This Week in Noe Valley: Hamano Gets a Lift, Chez Marius Is Open and the Holidays are Here

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

• Former Saison sushi chef goes back to his roots and buys Hamano (yay!) [Eater]
• Spotted in the Whole Foods parking lot [jboitnott]
• Chez Marius is open for lunch and dinner in the former Le Zinc space [Hoodline]
• “Noe Valley where no affordable housing projects ever get built” [Beyond Chron]
• Prancer spotted on 24th St [itshildap]
• Holiday lights [jezolo]

[Photo: anne_lcrx]

This Week In Noe Valley: Great Food News, Beware Of Santa, And Noe Valley’s Painted Ladies

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

• Baron’s Meats is taking over the old Drewe’s Meats space, opening in Feb (yay!) [@OmnivoreBooks]
• Phase 1: Open the shop Phase 2: Sandwiches Phase 3: Craft beer and wine (double yay!) [@BarronsonChurch]
• Uma Casa Portuguese restaurant opening very soon [Hoodline]
• The disappearance of SF’s middle class illustrated with maps [Nick Conway]
• Noe Valley residents evacuated after a gas main break near Noe and Hill Streets [Examiner]
• Coming soon to Whole Foods Noe Valley? [@newmike]
• Long time resident blogs about his favorites spots in Noe [DanielWPolk]
• Does your tap water taste weird? Here’s why [Hoodline]
• Worse than Santacon: Man in Santa hat caught on video burglarizing Noe Valley home [NBC]
• Changes at Le Zinc which will become a new bistro called Chez Marius [@rosewinegirl, Tablehopper]
• James Lick playground is a Christmas tree lot again [bibi_guansen]
• Tom and Jerry’s giant Christmas display is up ("All-American xmas, installed by Mexican workers") [ladiani]
• Did you feel the earthquake? [@iveyjannnette_207]
• We live here [joeychanrealtor]
• Noe Valley’s painted ladies [emdnyc]

[Photo: susannemsm]

NVV December/January 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.

December / January 2016

Front Page: A roundup of meal delivery services like Caviar, Sprig and Franny's Kitchen; a profile of retired local Kaiser doc Dr. Don Barole, co-medical director of Homeless Connect; the controversial Noe Courts makeover should be done in Jan/Feb.

Letters: Fan mail from a church St. resident who has been reading the Noe Valley Voice since it's first issue (May 1977); a call for tutors for James Lick Middle School; a Noe St resident who urges neighbors to consider giving disaster preparedness gifts (flashlights, emergency kits, NERT training) for the holidays.

Cost of Living in Noe: Three luxury home sales in Oct bumped the average price for a Noe home back up to $2.7 million - the most expensive of which sold for $4.3 million.

Features: A local teen disappointed by this year's election results is selling art to benefit Planned Parenthood.

Rumors and Tidbits: In Noe Valley this year, 89.1 percent of registered voters turned out and 90 percent voted for Clinton, 4.2 percent for Trump and 2.2 percent for Jill Stein. There's a rumor of a candlelight vigil planned for inauguration day, Jan 20, 2017. Laurent Legendre will open Chez Marius, a french bistro, in the former Le Zinc space this December. On Church St. chef Telmo Faria says he will open his new Portuguese restaurant, Uma Casa, in the old Incanto space on December 20.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

This Week in Noe Valley: Holidays Building, Found Art and Contemplating a Trump Presidency

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

• Noe Valley getting decked for the holidays [sarahwoehler]
• Found art [@holdn2aces]
• Crossing the chasm at Noe Valley Bakery [chrissaulx]
• More signs of the real estate market cooling [Socketsite]
• Noe Valley man attacked after inviting stranger into his home [KTVU]
• Contemplating a Trump presidency in Noe Valley [SF Examiner]
• More found art built from Noe Valley remodel detritus [SF Gate]

[Photo: via pbrownrider]

This Week in Noe Valley: Election Aftermath

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

• Tuesday Nov. 8 – happy voting [@magsnmum]
• Tuesday Nov. 8 – just over the hill in the Castro [@LisaEdelstein]
• What it’s like to host a polling place in your garage (16 years in Noe Valley!) [KQED]
• The day after – Guy protesting election results at 21st and Sanchez just happens to have a Nazi flag lying around and his neighbors weren't having it [@michael_bodley]
• Sad scenes in Noe Valley on Wednesday [@adamflorin]
• More sad scenes in the new reality [@MADdelaRosa]
• Scott Wiener is currently leading the race for State Senate [SF Dept of Elections]
• Homes evacuated on Sanchez St after a cache of ammunition was found in a dumpster [KRON4]

[Photo: Daybreak, the morning after the election - the sun still came up]

This Week in Noe Valley: Beautiful Fall, Serious Halloween, Election Drinking

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

• Found in the street in Noe Valley [via Craigslist]
• Noe Valley residents strongly support expanding Bikesharesf [@jimgreer]
• Gorgeous fall mornings [kelishaw]
• And fall evenings too [rebeccapariser]
• Serious Halloween [apropos_sf]
• Spiders too [alexiacornu]
• Halloween when your neighbor is a set designer [devonslwest]
• Dubious distinctions: SF's worst neighborhoods for poop, needles [SFGate]
• Happy hour and $2 oysters all night on election night at Hamlet [SF Weekly]
• The man behind Mobius, the recording studio on Sanchez at Valley St. [KQED]

[Photo: Morning via _bildl_ich]

NVV Nov 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.

November 2016

Front Page: Noe Valley businesses that give to the local community (including Just for Fun, Firefly, La Ciccia, Cliche Noe and Zephyr); the Town Square debuts; we may be at peak rents for Noe Valley (for now).

Letters: A letter from Modern Times bookstore in the Mission - they're closing for good on Nov. 15; a lament about the demise of Drewes Brothers Meats (which may return as a new meat market soon).

Features: Noe Valley parking meters will likely increase rates as demand-based pricing spreads citywide.

Cost of Living in Noe: The luxury home market is cooling slightly and the average cost of a home dropped to $2 million.

Short Takes: Cliche Noe is sponsoring a Christmas tree lighting this year; Upper Noe Neighbors and PlumpJack will offer free drinks post election day with the launch of the Upper Noe Wine Club from 5-8pm at the VIP Scrub Club. You'll find SF Firefighters Program holiday toy barrels accepting donations for needy children at Cliche Noe and Just for Fun starting Nov 21.

Store Trek: Damia Salon, 1504 Church Street

Rumors and Tidbits: Small Business Saturday happens on Nov. 26 and 24Holidays begins Dec. 1 in downtown Noe Valley, with hayrides, shopping, caroling, reindeer, Santa and more. The Town Square is open, the Farmer's Market has a new home there, and the first big event is a Square Dance on Nov 5. Other events planned for the Square are movie nights and meditation - and the location is available for rent if you're interested. Also coming soon: eight benches that will line the square which have been stuck in customs in L.A. French bistro Le Zinc has closed following the death of the owner's wife and another French restaurateur, Laurent Legendre, is buying the restaurant and the new menu will be "totally French." (Legendre also owns Le P'tit Laurent on Chenery in Glen Park.) Noe Valley Bakery is expanding to West Portal and would like you to help pay for it. The former Cradle of the Sun space has been rented to Olive This Olive That, which will relocate from it's current spot on Vicksburg, and The Swann Group, a retail furniture and interior design business run by realtor Rachel Swann. The goal for both is to open this month. Video Wave is staying in the current spaces for at least another year. One Stop Party Shop on outer Church reports that the most popular costumes this year were Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton; for kids it was Star Wars characters. Chocolate Covered was named SF Magazine's 2016 Best Chocolate Shop; other Noe Valley spots that made the Best of list were La Ciccia and Lovejoy's. Dani Sheehan-Meyer made the Merchant of the Year 2016 list for Cliche Noe, and NV filmmakers Linda and Tim Schaller won the Best Documentary Award at the LA World International Film Festival for A Spark of Nerve, a film about the doctors who helped their daughter regain the use of her arm after a deranged SF man attacked her.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

This Week In Noe Valley: Town Square Opens and Halloween Noe Valley Style

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

• Just in time for Halloween – the Noe Valley Town Square is here [CBS Local]
• Photo: From a gas station to a parking lot to a park [@SFParksAlliance]
• Peak Noe Valley [@johnsharkman]
• Halloween, Noe Valley style [@Spitter17]
• Noe Valley is still tops for trick-or-treating [SFGate]
• Odd: Cherry blossoms blooming in October [@StevePaulsonKTVU]
• Bom Dia Market is scheduled for final inspection on Halloween – will it come back to life? [NVSF] 
• Closed: Le Zinc [@rosewinegrl]
• Shocker: Cow Hollow’s Real Food Co closes abruptly [Hoodline]
• Noe Valley Bakery opens a 2nd location in West Portal [@noevalleybakery]
• Hamlet adds oysters [hamlet_sf]

[Photo: Town Square via @colazioneAroma]

This Week in Noe Valley: Orange October and Blue Angels

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

• Scott Wiener and Jane Kim in a dead heat for Senate race [SF Chronicle]
• Noe Valley “wildlife” [emichbe]
• Town Square will open Oct 29 at 10AM [@noevalleytownsq]
• Hello, Blue Angels [awelfle]
• Believen #gogiants
• A love letter to the always awesome Omnivore Books [Hoodline]
• A Noe Valley story circa 1974 [@MrsWen]

[Photo: Orange Oct via gregor701]

NVV Oct 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.

October 2016

Front Page: The Noe Valley Library is 100 years old; Some Noe Valley restaurants are thriving (Fresca, Contigo, La Ciccia, Firefly, Hamano, NoVY) - others not so much (Savor's owner says he can no longer offers table service and is just waiting for the lease to expire to move to the peninsula); Noe Valley Town Square plans to open Oct 29 and the Farmer's Market will move in Nov. 5.

Letters: A neighbor writes in to urge you to vote for Prop I.

Features: Real Foods is still empty, 13 years on; volunteers are planning a second Grand View green space cleanup on Nov. 5.

Cost of Living in Noe: The home market is still cooling but only 8 single family homes traded hands in August. The average cost of a home is $2.6 million.

Store Trek: La PanotiQ Bakery Cafe, 4018 24th Street

Rumors and Tidbits: See Jane Run is closed and the building is for sale for $3.3 million; Walkershaw Man closed and has turned over as Azil Boutique jewelry; the old Bliss Bar space is still for rent; Video Wave is taking over the entire Buttons Bar space and running a GoFundMe campaign. The old Common Scents space is now Monroe, a woman's clothing boutique. The former In-House space across the street is becoming an art gallery and will open Nov 6. The Cradle of the Sun space has been rented to a real estate firm (ugh). Drewes Brothers Meats closed in August and the landlord/owner reports he is close to signing a tenant that plans a meat market in the space; no other details were offered. The Noe Courts space is still under construction. The Noe Valley Girls Film Festival was a success. The Noe Valley Ministry is hosting a gala on Oct 27.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

This Week in Noe Valley: Bikeshare Coming, Walkershaw Leaving and Other Signs of September

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

• Walkershaw Man is closing at the end of the month [Walkershaw Man]
• A touching story about a Noe Valley family, the Giants and Alzheimer’s [NY Times]
• Free days for city residents by neighborhood at Cal Academy of Sciences [SF Station]
• SF’s cheapest and most expensive neighborhoods for renters – Noe Valley is in the middle [SF Business Journal]
• Noe Valley people are boujie – and like to call tow trucks (says the person who tweets she constantly gets parking tickets) [@HanneFrank]
• Noe Valley gala to support local arts on Oct 27 [Noe Valley Gala]
• Free adult color night on Oct 18 at Folio– with wine [FunCheapSF]
• Bay Area homes sell twice as fast as U.S. average [SF Business Journal]
• Bay Area Bikeshare stations coming to Noe Valley [Hoodline]
• Noe Valley – where schools have valet parking? [@MikeLewis]
• Photo of 22nd and Fair Oaks, 1988 [@DavidGallagher]
• Photo of 94131 in the 1970s [@RedLips769]
• Town Square progress in a photo [lizatblackrose]

[Photo: Cloud drama via artbyamanda33]

This Week in Noe Valley: Noe Library Turns 100, Tax Shaming NIMBYs and James Lick Was a Fascinating Guy

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

• Outdoor movie night at the Upper Noe Valley Rec Center on Sept 17 at 7pm ft Inside Out [NVRC]
• Portrait of the charming 2 bedroom in Noe Valley that sold two years ago for $1.85M [@zamosta]
• Noe Valley Library turns 100 on Sept 17, 12-4pm – party, prizes and food [@SFPublicLibrary]
• Tax shaming activist NIMBYs [kimmaicutler]
• Drastic price cuts for the Noe Valley net zero emissions megahome at 2127 Castro [SocketSite]
• Naked crazy man incident. 7 cop cars and 1 cop injured. [@ryangoodman]
• Video Wave does not want to close - but Buttons Candy Bar in the same space is vacating after Halloween [@bradfitz]
• SF Board of Education President Matt Haney wants to nix the name James Lick [College Fix]
• Never mind that James Lick was a pretty fascinating self-made Gold Rush pioneer and philanthropist – who gave away his entire fortune for public good [Wikipedia]

[Photo: Sunrise via hanskarr310]

This Week in Noe Valley: Labor Day = Real Foods Day, Town Square Update and Noe Valley’s Google Bus Activist

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

• It’s Labor Day in Noe Valley [@BMWalter]
• My Real Foods story [@mysticflavor]
• Permeable pavers arrive at the Town Square site – with photos [SF Rec & park]
• Car delivery bottoms out on Noe St. [@nickoneill]
• Biting local satire in the old Cradle of the Sun [@coreywilkerson]
• Top 5 neighborhoods in SF with a view – Noe Valley makes the list, natch [SF Hotlist]
• ICYMI: See Jane Run is closing for real [NVSF]
• Noe Valley resident Edward Mason has filed 69 of the 296 comments about the tech shuttle buses – from the Noe Valley library [The Guardian]
• The ongoing California wildfires make for some amazing summer sunsets [hotzntotz, mitali and ozyoztboy]

[Photo: Cotton candy skies via mayapburne]

NVV Sept 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.

September 2016

Front Page: Noe Valley Girls Film Fest is coming Sept 10; Lovejoy's owners sold their tea shop to three new proprietors who will keep the tradition alive; James Lick Middle School is renting its parking lot to the Noe Valley Farmer's Market starting Sept. 10 to attract more shoppers to local businesses.

Letters: Former NV resident Vivian Murray reminisces about living in the same building as Janis Joplin at 892 Noe St. and says she'll be back for the Summer of Love 50th Anniversary Concert next October.

Features: James Lick renovations should be done by the end of September.

Cost of Living in Noe: The home market is cooling slightly - most home sales are only 3 percent over asking, not 22 percent. The average cost of a home: $2.3 million.

Store Trek: BistroSF Grill, 1305 Castro St. near 24th

Rumors and Tidbits: The Noe Valley Town Square is on track to open by Halloween; there will be no Harvest Fest this year; this Labor Day marks the 13th year since Real Foods closed; construction at the old Bliss Bar space is underway, but don't expect a noodle bar to fill it after all - the space is actively for rent for $9500 a month; the old Cradle of the Sun space is still vacant and the rent is now $7000 per month; just 3 years in, Buttons Candy Bar will close after Halloween - and Video Wave which shares the space is hoping to work out a deal to stay; Spring Pilates has relocated (no agreement on rent) to the EHS Pilates space on Valencia; See Jane Run is closing; GoHealth Urgent Care hopes to open in the new space on 24th St near Shoe Biz; La PanotiQ is open; Hamlet has rebooted; Drewe's Meats has been evicted; Tacolicious had to move out of it's office space on Church St. (Ed note: and Little Artistas has moved in); Uma Casa is slated to open at the end of October in the former Incanto space. The movie The Royal Road (available at Video Wave) features lots of shots of the hood. The 30th St Senior has received a $50,000 grant and Cliche Noe Gifts has been selected for the 2016 Best Businesses of San Francisco Award.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

Store Closing: See Jane Run

Back in March of this year, See Jane Run at 3910 24th Street posted signs that it was closing its Noe Valley store - the owners of the building had decided not to renew the lease. SJR eventually signed a 6 month extension - but the time is up and See Jane Run is out. A sign in the window announces the sad news:

Store Closing

Everything must go

We are sorry that are landlords will not let us stay at this location as they sell the building. We are forced to leave on September 3oth. We will continue to look for a new space.

Please get on our mailing list for updates.

Thank you Noe Valley for 16 great years. 

We will miss you.

All products are on sale. Please stop in and say good bye.

Sad to see yet another storefront on 24th Street go vacant.

This Week in Noe Valley: Burning Man Roots, Time Capsules and Summer in the City

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

• Now open in the old Common Scents space: Shop Monroe [ShopMonroeSF]
• SF’s most expensive home sale was at 150 Vicksburg last week [Curbed]
• The Peak2Peak walk is happening Sept 10 [Examiner]
• Bits of Burning Man were born in a Noe Valley basement in 1986 [Mixmag]
• And here's what Noe Valley looked like in 1986 [eamonka]
• Why do techie homes all look the same? [@Bartzebest]
• Last day of the Castro cable car into Noe Valley 1941 [@DavidGallagher]
• More about Uma Casa – opening end of Oct (fingers crossed) [Zagat]
• Rumor: Tataki South reboots? [@rosewinebar]
• It’s not your imagination [@omnivorebooks]
• 24th Street in 2006 [mitchphotos]

[Photo: Summer in the city via jkushner04]

This Week In Noe Valley: Hamlet Reboots, RIP Drewe’s Meats, And Don’t Call It "The Noe"

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

• Hamlet gets a mini makeover and a new menu [Hoodline]
• What a $1 million home in Noe Valley looks like [Socketsite]
• Drewe’s / E&J Meats– one of the oldest butcher shops in SF and in operation since 1899 – is evicted for non-payment of rent [Inside Scoop]
• A story about Guerra Meats also talks about the demise of Drewe’s [Chronicle]
• Speaking of history: Mitchell’s ice cream started as a small dairy farm in the hills of Noe Valley in 1865 [ABC]
• And speaking of rent increases, Spring Pilates is out on Castro St [@dabit]
• Why the Mission is burning [Curbed]
• LaPanotiQ is open [Bob Cut]; Grand Opening party on August 27 [@LaPanotiQ]
• Ordinary people can’t afford a home in SF. How it came to this… [Guardian]
• Tacolicious has to move on Church St; it’s not zoned for office space [@omnivorebooks]
• "4th generation Noe Valley, 3rd generation in my house” [@eparillon]
• Noe Valley resident Patrice Sandoval at the Tony Bennett statue unveiling [Hoodline]
• NV Town Square on schedule to open in late October [SF Rec & Park]
• Taking the NY Times to task for the Tenderloin to Noe Valley UberPOOL math [Bill Moyers]
• Noe, Noe Valley …. but don’t call it The Noe [@sashax]

[Photo: the415guy]

This Week in Noe Valley: Summer Daze

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

• Noe Valley cottage remodel: It’s all about the parking? [San Francisco Magazine]
• 3 injured as elderly driver loses control of car and flips it [KTVU]
• Shark, jumped: On demand dentistry featured in a Noe Valley home [SF Chronicle]
• Shocker: One of the best home deals in the city last week was on 27th St [Curbed]
• New BART station proposed for 30th and Mission [Bernalwood]
• Noe Valley hill houses are catching some of the increased Oakland airport flight noise [East Bay Times]

[Photo: Fog rolling in via satususanne]

This Week in Noe Valley: Pocket Monsters Everywhere, Fire Fallout and Renting in the 94114

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

• Interview with Cole Hardware’s founder including details about rebuilding after the recent Mission Cole fire [Hoodline]
• ICYMI: Noe Valley is a Pokemon Go sanctuary [heronramos]
• A luxe Noe Valley remodel gets the Dwell treatment [Dwell]
• Another $4.4 million home hits the market [Curbed]
• An attic fire breaks out at 25th and Grandview and is quickly contained (no injuries)[@abc7newsbayarea]
• Now open: New trail connecting Billy Goat Hill to Walter Haas Park [@Scott_Wiener]
• Bistro SF Grill is open for dinner [@NoeValleySF]
• Crows Ravens in Noe Valley [@Siliconlaw]
• Omnivore’s summer book events look amazing (as always) [Omnivore Books]
• 94114 is the city’s most competitive rental zip code [SFGate]
• A Noe Valley woman is leading the fight to get tech companies like Uber and Airbnb to pay for what they’ve done to SF’s housing market [Good]
• Artifact from the past on 24th Street [ranivision]

[Photo: Summer color via maria.bruno.sf]

NVV July/August 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.

July/August 2016

Front Page: A special issue featuring lots of photos from the 70s to the present (including a stroller mom on the cover).

Letters: A letter from a neighbor who dislikes the idea that Audrey Cooper of the Chronicle thinks that not having any straight men on the masthead makes the paper diverse; the owner of VOILA says thank you for the profile last issue; a Noe Valleyeon writes from Molyvos; and an open letter from The SF Homeless Project about how to curb homelessness in San Francisco.

Features: A heartwarming tale of Charlie the Therapy Cat from the ASPCA.

Cost of Living in Noe: Home sales are cooling (slightly) with the average home selling for $2.1 million (vs. $2.4 million last year).

Store Trek: VIP Scrub Club, 1734 Church Street at Day

Rumors and Tidbits: No rumors this month and The Noe Valley Voice will be on hiatus until September.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

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.

This Week in Noe Valley: Town Square in Phase 2, Uma Casa's Opening Moves to Fall + Fun Photos

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

• VoilaSF is open in the old Video Wave space on Castro St. [cindyloughridge]
• Phase 2 of construction for the Noe Valley Town Square is underway [SF Rec & Park]
• Uma Casa (a new modern Portuguese restaurant) now plans to open this Fall in the old Incanto space [SF Chronicle]
• Overhead shot of one of the Noe Valley Garden tour yards [adbonifacio]
• The Podolls and Rare Device get a stylish shout out in the June issue of In Style magazine #shoplocal [In Style]
• The current state of the Mission in one photo [@NoeValleySF ]

[Photo: Pretty in Pink via jaytay]

This Week in Noe Valley: Street Crime Levels Up, Bernie at Bernie’s and Beautiful Old Noe

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

• Street crime at a whole new level: wheels stolen off a parked car on Castro Street @ 22nd [@moiradawson]
• More teasing in the old The Ark window front [@holdin2aces]
• One of SF’s first energy independent homes lists for $5 million in Noe Valley [Curbed]
• Beautiful old Noe as seen from an Airbnb rental [adventureswithizzy]
• SF MOMA director Neal Benezra lives in the hood [SF Chronicle]

[Photo: Spotted outside Bernie's coffee shop (in the tow-away zone) via tyler44durden44]

This Week in Noe Valley: Pricey Home Facelifts, Rotary Club Moves In, and a Local Artist’s Project

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

• Little Artistas moves in next door to Little Folkies (of course they did) [littleartistas]
• Local artist and computer scientist launches ArtAtomic scarves [Indiegogo]
• The second oldest Rotary Club in the world is in SF – and it now offers a Noe Valley/Castro chapter [Hoodline]
• Sidewalk Sale coming to 24th St on May 21 [Eventbrite]
• “Pricey home facelifts” in Noe Valley in the national news [WSJ]
• A “passive home” in Noe Valley featured on ABC7 [ABC News]

[Photo: Billy Goat Hill via @TheGreenGoat_SF]

NVV May 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.

May 2016

Front Page: Bingo night at St. Paul's is a six decade tradition; The Noe Valley Town Square is on track (and maybe even under budget) - plus the new choices for the owl sculptures are open for comment; The Folio Books book club is a hit.

Letters: A neighbor asks Noe Valley residents to do their part to keep the neighborhood clean and litter free; A resident since 1985 suggests the new Town Square should be an eco-playground (while past the planning stage); A poem about Noe Courts.

Features: Noe Valley Garden Tour is back on May 21st; neighbors are lobbying force neighbor notification when "major changes are made to a project midway through the design process.".

Cost of Living in Noe: Only six single-family homes sold this March - half the number that sold in the same time last year - because of low inventory. Meanwhile, a 1904 Edwardian on Fair Oaks sold for $5 million.

Store Trek: TMI Colonics, 1478A Church St.

Rumors and Tidbits: The  NVV canvassed people on 24th St on April 21/22 and discovered that among 50 Noe Valleyeons that 56% were for Hilary, 34% were for Bernie, 6% were undecided between the two and 2% (aka one person) was voting for Trump; Again, the Noe Valley Town Square is on track; The Luxe on 24th Street condos now have sales pending. VIP Scrub Club opened in the former K9 Scrub Club spot on Church (no remodel necessary); Robin Shered of Blue Ova Health was rated a top acupuncturist by Bay Area A-List; Noe Valley comedian Mike Capozzola is selling hand-painted drawings of kid's names for gifts; Congrats to NV resident Felicia Lowe for the success of her film Chinese Couplets.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

This Week in Noe Valley: Mystery Hearts Return, Great Local Spanish Food and The Bar Robbers Are Arrested

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

• The Podolls are celebrating one year in Noe Valley this month [SF Chronicle]
• Omnivore Books’ spring food and chef book event lineup is here and it's impressive as always [Omnivore]
• The former Video Wave spaces is becoming a clothing store and salon called VOILA [Hoodline]
• The Fairmount mystery hearts are back [Google maps]
• Contigo named one of 16 best Spanish restaurants in U.S. [Time Out]
• Suspects arrested for recent bar and restaurant armed robbery sprees [SFist]

[Photo: Sunset via mitali]

This Week in Noe Valley: High End Homes Languish, More Bar Robberies & Fires, Gentrification 1977 Style

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

• 24th Street Luxe townhouses not selling [Curbed]
• More SF homes sit unsold as inventory grows [SFGate]
• Revamped and modern Little Chihuahua reopens [Hoodline]
• More bar robberies in the Mission - which sound a lot like the recent Noe Valley incidents [Mission Local]
• The helicopters you heard this week were for a fire at 24th and Valencia [Hoodline]
• Don't let the inactivity fool you: New beverage director named at Uma Casa (in the former Incanto space) [Eater]
• By 1977, Mission gentrification was framed as middle class spillover from Castro & Noe Valley [@enf]
• A good start: 60 news-rack pedestals will be removed from San Francisco sidewalks within the next month [SFGate]
• Cool old maps of SF [Curbed]

[Photo: Bougainvillea doorway via Beyond Ordinary]

Visual Stroll: The Hidden Doorways of Comerford Alley

Here’s a fun visual tour of a hidden corner of Noe Valley. Comerford Alley is a rustic quasi-paved alley that runs from Sanchez to Church, between 27th and Duncan streets. It’s named after Joseph Comerford, a developer who built a bunch of single-family homes in 1870s, ‘80s and ‘90s in Noe Valley. Comerford built so many houses in this corner of Noe Valley that at the time it was known as Comerfordville.

Most of the houses Comerford designed were simple one-story flat front Italianates with central entrances flanked by windows. Some Comerford houses are still around, including the ones built in 1879 at 225 and 227 27th Street.

Today, the alley is a favorite passage for dog owners to walk their pets and a garden backdoor for many of the residents on that street. Photographer Ted Weinstein recently snapped some great shots of the doorways of Comerford.

It’s a charming collection of secret entryways and a fun stroll down the alley. You can see the full collection in a slideshow on Ted Weinstein's site - thanks to the reader who sent us the link!

[Top photos Google Maps, bottom photos Ted Weinstein]

This Week in Noe Valley: Eviction Shaming, Not-So-Humble Bragging, and It Really Is Sunnier Here

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

• Noe Valley’s next 5,000 square foot home on Duncan [Socket Site]
• This won’t end well: Serial evictor tech CEO gets eviction-shamed [Beyond Chron]
• Another $5 million “epic” home hits the market, this one on 28th St [Curbed]
• Inside a precious Noe Valley home [Cup of Jo]
• First Tesla Model X spotted in the wild – in the Noe Valley Whole Foods, of course [@danz32]
• The bathroom at the Noe Valley Rec Center is really nice, but the homeless guy who lives there says it has too many bugs [@bestestname]
• Bash at the Lick film premiers at the Sports Film Fest in LA [@scottkanesf]
• Don’t let this happen to your car (leave nothing behind) [@rosewinegal]
• St. Paul’s School celebrates a centennial of educating Noe Valley kids [Catholic San Francisco]
• PROOF! The Mission and Noe Valley really are sunnier than the rest of San Francisco [@rod11]
• Remembering the Castro-Noe cable car line with cool photos [Hoodline]

[Photo: Deck with a view via gloriazhu_]

NVV April 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.

April 2016

Front Page: A profile of Jesse Walkershaw, owner of WalkershawMan clothting store on 24th; six bike share locations are coming to Noe Valley; a profile of Noe Valley hand surgeon and artist-entrepreneur Robert Markison; the proposed Town Square owl art is considered too "skull-like" and is back on the drawing board.

Letters: A vote for a Janis Joplin historic marker to commemorate her stay in Noe Valley at 22nd and Noe (ed note - she lived in a lot of places in the city); a complaint that the San Jose Ave road diet has increase congestion and carbon emissions; a rebuttal to a letter last month about the languishing Real Foods spot asserting that downtown Noe Valley is "alive, well and thriving." Bob Roddick wants you to know that Elle magazine and Trulia have named Noe Valley as the neighborhood with the best family amenities (ed note - we weren't able to find a link or confirm) thanks to the efforts of the NVMPA to create things like the hayride, Easter Egg Hunt, Garden Tour and more. The board of the Noe Valley Farmers Market encourages you to support local businesses near the Farmer's Market on Saturday. And one neighbor decries the use of commercial sidewalk scrubbing in a drought.

Cost of Living in Noe: Home sales average $2.9 million - the most expensive house that  sold was a $4 million home on Valley St.

Store Trek: Yoga Mayu, 4159B 24th St. at Diamond; Hamlet, 1199 Church St. at 24th

Rumors and Tidbits: Patxi's is riling up it's neighbors again by using the public parking lot as the pit stop for pizza delivery vehicles; the space vacated by In-House will soon become a Golden Gate Urgent Care outlet; Go Health Urgent Care is also looking to rent in down town Noe Valley but no space has been confirmed (ed note - ugh, Union St. here we come). The Lotus Method (yoga for expecting moms) is taking over the old Ambiance space; and the surely a hoax butler listing for $175,000 gets a mention. See Jane Run is sticking around for at least another 6 months; next door to SJR, the pop-up art store has had a good run - and Jan Van Swearingen, formerly of Common Scents is looking to pop-up in the additonal space next door at 3904 24th St. The former Video Wave space on Castro is becoming a women's clothing store called Aline's Closet which is relocating from Lower Haight. Zephyr is rennovating it's offices and expects to reopen on 24th St in 3-4 months. Hahn's Hibachi on Castro will soon become Bistro SF Grill which will serve lunch, dinner and lots, and lots of burgers. Noe Valleyeon Ben Fong-Torres (a founding father of Rolling Stone) launched a radio show in late 2015.

[The Noe Valley Voice]