Strawberry Moon Solstice Sunset Over Noe Valley

Neighbor Darius tells us: "[I] got a shot tonight that I figured captures some of the best beauty and views of living in Noe. And pretty fitting such a nice collection of pink/gold hues would come on both the 'strawberry moon' and solstice evening." Agreed!! Thanks, Darius!

This Week in Noe Valley: Hamlet and Bistro SF Changes, Mission Fire and a Poignant Memorial

The latest news from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• Profile of an "ingenious" Noe Valley resident who evicted a tenant to put the home on Airbnb [NY Times]
• Hamlet gets a new chef and menu with some Japanese twists [Eater]
• More details on the Bistro SF move into the former Hahn’s Hibachi space [Hoodline]
• Skeeter Jones has been working for decades to restore Victorians in Noe and beyond [SF Chronicle]
• Girlz for Hillary in Noe Valley [@mikkelsvane]
• ICYMI today was Summerfest on 24th St [@SFEnvironment]
• Multi-floor fire at 29th and Mission this afternoon takes out Cole Hardware [SFist]

[Photo: A poignant memorial of Orlando via @jw]

Interview: Anna Calonje of Little Artistas

Sleepy outer Church Street is getting some new life this summer with the opening of Little Artistas, an arts, crafts and language studio for kids. For reference, Little Artistas was the group that painted the murals at Alvarado Elementary and Glen Park School with over a hundred munchkins. They are also a partner of DrawBridge, a nonprofit organization that provides expressive arts programs for homeless and underserved youth.

We caught up with the founder, Anna Calonje, via email for a brief interview about her vision for the space and what she has planned.

Welcome to Noe Valley. What made you decide to open a studio here? Thank you! We love it here already! We decided to open a studio in Noe Valley while searching for a second location to expand to. We knew we wanted to be in Noe Valley, if possible, and we found the absolutely perfect location.

A photo posted by Little Artistas (@littleartistas) on May 4, 2016 at 9:56am PDT

Tell us a little about yourself and the team… Our team is first and foremost FUN. We like to play, we believe in creativity and freedom of expression. Children crack us up! We love hanging out with them and encouraging them to explore through art. Our team is composed of myself, Anna, and two amazing studio managers, Sofia and Becky. We also have a fabulous assistant, Steph, and the best party planner, Sarah.

What’s you or your staff’s personal connection to Noe Valley? I've lived on the border of Noe and the Mission for the past 7 years, so this is my turf! Our original Little Artistas studio is located in Glen Park, so I've been Noe-adjacent my entire San Francisco career.


On a related note, what’s your connection to Tacolicious – the previous renter that just moved into that the space? And to Little Folkies next door? My connection to Tacolicious is that I really enjoy their delicious tacos and cocktails! I need to be a better neighbor and introduce myself to their fine staff. On the Little Folkies side, I really enjoy the live concerts we hear on a daily basis. Irena, their founder, and I are planning some fun music and art collaborations!

A photo posted by Little Artistas (@littleartistas) on Jun 3, 2016 at 12:37pm PDT

You opened Little Artistas in Noe Valley for the summer – will you also offer classes year round? We will offer classes year-round, six days a week! We also offer fun events, such as date nights and birthday parties, and Summer camps!

What are your favorite local places to visit in the neighborhood? I absolutely love La Ciccia and La Nebbia! I would eat Italian food three times per day if I could. I think I was Italian in a past life. I also love Noeteca for a leisurely lunch!

Bernie’s, Martha & Brothers or Philz? :) Well, I'm ashamed to say this because it's practically blasphemy since I'm Colombian: I don't drink coffee.... EEK! I'll order up a chai at any of those places anytime, though.

Little Artistas
1513 Church St
San Francisco, CA 94131
(415) 493-8603
littleartistas.com

This Week in Noe Valley: Tiny Houses, Election Season and a Victorian Time Capsule

The latest news from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• Love in the parklet [urbanhapinesssf]
• Beautiful, cooling fog [hellahaythornewhite]
• Is this your kale? [@sociallehman]
• ICYMI: Noe Valley Voice June 2016 in 60 seconds [NVSF]
• Election season: Jane Kim at the Farmer’s Market today [@JaneKim]
• Hahn’s Hibachi is closed - priced out of Noe Valley [NVSF]
• Happy Donuts is still one of SF’s favorite donut shops – and Noe Valley’s branch is considered one of the best [SFist]
• Are your Airbnb neighbors too noisy? Now you can report them… [Mercury News]
• Tiny houses (but just for the homeless) find a toe hold in Noe Valley [Hoodline]
• Noe Valley time [Mankool_SFO]
• Time capsule of old Noe Valley [Curbed]

[Photo: Noe Valley sunset via tobzahs]

NVV June 2016: 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 other resources. Follow the NVV link at the bottom for full articles and all the ads.

June 2016

Front Page: A profile of Audrey Cooper, Noe Valley resident and editor -in-chief of the San Francisco Chronicle; Some 24th Street retailers are feeling the squeeze from online shopping; The 35 Eureka bus runs more often; A profile of Kim Nguyen-Ehrenreich, the founder of the Noe Valley branch of Bricks 4 Kidz; A peek inside three Noe Valley Victorians.

Letters: Thanks to the team that put on the Noe Valley Garden Tour; A plea to vote no on Prop B.

Features: The proposed Town Square owl sculptures may finally be approved - with a more literal than abstract design; Local businesses are split on whether the Farmer's Market on 24th St helps or hurts business on Saturdays; SummerFEST is coming on Saturday June 18.

Cost of Living in Noe: Home sales are hot with 15 single family homes selling in April for an average of $2.4 million.

Store Trek: Songbird Studios, 3823 24th St. and VOILA, 1431 Castro St.

Rumors and Tidbits: Still no movement in the former Real Foods space. The former site of The Ark toy store is now a pop-up called The Curious Object which sells luxury items that Noe Valley resident and realtor Stephen Moore procured on a trip to London (including a penny-farthing, a stuffed swan and other curios). Once the pop-up pops down, Moore will turn the space into a more permanent shop called The Mercantile which will sell new and vintage gift items, housewares and antiques (basically, the same stuff). When Modern Was is offering Chalk Paint classes to "give new life to tired furniture"  and owner Donna Taylor is selling her other shop Buttons Bar, which is potentially very bad news for the recently relocated Video Wave. Walkershaw Man sublet its shop to Azil jewelry boutique for the month of May, and Azil is now looking for a new place to pop-up in Noe again. Heroine is leaving Noe Valley and moving to L.A. - Charlie's Corner bookstore will now expand into that space for more room for kids storytime, parties and theater classes (Ed.--Very Noe Valley for a prime corner location to become a child's reading space). Bom Dia is still closed and the owner is not responding to requests for information. The deal that would have put Golden Gate Urgent Care in the space vacated by In-House fell apart (Ed.-- Good) so the storefront is once again for lease. Instead, GoHealth Urgent Care is opening in the brand new commercial space on 24th at Church (Ed.-- Boo). Hahn's Hibachi has closed and is being replaced by Bistro SF Grill.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

A Sad Farewell from Hahn's Hibachi

Hahn's Hibachi has closed the doors at 1305 Castro St after years of rumors of their leaving. This note is taped to the window:

Thank You!

Since 1978 we have served San Francisco, our wonderful food. It is with a heavy heart, that we must now say.. Farewell.

You have made this a great businss, but, the rising cost of everything, in the city, has made a great business, obsolete.

You all have been wonderful customers. See you, enjoy our food, over the years, has given us so much happiness. Again, we say, Thank You for your patronage. We will miss you greatly.

You can still get Hahn's food, from out good friends a the Ivering Street, and Polk Street restaurants..

All the best to you and yours..

The Hahn's Family

Best of luck to you, Hahn's Family.

Set to move into the space is Bistro SF Grill, which lost their lease in Lower Pacific Heights. We don't know if they will attempt a live music permit, but you can count on their award winning burger. Nearby Bernal resident Matt Nathanson is sure to be pleased, so expect to see him around the neighborhood.