The beloved Tantrum plans to expand into old Doug's Suds storefront at the corner of Carl and Cole has halted due to building retrofitting.  Tantrum owner, Amanda Weld, reported that the building has to undergo major seismic retrofitting and they will need to evacuate by the end of February. As we have all experienced (i.e. muni tunnel and Cole Hardware construction), retrofitting can take a lot longer than originally anticipated. Tantrum hopes to find a temporary home during this construction and hopes to be back in their new and improved Doug's Suds location later this year. Tantrum has been such a joy to have in our little neighborhood and we hope that they will be back in business soon! 





​Contents for this blog post was used with permission from Hoodline. 

Some may have noticed that the La Boulangerie de San Francisco (formerly, La Boulange) has opened and is in full swing. The decor is a bit of a mix between industrial modern and French artisan but they are still whipping out some tasty pastries. La Boulangerie also has expanded their food menu, with more hot food and to-go options. We have yet to find their famous macaroons but are excited that they are promoting local favorites like Choux and Boba Guys. There's no official website yet so best to check La Boulangerie on Yelp or simply take a stroll and check them out. 

For a few months now, we have had several vacant storefronts in Cole Valley,  so what's happening to these storefronts?

Doug's Suds
From what we have gathered, Tantrum, the vintage children's toy store, is looking to expand into Doug's Suds. The owners of Tantrum have been been in talks with the landlords of Doug's Suds but nothing has been finalized yet. Apparently there is a lot of work that needs to be done to the storefront until anyone can occupy in. 

Cole Garage
Well we know that Alt School will not be coming into Cole Valley anytime soon since they are no longer pursuing the space. Perhaps there is just too much too repair and renovate, it was a car garage after all. We did stumble upon a craigslist ad for the commercial space which said it is currently being renovate and looking for a new tenant, which could include. "retail sales and services, schools or other institutions, personal service businesses including exercise studios." Please no more exercise places. Retail or a service tenant could be interesting but that's a huge space, with almost 10,000 sq-ft.

La Boulange
As many neighbors know, Starbucks is closing all La Boulange stores by end of September. Some have already closed in the City but rumor has it our neighborhood La Boulange might be hear to stay. Supposedly, founder Pascal Rigo is in talks with Starbucks to buy back six San Francisco locations, including the Cole Valley location (which is set to close Sept 18). Rigo told Hoodline that it is too early to tell exactly what is going on but he is definitely in conversations. Rumor also has it that if Rigo does buy back some of the locations, Starbucks will remove all kitchen equipment and will take the "La Boulange" brand with them too. This means that Rigo would have to buy all new equipment and create a new brand for his bakery. Neighbors are excited with the idea that a bakery could stay in the hood. 

Son Loy Laundry
The former laundry space will soon become Midline Fitness Studio's new exercise space called Lavation Fitness Studio. The studio will focus on circuit training and indoor cycling.There is no opening date as of yet but the Midline owners are hoping for sometime in September.

Content for this article was taken with permission from SFEater and Hoodline.

(8/14/15 Update) Due to the lack of customer support and a low farmer turn out, the Upper Haight Farmers Market has stopped operations.  Their last day of operation is August 26. If you are looking for other farmers markets, look to the Inner Sunset market that runs on Sundays.



(7/5/15 Update) Many neighbors have continued to complain about low vendor turn out for the weekly Farmers Market. According to market manager Jeff Jelsma, there aren't enough customers coming out each week which deters vendors from making an effort to show up. 

"We are at an impasse with the market. Customers will not come to a small market, and producers will not come to a market with low customer counts. We have attempted to bring more producers out, to little to no avail. We hope to continue providing the market to the Upper Haight community, but our farmers need more community support!"

Show your support for local produce by showing up to the farmers market. Maybe if more people show up, more vendors will too.


(3/15/15) The Upper Haight Farmers' Market opens on Wednesday, April 15 this year! 

As a result of a recent community survey, the Upper Haight Farmers’ Market is happy to be able to provide even more organic options this year! The market will welcome several new vendors, as well as favorite producers from past seasons. There will be a constantly changing array of seasonal California produce available, including vibrant citrus, juicy apricots, and succulent strawberries. The market will also feature locally-grown dahlias, locally-raised grass fed meats, and locally-made baked goods (even gluten-free) and vegan granola. There will also be live music, kids’ arts and crafts, and fun games for all ages. 

Some of this year's vendors will include Wholeness Farms, Gauchito Hill Farm, Aztec Dahlias (in June), Fly Girl Farm, Blue House Farm, L&M Farms (grass fed beef), Rainbow Orchards, Schetewitz Family Farms, Tomatero Organic Farm, Cipponeri Family Farms, and Triple Delight Blueberries. Per the survey results, vendors will be featuring fresh vegetables and fruits, stone and winter fruits, apples and apple cider, and nuts.

The market, located at Stanyan and Waller, is open every Wednesday from3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and runs through October 28. 

SFMTA announced on July 22 that it will begin Radio Replacement and Blue Light Emergerncy Telephone Replacement projects on all metro Muni lines. These projects aim to improve Muni's, "systemwide communication capabilities and keep trains running safety and reliably through the city." 

This means that construction will require nightly subway shutdowns from 10pm to approximately 5am the next morning. During these shutdowns, bus shuttles will provide substitution. 
The subway tunnel upgrade will start Friday, July 31, 2015 and is anticipated to end January 2016.

Additional Information on Service Adjustments:

• The inbound J Church will end at Church and Market. Transfer to bus shuttles at the F Line streetcar stops on Market Street.
• The inbound N Judah will switch back at Church and Duboce. Customers getting off the train can walk one block to Market Street to board shuttle bus to downtown.
• The inbound K Ingleside will end at St. Francis Circle.  Customers can transfer to a bus to travel to downtown.
• The inbound M Ocean View from Balboa Park will travel through St. Francis Circle and become the outbound L Taraval to serve the L line stops beyond West Portal.  Inbound L trains from the Zoo will turn into the outbound M line at West Portal.
• The T Third Street will switch back at Embarcadero Station except the periods between Aug. 17-Aug. 24 and between Aug. 31-Sept. 10 when work will take place at Embarcadero. During these periods, the T trains will end at Folsom Street. Bus shuttle service will be extended to Folsom Street.
• Bus shuttle frequency: approximately every eight minutes.

Have fun folks!

Content for this article was taken with permission from SFMTA.

Thanks to homeowner Sandy Lane, Cole Valley is home to San Francisco's newest Little Free Library branch, at 836 Clayton St.

"I've seen a few [Little Free Library] locations around as I've walked around the city, and thought this would be a fun little project to get the community involved," said Lane, who's lived in the neighborhood since 1975.

An "entirely do-it-yourself" effort, Lane's tiny library is a "mini-me" version of her home. "I looked at the Little Free Library website to get ideas, but I struck out on my own," said Lane of her design. "It's the same as the house, just a smaller version." To protect books from the elements, the library's facade swings out to expose multiple shelves.

Lane's tiny house is the 16th San Francisco branch of the Little Free Library, a non-profit that's registered approximately 15,000 locations around the world. 

There's another free library at Carl/Hillway but it currently is not registered with the Little Free Library.

Content for this article was used with permission from Hoodline. 

Say Cheese is excited to announce another cheese classes, "I like your style." 

Join them on Thursday, July 9 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at Café Reverie 848 Cole St.

July's class will focus on broad topics related to the classification of different styles of cheese, based on flavor, history, and cheese-making technique.

Their cheese buyer, Steve Wooten, has designed this class to accommodate all levels of cheese knowledge. They will be discussing new technical developments alongside traditional cheeses.

Tickets will include a flight of cheeses and accompaniments, as well as discounted drinks at Reverie. 

Due to space restrictions we require advance purchase with a 48 hour cancellation policy.

Tickets are $25 in advanced and available at Say Cheese during normal business hours.

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

Zazie has recently gone tip free as a way to bridge the gap between employees at the front and back of the restaurant and ensure a more equal pay scale. Owner, Jennifer Piallat has always put her employees first, with offering paid time off, retirement plans and health insurance.  With the new system, all employees will get a raise; servers will see a three to seven percent increase and the back of the house will enjoy a solid 35% boost.

In a recent SFEater article, Piallat tried to sway San Franciscans who might be on the fence about this new system. 
"The thing is," Piallat explains, "we’re not adding a 20% service charge. Servers are getting 11 percent. Plus, they don’t do the best they can to keep you happy because they’re worried you’re going to dock their tip. They want you happy so that you don’t call their manager and so that you don’t disturb their section. No one wants to deal with an angry customer."

Though this is great for the employees of Zazie, customers should be aware that with this new no-tip system, prices have increased by 15-20% so keep that in mind. All in all, we are happy that Zazie is putting employees first and setting an example for other restaurants as well. Great job!

Content for this article from SFEater. 

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?