NVV Feb 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 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.

February 2012

Front Page: Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi visited Noe Valley on January 11 for 90 minutes to shop, talk to merchants about the economy and stump for Obama's American Jobs Act. Among the places she visited were Peekaboutique, Just for Fun, Noe Valley Deli, Gallery of Jewels, Chocolate Covered, When Modern Was, and Subs, Inc. Also on the cover: a recap of the community response to the Fair Oaks rape case; Urban Nest closed on 24th St. - and so did a number of other businesses in 2011, while others are hanging on (Small Frys, SwatDee Thai, and Joe's 24th St Cafe) or thriving (Two Birds, Cliché Noe, Phoenix Books).  

Letters: Beware of plant thieves driving gold BMWs; a baby welcome basket from a Mom was stolen off a stoop on 29th St.; Ruth Asawa SF School of the Arts is opening a production of The Producers on Feb 23; if you posed with Dancer and Prancer on Dec 15 at Just for Fun this year, don't forget to claim your reindeer photos.

Features: Noe Valley documentary filmmaker Debra Chasnoff is a member The Academy - and watching a lot of films at the moment.

Cost of Living in Noe: 20 single family homes sold in November and December - matching 2010 - and all sold for over $1 million. The biggest sale was $12.1 million for a 40 unit building on Cesar Chavez, bought by an investment company.

Store Trek: K9 Scrub Club, Kama Sushi

Rumors:  Nancy Pelosi's visit; results of a Friends of Noe Valley and Noe Valley Association survey are in and the 65 people who answered said their most desired new restaurant types would be Indian, seafood, and Italian, most desired new businesses were a wine bar, a micro-brewery, and a penny candy/ice cream/soda fountain; they love the Farmer's Market, want a Noe Valley Art Fair, and like the idea of a February Love Fest. A full 69% also said parking was very important or somewhat important - and 60% of respondents listed their household income as "greater than $200K." Lost of traffic on 24th St. this holiday thanks to Whole Foods; celebrity sightings of Jake Gyllenhaal and Tracy Chapman at WF; and the most popular items at WF during the holidays were walnuts, avocados and coconut water; a haberdashery called Sean will open his third SF store in the former Accent on Flowers space on 24th St in Feb or March; Noe Valley Wine Merchants is also opening this month and will have wine tastings several times per week; and the corner grocer at 1001 Castro at Alvarado has changed hands and added more wine, fresh produce and self-service laundry; Video Wave and other merchants continue to fight the ADA complaints.

[The Noe Valley Voice]