Starbucks announced earlier this week that it will l close all 23 of its La Boulange bakery-cafes, mostly in San Francisco by September 2015, saying the stores "weren't sustainable for the company's long-term growth" and that it had begun very difficult to operate two different chains at the same time. For many Cole Valley neighbors this is a tearful farewell.

Many still remember, Tassajara Bakery at Cole and Parnassus. The bakery came into Cole Valley in 1976 and sparked a bakery revolution in San Francisco. Interesting fact, Tassajara Bakery was spin off of the delicious breads the Tassajara Zen Center in Carmel made. Neighbors and bread lovers mourned the closing of Tassajara in 1999.

In 2001, a French-born baker, Pascal Rigo, rented the space for his bakery, La Boulange (formerly named Bay Bread). La Boulange, greatly known for their French-inspired decor and menus, and the pink envelopes, was sold to Starbucks in 2012 for $100 million. The deal was seen as a strategic move by Starbucks to gain a bigger presence in the food business, particularly expand their bakery and food products.  

"After more than 40 years, we will be able to say that we are bakers, too," Howard Schultz, CEO at Starbucks, said at the time.

But at what price? Pascal Rigo is now out of a job (is leaving his post as VP at Starbucks) and now Starbucks are bakers. And those tasty treats and French decor will only be a memory.

What do you think of this news? And next question, what will go into the La Boulange storefront come September? We're hoping for another bakery! 



http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/06/17/starbucks-la-boulange/28851063/

http://www.mistersf.com/farewell/index.html?fwtassajara.htm

Two long time businesses are closing their doors in Cole Valley, quickly making Cole Valley somewhat unrecognizable. The laundromat at the corner of Carl and Cole has closed its doors after over 20 years of business. This came as a bit of surprise to residents since it seemed very sudden and without much notice. Owner, Doug Olssen, posted up a note mentioning that the business lost its lease and that his other laundromat, at 1101 Cole St, is still in business. For those that live near Carl/Cole and without an in-unit W/D, they must now venture a bit farther to clean their clothes and linens.

Cole Garage has also announced that they will be leaving because of the sale of the building. Most might recognize the building because of the colorful pet-filled mural on the front facade. The owner is currently looking for a new location for his business and possible storage location for the equipment.  The space has been rumored to become condos and businesses on the ground floor. We are hoping that the new owners will preserve the front of Cole Garage in the process. 

Once we wipe our tears away as more long-time businesses leave our hood, we always ask the daunting question, "Who will move into the space?  What do you want to see in the now vacant space? 

As most in the hood are already aware, the SFMTA has been working for upgrading the tunnel between Duboce Park and Cole Valley, known as the Sunset Tunnel. Typically, construction has been on weekends, Friday PM to Monday AM., 24 hours, around the clock. Residents in Duboce Triangle complained about the constant construction noise, from beeping trucks, to pouring of gravel, and even jackhammers. Since the residents' complaints, there has been no tunnel construction. Happy for the Duboce Triangle residents, but not so much for the completion of this long drawn out process. This improvement project has been going on for years and we're hoping the Sunset Tunnel is the last project. 

According to  Hoodline, the SF Board of Appeals met and signed off on a new proposal that will allow construction to resume starting March 21st.

Here is the new changes in light of resident complaints:

• Install mufflers on its equipment
• Use lower-frequency broadband beepers that emit "white noise" sounds rather than beeps
• Take continuous noise readings while it's performing night work, and make sound logs available upon request
• Not use impact tools at night, such as jackhammers

Content for this article was used with permission from Hoodline. 

There seems to be a strange bermuda triangle at the intersection of Frederick and Stanyan. Several businesses cannot seem to survive. Remember Sun Tanning Salon and Cole Valley Cardio [now Past Perfect]? That particular storefront has seen more turnover than most in the neighborhood. Well another bites the dust at this mysterious intersection. Pitch Salon (514 Frederick), moved to the Mission late last fall and the former space has remained empty. Lack of foot traffic could have been due to the salon's decline, and with the other businesses around this intersection. Maybe new business owners in this strange bermuda triangle should take some advice from American Cyclery who have been a staple at the Frederick and Stanyan corner for decades! 

According to Hoodline, an online head shop, Billowby, will be moving into the former Pitch Salon space. Billowby is San Francisco based and has been in business for five months. From a quick jaunt through the Haight, it's obvious we do not need any more headshops. Since they are predominately an online store, it will be interesting to see how they use the space. 

Also the CEO David Matthews is a Cole Valley/Upper Haight resident himself so it's nice to see local business owners being able to set up shop close to home. Major neighborhood points there!

Save the date! This year's annual street fair is set for Sunday, September 28th 2014. Midline Studio is organizing it again this year and hope to get a good list of vendors. The car show is still on, along with fun-filled activities for the little ones. 

Want all the info about the fair? This year you can tweet your questions (and your excitement) to @ColeValleyFair.

We're looking forward to it and hope you are to. More updates to come. 

Yup, this is still happening. We wonder what's next.

From the postcard:
"Please join us to learn about the Sunset Tunnel Trackway Improvement Project. By replacing the aging track and other infrastructure inside the Sunset Tunnel, the project will help improve safety and reliability of the N Judah rail service. This meeting will provide an opportunity to review the project elements and address questions and concerns about the construction phase of the project."

Uppercasing did a great round-up of what's coming and going in the Upper Haight. Below is a bit of a snapshot of what they spotlighted. To read the entire article click here. 

First up, All You Knead is still boarded over, with no sign on life anywhere. It’s been 9 months since they closed up shop.

Also yet to open: Second Act at what used to be the Red Vic. They’d projected mid-December, but the facade is still up, and Alembic has yet to be expanded.

New roof-mounted AT&T “wireless telecommunications services” facilities at Haight & Cole St on top of Earthsong. We’ll know more after the hearing on the 16th.

The possibility of the Farmer’s Market happening all year round!