- SoCal based HealthySpot looks to open 13th location in old RadioShack – here’s how to support or oppose [NVSF]
- There are 3,448 vacant or abandoned commercial and residential properties in the city – including lots of vacant storefronts [SF Chronicle]
- The mystery of towels around San Francisco fire call boxes revealed: They need maintenance [ABC7]
- Noe Valley plum trees are already in bloom #warmwinter [nicholaspaul26]
- YIMBY action was born in Noe Valley [SF Streetsblog]
9 comments:
At 13 locations, HealthySpot is a formula retail. As much as I hate to see an empty storefront, let's keep them out so as to help the existing nearby independent places providing similar goods and services.
We do not need another pet supply store in Noe, let alone a chain. Does anyone know of a link or site to protect our two wonderful local pet stores (Animal Company and Noe Valley Pets) by signing a petition or attending a meeting to keep HealthySpot out of Noe? If so, please post. Thanks.
Anon - We linked to the petition you're looking for in the post that you're commenting on. Here it is again: KEEP NOE VALLEY BUSINESSES LOCAL -- BREAK THE CHAIN.
So it's better to have empty storefronts? 24th St. needs those spaces filled so that people will keep coming into Noe Valley to shop (which means all the local, small businesses would see more foot traffic and $). The mindset of people that we can't have a mix of different types of retail, local and larger is silly and defeatist in the long term.
Do you really think that having a pet store chain right around the corner (less than a block away) from an existing pet store and maybe five blocks from another is going to result in 3 "filed" storefronts.
Dear Anon March 2 at 9:44,
Respectfully, I have a differing point of view. It's hard to imagine that people are going to "keep coming to Noe Valley" to buy pet food from a chain pet store. You can buy pet food in any neighborhood, including the two afore-mentioned, already existing, community-based Noe Valley neighborhood pet stores. And yes, I really do think it's better to wait for a non-chain, quality store that will fill a void, benefit the community, preserve the unique flavor of Noe, and keep the profits locally than to have a new chain store from people who don't give a damn about the neighborhood other than how it affects their bottom line. Once you open the door to chains, you have ... well, the Marina.
Sincerely,
A pet lover and owner who wants to keep the unique flavor of Noe and (in case you're wondering), has no connection whatsoever to either of the existing pet stores in Noe.
Healthy Spot has a website (as most chain stores do) so without ever leaving the comfort of your chair you can have your pet products packed up (with materials that you wouldn't have to recycle if you bought it locally), shipped (which you wouldn't have to do if you bought it locally) and delivered to you by a fossil fuel vehicle which adds to SF's congestion and air pollution (which you might not have to do if you bought it locally). The empty retail storefronts are a result of not buying locally and sky high rents. The chains that have already come and gone (Radio Shack and David's Tea come to mind) did not necessarily increase foot traffic.
I wish the Noe Valley Merchants Association and the local merchants would do more to accommodate the realities of the neighborhood in which they operate. Noe Valley has many parents, and many commuters. Love it or hate it, this is just true. Yet stores close at 6 or 7pm, right when folks are getting home or kids are getting ready for bed. Even our often-derided and overly-prolific nail salons don't stay open late enough for most folks to get a post-work (or post kids' bedtime) mani / pedi. And yet, there are so many people walking to/from Whole Foods up until 10pm, events happening in homes from 8-10 and people walking to/from those events, etc. La Tira, a salon on Church St, stays open until 9pm quite often and is packed! I know times are changing - but stores must adapt! Evening is the new morning for foot traffic in this 'hood...
We do not need chains to fill empty stores but reasonable rents and conditions for small businesses to be successful. Noe Valley has never been great for small business with so many people doing their shopping with Amazon or other on-line sources.It is hard enough for small business to keep the hours they have without being open later and to the person who need her nails done their seems to be enough places as is.
A variety of interesting and unique shops would bring people to Noe Valley to shop
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