Good grief. 2020 GTFO. This was the year the pandemic and Covid-19 ate the world and Noe Valley was no exception. Mid March introduced us all to a string of new reali
ties. Lockdowns. Social distancing. Blursday. Zoom everything.
Long lines at the supermarket. And a run on
toilet paper and kombucha. Noe Valley had it all and for the most part people seemed to do their part to (eventually)
wear masks, bend the curve and not be super spreaders.
Here’s a look back at the biggest stories of 2020 in Noe Valley:
A Slower Pace Needs Slow Streets
One of the silver linings of the lockdown and a mass WFH effort:
Slow Streets. Suddenly whole swaths of streets in San Francisco are blissfully closed to through traffic and open to bikes, pedestrians, hopscotch and outside time. The slowing down of Sanchez between 23rd and 30th Streets became a gathering place for
group art installations, to
march for BLM, celebrate Halloween and an impromptu (and distanced) celebration when the election results were official. Also – those
tiny porch concerts and
mini recitals on Sundays slapped. Here's hoping Slow Streets becomes a more permanent way of life in the city forever.
The Gutting of Small Businesses and Retail Continues Unabated
As the pandemic ground on this year and retailers were
forced to close and then refactor for the virus, many small businesses decided they couldn’t – or wouldn’t – hang on.
Both Rabat stores hung up their shoes. Cotton Basics retrenched to the East Bay (reportedly the new occupant will be a bridal shop). And Charlie’s Corner
turned the page. Storefronts were boarded up to deter looting and vandalism.
Some stores went above and beyond:
Barron’s,
Noe Valley Bakery, Plumpjack, Noe Valley Wine Co and all the local corner stores did their part to keep their shelves stocked and us fed.
Just for Fun, Folio and Omnivore worked to keep us in entertainment. Thank you all.
Church St. Produce also returned just in time this summer to keep Upper Noe patrons stocked. Douglas SF rebooted as a store and was a godsend during the early days of lockdown, but lost its lease and had to close in August.
There are still many empty storefronts on 24th Street and with the rush to etail precipitated by Covid, that’s likely to get worse in 2021 and beyond.
Some restaurants like Savor and Noe’s Cantina threw in the towel in January and exited Noe Valley. It is ridiculously hard to run a restaurant in this city, but in a pandemic? It’s downright brutal. Every restaurant in the neighborhood suddenly had to master
pivoting to 100% takeout just to survive. The restaurants that saved the day included Hamano, La Ciccia, Uma Casa, Firefly, BistroSF, NoVY, Little Chihuahua, Saru and just about every other restaurant up and down 24th St and Church St who did what it took to stay alive and keep us all fed. Special shoutout to
BistroSF that not only served takeout, they opened a small store
and they donated free meals to seniors and anyone who couldn't afford to pay.
Meanwhile, other former restaurant spaces have languished: Chez Marius, Pomelo, Toast on 24th, and Le Panotiq which was supposed to become Wallflower are still empty. The owners of Novy still haven’t been able to
reboot Noe’s Cantina as something new (can’t wait).
Chloe's shut down after 30+ years and a new owner plans to take over. Meanwhile, Savor threw in the towel and Bacco decided to move into the Savor space with a streatery in tow.
Speaking of
streateries (the little parklets that extend outdoor dining to the curb), Novy, Valley Tavern, Saru, Bernal Pizza and Lovejoys all added outdoor space for distanced dining al fresco until even those were suspended with this latest round of shutdowns. Outdoor dining in reclaimed parking is another
trend we hope sticks around once the virus is under control.
Other silver linings:
Billingsgate, a retail fish market and (someday) a small eatery opened and has been a welcome addition to the 24th Street corridor, and
Noe Café on Sanchez, which when we’re not in lockdown became an essential meeting point in Noe Valley.
On that note, it’s a wrap for 2020.
Stay safe and healthy and see you in the neighborhood in 2021.
p.s.
This blog turned 12 this year and although we don’t always have time to post weekly, it’s still a labor of love and we always appreciate news tips. Thanks for reading both here and on Twitter
@NoeValleySF.
p.p.s.
Yearning for simpler times? Here were the top stories of 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012.
[Photos: Sutro lights via thestevebayes, Slow streets via nomadic_mama_uk, Boarded art storefronts via merredithj, Saru streatery via Saru, Orange skies via @erik1966lutig, Jersey house photo via SocketSite, Crime photo via SFGate, Sunrise before the rain via NVSF]
