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. 

A two-alarm fire broke out at Clayton and Ashbury on the evening of Monday, August 31, 2015. According to the San Francisco Firefighters Local 798 , the house on fire was located at 1053 Clayton St. At least eight fire trucks were at the scene and the fire has since been contained. No one was injured but someone did go to the hospital due to smoke inhalation.

According to a neighbor, the tenants will be staying in the neighborhood during the building's repairs and construction. 

Stay safe out there folks.

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

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. 

I'm sure you have seen all the food trucks that have popped up around the Bay Area in the past several years. But have you seen a music truck? After years of working in event and music production, Cole Valley local Robert Culos dreamed of running his own music venue. Rob and his wife, Liz Coglianese, had the innovative idea of making a food truck but for music, a mobile music venue retrofitted out of a vintage trailer. With Rob managing event production and Liz handling marketing and publicity, their new business was born! BandWagon officially launched last August [2014] at Noise Pop's 20th Street Block Party with major success. Rob was excited that BandWagon launched in San Francisco and at a hyper local street fair. He stated, "The people here love music, they love to be outdoors and they're truly supportive of new ideas." Since BandWagon's launch they have been seen at major festivals, such as Hardly Strictly and Treasure Island Music Festival. BandWagon seems to be transforming the local Bay Area music scene in a new and innovative way and telling folks to get outdoors and listen to some good tunes! 

 Can I rent it out for private events?

Rob informs us that BandWagon is available to rent for private parties, community gatherings, large festivals, corporate events, and beyond. Depending on the event, Rob, Liz, and team are happy to work with you to bring the entertainment or just have the stage, lights and sound. Got questions about rentals, you can contact them directly at thecrew@bandwagonsf.com or 415-742-5154. 

So Rob, what do you guys like most about Cole Valley?

We hope you aren't forgetting that Rob and Liz, and their son Jack, are Cole Valley residents . They love everything about Cole Valley. Although they settled into Cole Valley almost by accident five years ago, they definitely plan to stick around. Rob said, "I think if I had to put it into simple words, it's the sense of a real village community here" that makes it the greatest place to live. 

Hopefully we'll see BandWagon around the neighborhood, maybe even the Cole Valley Street Fair (pretty please!!). 

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!