. Scrubby palms poke up around the circular concrete benches, where dozens of the...
The landlord of the building at 22nd and Mission streets that was destroyed in a fire in 2015 has been sued by an insurance company for the adjacent Vida condo building. American Insurance Company alleges in its suit that Hawk Ling Lou, the property owner of 2578-2598 Mission Street, along with a land management company and a fire alarm company,...
When you walked into Centro Del Pueblo and heard the sound of a Latino man playing his acoustic guitar, smelled the scent of quesadillas in the air, and overheard a sentence spoken in two languages, you might have thought — and may even hoped — that the historically Latino Mission Street would never change. But then you discovered why more...
