We recently renovated and moved into our new home in NV - and have been surprised with the amount of plants/parts of plants stolen from our front yard landscaping. Is this a common problem in NV? It's hard to imagine that a neighbor would feel comfortable with an arrangement in their home that they've stolen from a neighbor....Anyone have any stories to share? Advice?
Mike on 23rd Street
We seem to have one or more semi professional plant thieves. They know what is valuable and resalable. They know what transplants. We have been having an ongoing discussion and documentation of this problem on the Dolores Heights Google Group for the last several years with pretty much the same ranting and gnashing of teeth. A few months back I spotted this character (who I have seen skulking about, often with plants) booking down 23rd at Church. A told him I wanted to talk about where he got the plant but he kept on rolling down the J tracks.
I know this is a city and this may not seem like the most important issue (right up there with the proliferation of nail salons), but please!
Earlier this week we saw rumors/reports that Noe Valley would soon be home to Bliss Bakery – a gluten-free specialty bakery at 1414 Castro Street (at Jersey). That building is currently home to FIMA Photography, Calliope dance studio and Spring Street Pilates – so what gives?Bliss Bakery didn't respond to our emails earlier this week but word from a gluten-free reader who asked around is that Bliss is headed for Noe in September (after canceling plans for an Ashbury Heights location earlier this year) and will take over the FIMA Photography space. FIMA, for it's part, hasn't announced any such departure...
In the meantime, Bliss owner Maria Balme is also looking for other spaces in Noe with lots of foot traffic with the goal of moving in sooner.
No word on whether Bliss will be doing most of their baking onsite (which would require a conditional use permit) or bringing in their wheat-free cupcakes, flax bread and savory galletes from their main Santa Rosa store.
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.
March 2011
Front Page: An interview trying to rehabilitate the infamous "worst husband in the world" Stephen Fowler who traded his Noe home for one in Eureka Valley after the Wife Swap incident - and is now considering writing a book; local Noe resident Mike Underhill heads the team trying the government's case again BP in the aftermath of the Gulf Oil spill; the story behind the "blue bottle tree" on 30th at Sanchez.
Photo: Members of Bethany United Methodist Church return to their property on Clipper at Sanchez to celebrate the start of the remodeling. The work should be done by Christmas 2011.
Features: Upper Noe Rec Center sandbox is beloved by kids - and cats (Funniest line: "Pretty much almost every day where parents come up to me and say, 'My child was sitting in the sandbox and rubbed poop all over themselves.'"); Town square concept drawings; profile of the Beatles-loving Tamasei Sushi owners on 24th Street.
Cost of Living in Noe: Zephyr reports just 3 houses and 2 condos changed hands in Noe in January.
Short Takes: Noe Valley Democratic Club meets March 16 at 7:30 PM at St. Philip's at 725 Diamond - speakers will include District 8 Supe Scott Wiener who will have updates about the new Mollie Stone's on 18th Street, Trader Joe's coming to the Castro, and the proposed Noe Valley Town Square. Also lots of food happenings at Omnivore Books this Spring.
Store Trek: LOLA women's clothing store; Little Music Makers (30th at Sanchez).
Rumors: Two Birds women's clothing boutique opens, Noe Smiles & Braces still coming soon, and Russo Music also still coming soon; several other store fronts still vacant and asking hefty monthly rent (former Mop Salon: $3,000, old J&J corner market: $5750, ex-Urban Cellars: $4500); Garage Store on Sanchez at 24th changed it's name to Decor Galore to avoid the confusion of it being an (ahem) garage store; Star Magic changed it's name to Cosmic Wizard; Mollie Stone's set to open in the Castro on March 9; Noe Valley Ministry converts parking lot on 24th Street to monthly spots to raise money (says Luke Aguilera, co-owner of the company that runs the lot for the Ministry, "...we expect we have roughly eight more months before the Ministry sells the lot, [which I guess will be] to the city). [Ed note: That's quite an edit to the quote!]