Moving: Heliotrope

After a 2+ year run at 1515 Church St, a sign in the window of Heliotrope announces that the store is taking it's eco-friendly and natural skincare products to a new location at 806 Valencia St in November. The reason for the move? Not the ADA lawsuits that have troubled so many local small businesses. The owners are hoping instead for a location with "more foot traffic."

The shop is still open for now - and even once it moves, you can still get Heliotrope lotions and soaps at Loft on 24th St.

Heliotrope 
806 Valencia at 19th (starting Nov 2012)
415-643-4847

Vacated: 1513 Church St

Usually we'd say a business had "closed" but it was never clear that Realty World BLUE on Church St was ever open. Some IKEA furniture and a brochure in the window was the only sign of activity since "opening" in May. This week the space was abruptly cleared out.

That means the 1500 block of Church St is now an empty stretch with Heliotrope packing up next door, and La Sirena Botanica also still vacant. ADA remains a challenge at 1513-1515, and rumored seismic repairs for 1509 have not been permitted or started (but dry-rot at the rear porch has been repaired). Sadly, it could be a while before we see life on that block.

[NVSF: The Mystery Of 1513 Church St]
[NVSF: Moving: Heliotrope]
[NVSF: Closed: La Sirena Botanica]

Opening: Little Folkies

The space vacated by Heliotrope on Church St has transformed into the new location for Little Folkies, an oh-so-Noe music class for kids and parents. From the flyer:

Little Folkies is a song circle for children and their parents/caregivers. It's a fun-filled and relaxed incarnation of this classic children's music format, making music with family and friends in a circle (minus the campfire).

The songs of Little Folkies presents the stuff of day to day life in language understood and loved by class members both young and old, especially relatable to children.

The songs presented at Little Folkies cover a lot of ground and will provide endless hours of fun and moments of pure joy for you and your family. The 35-40 minute class will highlight the experience of singing this wonderful material in a cozy, comfortable environment surrounded by friendly faces.

That's a lot of words to sell the classic campfire song, but it's nice to see something going in that bare stretch of Church.

No strollers (or shoes) allowed inside. The class schedule and prices are posted on the website.

Little Folkies
1515 Church St. @ 27th St
Littlefolkies.com

This Year In Noe Valley: The Big Stories Of 2012

For the rest of the world this might have been the year of Gangnam Style, Call Me Maybe, Superstorms, "the most important election of your lifetime" and the fiscal cliff. But in Noe Valley we were obsessed with local issues. Here's a look back at some of the major themes and top stories from 2012 that resonated in our little village:

It Was a Year of Cool Meteorological Events…
The end of the Mayan calendar barely registered among NV residents, but who cares about that when you've got the awesome transit of Venus, a solar eclipse and a blue moon. While not a meteor, the space shuttle Endeavour buzzed Noe on the way to LA, which was also pretty cool.

Unreal Estate…
Facebook went public this year feeding a frenzy of real estate action in the hood, including the rebirth of the Blue Church on Church St as The Luxe, trust fund house lust, and average home prices of $1.5+ million and counting. And even as a former crack house sold for $1.3 million, Mark Zuckerberg bought a pied–à–terre close by.

Natural and Unnatural Disasters…
The wild weather around the country didn't spare Noe Valley as a fluke thunderstorm and lightning strike zapped transformers on 24th and Hoffman in November, causing more than a few locals to leap out of bed in alarm. The strange weather may also have been the culprit behind this naked car stomper. Granted we did not have extreme weather events, but the bigger threat this year was fire: After the 2-alarm 2011 conflagration in the Radio Shack building, our little hood experienced not one, not two, but five house fires and one case of arson in 2012. Fire and Victorians don't mix – be careful out there.

Changes on 24^th and Church Streets…
Lots of businesses closed or relocated this year including Urban Nest, Ladybug Ladybug, Kohler-Jones, Design Quarter, La Sirena Botanica, Heliotrope, and more than a few business were also scared away by the obnoxious ADA lawsuits. Even the oldest store in the neighborhood, Tuggey's, vacated after decreasing sales and the realization that the real money was in renting the space to...One Medical Group. Meanwhile, First Republic bailed on 24th St after merchants and locals objected, Real Foods of course remains blighted with no resolution in sight, and La Boulange was assimilated by Starbucks. Fortunately there was good news including the addition to 24th St of Loft 1513, Saru Sushi Bar, Easy Breezy, Mill, Olive This Olive That, Philz, DAVIDsTEA, and Pressed Juicery. Coming very soon: CraftCaskHouse and MF Chicken. All of this added up to AAA naming Noe one of the best window shopping areas in SF.

Crime and Punishment…
Despite NV's reputation for being a yuppie sleepy bedroom community, we had plenty of crime to worry about this year. Bike thefts were rampant, there was DEA action on Chatanooga, upper Noe became a dumping ground for stolen cars, joggers were harassed, iPhones were snatched at gunpoint (and in broad daylight), crime continued on Fair Oaks and a package thief made life hell for residents. Fortunately there was also some justice served: the Fair Oaks rapist of 2011 was sentenced to 373 years to life, the notorious bad neighbor and copper thief was sentenced to 3 years after "his" house was sold, and a brave local resident caught the package thief in action with some bear spray, a bokken and…some serious chutzpah. Huzzah!
 

 
#FirstWorldProblems …
In addition to crime, we had some whining too: The city installed an electric vehicle charging station at Walgreen's that prompted some outrage and a few cheers; Whole Foods had to close the parking lot for a nanosecond in August to resurface the pavement (the horror); and a few neighbors complained about the SFPD availing themselves of "entitled" parking spots. [It's parking folks, that's all.] Another hot button was the Noe Valley Town Square – which crossed the $430,000 fundraising mark in October (the last time there was an update - is it losing momentum?). 2012 was also the year that the outside world took note of the Google Bus phenom.

There Are Lots of Reasons to Celebrate...
We live in a beautiful neighborhood, in a beautiful city – with lots of cheer around us. Here's to a safe and prosperous 2013. Happy New Year, Noe Valley!

NVV Oct 2012: We Read It So You Don't Have To

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are notable highlights from the latest issue. Links are to stories we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories until the middle of the month.

October 2012

Front Page:  Harvest Fest is coming on October 27th; praise for Scott Wiener (update to the sidebar: Scott is introducing legislation to ban public nudity in SF); diary of finding a rental in Noe; Dems think Noe will be Blue this election (again).
 
Letters: Newcomer to Noe has tons of suggestions for how things could better; remembering Missy, a sweet dog; a touching recollection of working at the Noe Bar & Grill during the beginning of the AIDS epidemic.

Features: Meth-addicted copper thief's 24th Street house sells; stolen packages.

Cost of Living in Noe: Bidding wars are still driving up home sale prices, as much as 4-13% over asking. Rent? $5,500/month on the high side for a 2 bedroom.

Store Trek: Olive This Olive That (304 Vicksburg St.)

Rumors: Music in the Park was a hit, but no mention of how much it raised (Philz had a great day); the commercial space we've been watching at The Luxe will be a property management office, not retail; "by Halloween" Heliotrope will post an announcement that they're moving (Oh wait, they did that already); DavidsTea opening Oct 27; a Holey Bagel bagel "tastes better than it looks;" Chris Cosention of Incanto wins Top Chef Masters; Vietnamese-Thai fusion restaurant "appears to be ready to open" - or not. Farmer's Market reports a 52 person surge in attendance.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

NVV: We Read It So You Don't Have To

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are notable highlights from the latest issue. Links are to items we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories until the middle of the month.

May 2010

Front Page: NVV is now in living color. The front page features color photos of an NV resident schlepping the Voice to Venice - and a close-up of a hummingbird on 25th St. Articles start on page 13.

Letters: A 3 paragraph plea to support the proposed Noe Plaza ("We will soon have a chance to try a bold experiment..."); a 9 paragraph critique of the plan ("Why weren't the most direct affected residents...properly notified?" and "The waste of taxpayer money on whimsical ideas... has to stop."); plus 4 more letters up and down the spectrum for and against the plaza/parklet.

Features: A family portrait of Noe Valley resident Charles Bonilla who was murdered on April 8 outside his apartment on 28th near Sanchez. The murder is still unsolved.

- Noe Valley Ministry is exploring selling its parking lot on 24th (between Vicksburg and Sanchez) to the city to create a town square in Noe. This would not replace the controversial Noe Street plaza, says Bevan Dufty. The space may qualify for city open space funds - but private funds could get the job done faster, and move through city planning more easily.

- Mail carrier Daniel Price retires from the NV post office this June - after 40 years on the job.

- Recap of the plaza plan, proposed traffic studies, and the April 8 community meeting.

Cost of Living in Noe: $3 million home sold in March - the most expensive Noe property to turn over in 2 years; rents are still an ouch.

Crime Beat: A PSA from the SFPD to watch for pickpockets and iPhone/iPod thieves on and around Muni. "Immediately report any robbery by calling 911."

Store Trek: Noe Valley Homeopathy (1199 Sanchez @ 25th St.)

Rumors: The restaurant ban on 24th is lifted; Pasta Pomodoro changes hands, not the menu; lots of love for Omnivore Books' foodie events including a recent visit from Alice Waters; Joseph Andrade Floral will take over the old Artsake space; a women's clothing store called Sway will take over the old Streetlight Records space; Cooks Boulevard is closed (rent for the space is purportedly $6200/month); Lisa Violetto is closed; French Tulip is closed; the old When Modern Was space on Church St. will become a hair salon; and across the street a new retail store selling body products called Heliotrope will take over the former Green Twig space. Up at 816 Diamond, Kangaroos Play and Activity Center, a preschool, takes over where Just Awesome Games lived (and abruptly disappeared); Circle Bank is opening this month; Alain Pinel Realtors is taking over the old Phoenix Books space.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

NVV July/August 2010: We Read It So You Don't Have To

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are notable highlights from the latest issue. Links are to items we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories until the middle of the month.

July/August 2010

Front Page: Summer issue - Voice writers, editors and photographers are asked to "put away their communication devices and find a way to play" until September; Elizabeth Crane ("farmer's market queen") shares jamming recipes; Noe Valley photog Leo Holub died at 93 years old in April.

Feature: Traveling Voice, a retrospective.

Letters: Last month's mockingbird (and apparently the only one in the neighborhood) is now serenading the easily riled Jersey St. residents; Noe St resident enlists Bevan Dufty to reverse a street sweeping ticket); Joel Panzer tries to sound more rational about keeping Noe St open than he did at the June 30th meeting; A "thanks" for the Noe Valley Garden Tour, and another for Rebecca Prozan's campaign kick-off on June 12th.

Cost of Living in Noe: 9 homes sold in May, high price for a SFH was $3.3M (skewing the mean).

Store Trek: Joseph Andrade Floral (3961 24th St) is intent on providing "affordable elegance;" Sway (3979 24th St) is woman's clothing that is "not to cool for school."

Rumors: The Voice was unable to attend/report on the June 30th Community Meeting; Easily riled Jersey St residents now host the official bike route through downtown Noe Valley (complete with Sharrows); Cooks Boulevard? Still empty; Castro Nails? Now on outer Church. GNC/Aveda? "A number of inquiries." Twin Peaks Realty? The estate is looking for a tenant to make improvements (but the space does include parking); French Tulip lives; Garage Store under new management as Garage Store Merchandise Lounge and moving more upscale; Star Magic sticking around after all under the guise of Cosmic Wizard after a notice of "trademark infringement" from some fancy New York lawyer; Loft 1513, Heliotrope and Curator Boutique have made outer Church a "certified shopping destination;" A list of SF Weekly's Best Of including Elizabeth Street Brewery.

And finally... buried among countless realtor ads is another circa 1985 photo advertising Sue Bowie's Noe Valley expertise - still listed as a Prudential agent.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

Noe Valley 2010: Year in Review

2010 was a busy year in our quiet village. Lots of community meetings, retail change-ups, civic improvements and local activism. Here's a look at some highlights and themes from 2010.

More Restaurants

In January the planning commission lifted the restaurant ban in 24th St commercial district. Although we didn’t see that ruling turn into new permits in 2010, it did send a message that Noe is restaurant-friendly again. New additions food-wise this year included Patxi's and Little Chihuahua. Tataki South also opened for sushi on outer Church. Not a restaurant but happy news for foodies, Blue Bottle Coffee also debuted at Spin City.

More Green

Pocket Parks, Parklets and Plazas were big items this year. Not everyone liked the plaza idea, but the tea party fillibuster and ensuing kerfuffle did pave the way for 2 parklets and discussion of a possible town square.

Quieter Trains

The J-Church rail at 30th got an upgrade and neighbors rejoiced: “Just as I was thinking it, a neighbor nearby noted with happiness, 'Hey, it doesn’t make noise anymore.'”

Orange Wins

Noe resident Matt Cain helped take the Giants to a World Series victory. And Scott Weiner – whose campaign color was orange – replaced Bevan Dufty as disctrict 8 Supervisor. Noe Valley was also voted # 1 for Halloween trick-or-treating, and the orange-themed Harvest Fest was a hit.

Crime Files

Sadly, it was also a busy year for crime in Noe including vehicle thefts, stolen iPhones, a homicide, identity scavengers, and a Wells Fargo bank robbery (which may explain the armed guard in front of BofA these days).

Storefront Changes

We lost some retail stores this year on and near 24th St. including Cooks Boulevard, Lisa Violetto, Urban Cellars, and Apple Blossom (and the genie went back into the bottle). We also lost useful retail space to Circle Bank, Alain Pinel and the soon-to-open Noe Valley Smiles. New shops in the area include: When Modern Was (via Church), Sway in the old Streetlight Records space, Heliotrope, Design Quarter, Re:Construction Salon, and Joseph Andrade Floral in the old Artsake space.

Lively Debates

Finally, it was a year of lively debates. We all got exercised about lots of things besides plazas. Favorite topics were passive aggressive parking, shuttle buses, dogs, pedestrians, strollers, a new mayor, and local color.

Here's to more fun in 2011. Happy New Year, Noe Valley!

Moving: Loft 1513 Boutique

Loft 1513 on Church Street

A prime empty retail space on 24th St has filled quickly: A sign in the former Urban Nest storefront announces Loft 1513's move from 1513 Church St. to to 3927 24th Street. The sign reads:

LOFT 1513 is a new kind of Boutique and art gallery. It houses one-of-a-kind local and international designers… bringing you unique, innovative and eco-friendly designs.

LOFT hosts monthly parties and events, both open to the public and private. We feature artist and designers with fashion shows, DJs, art installations, and live demos. We also offer one-on-one fashion consultations, workshops and custom designs.

We are thrilled to be able to showcase our designs in a more accessible neighborhood for our customers and for the opportunity to gain new fans. We are currently located a few blocks away at 1513 Church.

We will re-open our doors on this new location March 1st. Stay tuned for our upcoming events.

All my best,
Larissa Verdussen and LOFT Crew
www.loft1513.com

Heliotrope, the natural skin care products store which is currently next door to LOFT 1513 on Church St, will also have a presence in the new space with a shop-within-a-shop.

[Top image: LOFT 1513 Blog]

NVV Sept. 2010: We Read It So You Don't Have To

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are highlights from the latest issue. Links are to items we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories online until mid-month.

September 2010

Front Page: A love note to high-end modern homes in Noe; notes from the Town Square meeting on July 15; the plaza proposal is dead, now the debate is where to put (or nix) the parklets.

Letters: A 16-year Noe resident on the mob-rule mentality that shut down the plaza proposal: "Are these people not homeowners or do they simply not realize how much more desirable their homes would become were they lucky enough to live on a newly dead-ended street?"; thanks to the person randomly planting poppies on Elizabeth St.; hi and we miss you from the Andiamo Deli brothers; Robert Roddick, president of the Noe Valley Merchants and Professionals Association distances himself from the NVMPA support for the plaza trial now that it's been squelched.

Features: Billy Goat Hill gets a $50,000 facelift this month – improvements include path updates, erosion control and native plant restoration.

Cost of Living in Noe: Market cooling but the average home in Noe still costs more than $1 million. Rents are up slightly year over year.

Short Takes: Supes debate coming on Sept. 16 at Upper Noe Rec Center; Harvest Fest will be on Saturday Oct. 23, including some local music talent you'll recognize from the farmer's market; cops close Noe murder case.

Traveling Voice: Consumer confidence is up - this summer the the Voice made it to South Africa for the World Cup, Cinque Terre and Paris.

Store Trek: Heliotrope SF; The Little Chihuahua.

Rumors: The Plaza to Parklets drama continues – the NVMPA says merchants want a say in where the parklets will be located, with several retailers vowing (off the record) to fight them outright. The locations being considered are: 24th Street in front of Martha's, Noe Bagel,Toast, and the Noe Valley Ministry lot near Vicksburg. [Ed- Fasten your seatbelts… it's going to be bumpy.] The next Friends of Noe Valley meeting will be on Sept. 28 at James Lick where you can vote on the officers and board. There will also be a presentation on the Town Square and supes candidates have been invited to weigh in. The Noe Valley Farmer's Market board had a "special meeting" in August to discuss market vendors and volunteers supporting supes candidates (not allowed). Rebecca Prozan opened her campaign headquarters a block away from the Market in July. Harry Aleo's Twin Peaks Property is becoming a music store – opening date is mid Oct. The colorful Twin Peaks/Aleo memorabilia went to family, Noe Valley archivists Bill Yenne and Joel Panzer, an estate seller, and to the NVMPA. Accent on Flowers (next door to the future music store) is consolidating to Flowers of the Valley across the street; Blue Bottle Coffee and Design Quarter open.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

The Mystery Of 1513 Church St

After Loft 1513 moved to 24th St, Vivid Floral Design leased the space and began to prepare it for opening. Then at the end of April they vacated and a For Lease sign reappeared. No more Vivid. For the last few weeks there's been activity (mostly IKEA furniture assembly) and the space looks ready for use again. But for what?

Since we saw mail on the doorstep addressed to Blue Realty Group we contacted CEO Joseph Blue. His response was unequivocal and offered no further information: "NO WE ARE NOT MOVING INTO NOE VALLEY THANK YOU." Nearby merchants who have spoken to workers state that the space will be a realty office. [Update 5/22: This morning there's a new sign in the window for Realty World - BLUE.]

As for Vivid... Don at Heliotrope says that Vivid was threatened by two steps at the entrance and an ADA lawsuit. We're still trying to reach the owner of Vivid to confirm, and will post updates as we get them.

Anyone else have info?

Tidbits: Church Street

One of Incanto's New Pigs

Grubstreet tipped us off that AmberJack Sushi is for sale. Apparently chef-owner Stewart Chen is offloading restaurants all over the place and "has decided to retire." Or not. Listing here.

Speaking of sushi, still no change at Deep: Modern Izakaya. That is...except for a notice on the door that the dishwashing equipment is leased and they want it back. Guess their last tweet in September really didn't pan out.

Re:Construction Salon is open in the old When Modern Was space at 1504 Church St.

Heliotrope is set to open in the old Green Twig space at 1515 Church St. Expect: "Natural, locally sourced skin care, customized aromatherapy blends, personal health products and decorative accessories." Since the landlord advertised a "one year lease--no options" they'll need to stabilize pretty darn quick. Still shooting for "early June."

Finally, we heard through the grapevine that Vetran's Liquor at 1710 Church St has actually been leased as a non-retail office for months now. You'd think they'd want to at least replace the broken glass?