Hand Sewn, Home Grown. The women’s suffrage movement in California got its start with the help of Noe Valleyan Jeanette Pinther and Glen Park resident Johanna Pinther. Johanna created the banner pictured above and presented it publicly prior to the first women’s march in the country in August 1908. See page 11 for our story. Image courtesy California Historical Society
Volume XLII, No. 6
June 2018
THE NOE VALLEY VOICE Shoppers Retreat While Retail Sweats
Healthy Spot Still Seeks Noe Valley Location
Two More Stores Closing Soon
Permit Vote Slated for June 21
By Tim Simmers
By Matthew S. Bajko
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he ongoing saga of 24th Street merchants struggling to attract customers is entering a new chapter. The changing demographics—and tastes—in Noe Valley, combined with the steady growth of online shopping, are cutting deeper into foot traffic, and many merchants can’t find a solution. Two key women’s clothing stores— Rabat Clothing and Shoes and The Podolls—are shutting their doors this summer, and the list of vacant shops is growing. Cliché Noe, PastaGina, Noe Valley Cyclery, and Hamlet have closed recently, and the previously shuttered See Jane Run, Caskhouse, and Good News remain empty as well. “It’s a challenge keeping a business going,” said Susan Ciochetto, part owner of Cotton Basics at the corner of Castro and 24th streets. Ciochetto refers to Noe Valley as a “robust shopping area.” But business is slower than last year. New residents are browsing less in her store, and shopping online. Ciochetto believes she has an “edge” because Cotton Basics designs and makes its own unique clothing. But much of her success since she opened in 1982 came from “impulse buying,” and that’s on the decline. Throw in rising store rents and the high cost of doing business, and many retailers are anxious about their future. (Some CONTINUED ON PAGE 13
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“I was in Sydney a while back and stumbled across a tiny farmers’ market,” said Crane. “I bought some things and asked for a small bag to put them in.” The farmer shrugged and said no, but gestured toward a “bag station” near the produce stand that had a clothesline of reusable cloth bags. “It was like the clouds parted and the angels started singing, ‘LAAAA!’” Crane said. She took photos of the bag station. And when she got back to San Francisco, she
ark Boonnark and Andrew Kim met over a decade ago while they were attending college at UC Berkeley. After graduation, they both landed jobs in San Francisco and remained friends as they pursued their professional careers. Then, in 2007, Kim adopted a shih tzu terrier mix he named Maya Pyaari and stocked up on a certain brand of dog food recommended by not only his friends and coworkers, but also his veterinarian. Unbeknownst to them all, the dog food had been recalled due to contaminated vegetable proteins imported from China which were found to be sickening cats and dogs. “I knew all these people who had recommended this dog food, passionate people who cared about their pets. But there was a lack of awareness about what was going on in the pet food industry,” recalled Kim, 38, who has a degree in legal studies. The experience sparked the idea that he and Boonnark could do better for pet owners by opening their own pet store stocked with safer products. It struck a chord with Boonnark, 38, as he had just lost his own dog, a golden retriever he’d had for 13 years. “Even though I am a pretty healthconscious person myself, I never looked at the ingredients in my dog’s food. When he got sick and had cancer, it opened my eyes in terms of what was lacking in
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If It’s Not Compostable, you likely won’t find it at the Noe Valley Farmers Market, held each Saturday at the Town Square.A bag donation station is now set up for shoppers to make use of and contribute to, but vendors won’t be offering plastic bags. Photo by Pamela Gerard
Farmers Market Ditches Use of Plastic Bags in Favor of ‘Bring Your Own’ Policy By Heidi Anderson
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tarting this month, shoppers at the Noe Valley Farmers Market picking up their strawberries, kale, and nectarines will notice something missing: the plastic bags hanging from the produce kiosks.. If you want a plastic bag, you’ll need to bring it from home. You can blame—or thank—the market’s manager, Elizabeth Crane. She had been toying with the idea of eliminating plastic bags for a while, but wasn’t sure how to make it work. Then she took a trip to Australia.