This Week in Noe Valley: Road Rage Is Real, Curator Leaves Noe and a Sutro Tower Call to Action

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

• Road-rage bat attack in SF’s Noe Valley sends man to hospital [SFGate]
• Ahem, property crime is out of control in Noe Valley [@SFjkdineen]
• 4 story building in Noe Valley nixed by planning department [@NeverSassyLaura]
• Tallied votes: Noe Valley wanted Mark Leno to win the mayoral race [Bay City Beacon]
• Editorial: Keep the K/J muni line going! [SF Streetsblog]
• Woman injured in laptop grab in Starbucks [Hoodline]
• A call to action to save Sutro Tower [@urbanlifesigns]
• Sidewalk activism [eyeofted]
• Curator on Church St moves to Valencia [@F6x]
• California dreaming [allegraliu]

[Photo: A window in Noe Valley via FrankedonSF] 

This Week in Noe Valley: Hi-Way Burger Opens, Small Frys Moves and Pet Chain Denied

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

• Hi-Way Burger and Fry ($7 burgers and diner food) now open in former Caskhouse space [Eater]
• Small Frys is moving to the Podolls space [NVSF]
• San Francisco sues developer with a history of under-permitted work, including in Noe [SocketSite] 
• Planning Commission rejects LA-based chain pet store for Noe Valley after local merchants protest [ABC7]
• For lease: Castro Computer Services [NVSF]
• More on the opening of Douglas corner market [Eater]
• Squirrels fishing [merridithj]

[Photo: Fog is coming via lagrens] 

Moving: See Jane Run

Well this is too bad: Another genuinely useful local store is apparently being priced out of its space. Early this week the signs appeared in See Jane Run’s windows at 3910 24th Street that they had lost their lease. Chatting up the staff there, it seems SJR didn’t lose its lease so much as the owners decided not to renew the lease at the new (in the staff's words) “greedy landlord” prices. The woman-owned and operated San Francisco company was founded in 2000 and is actively looking for a new space for a local store – hopefully in Noe Valley – and there’s currently no set date for closing. We have to think the pending construction next door may also have been a factor in SJR's decision to look around.

The owners are renting month-to-month in the meantime and it’s a great time to scoop up merchandise for 10-70% off. There’s also a See Jane Run store in Oakland on College Ave.

See Jane Run is one of many local shops to face rising rents in the last 12 months including Video Wave, Cradle of the Sun, In-House, Common Scents and Noe Valley Music (now a nail salon).

Moving: Video Wave to Relocate Inside Buttons Candy Bar

Finally some good news on the small retail front instead of another closure or eviction: Video Wave of Noe Valley, which has been renting videos and DVDs at 1431 Castro St for 27 (!) years has found a new home – centrally located on 24th Street. A sharp-eyed reader sent this from the Video Wave Facebook page:

"We are excited and relieved to tell you that we signed a lease today with Buttons Candy Bar at 4027 24th street, 2 blocks from our present location. That means we have a place to move to, and to stay in business in!. We will be closed from Monday August 24th until our re-opening in the new location, which is planned for Tuesday September 1st! 

Stay tuned! We've received great support, enough financial help to get us into the space. We might have to raise money to help with the move, a new store space, and to offset the time we are closed, but let's cross that bridge later. For now, relief! And we get to get away from the Landlord That Shall Not Be Named!"

Nice to see owner Gwen Sanderson and the Video Wave team find a new home, and  the candy + movie combo could be a hit.

Video Wave of Noe Valley
4027 24th Street
(415)550-7577

[Photo: Holdn2aces]

The Latest Victim of Rising Rents: Cradle of the Sun

A reader forwarded us this note from Dan Gamaldi, owner of Cradle of the Sun, the charming stained glass store on 24th Street:

I'm sorry to inform you that yesterday our landlord let us know our rent was going up to market value. So after 33 years we are looking for another location. If we don't find a place we may be forced to retire. I'm keeping my fingers crossed things work out.

Meanwhile we are trying to sell off our stock and there are massive discounts on supplies and art glass. I'll keep you posted on events. We have 60-90 days before we have to be out.

33 years! That's a great run for a retail store. Sadly, Cradle of the Sun joins several other retail stores that have been hit with rent hikes at that end of 24th Street. We hope Dan is able to find a new home – and that the colorful threshold survives as Cradle of the Sun's legacy.

Lots of changes are afoot at that end of 24th Street: The Ark is closed. Noe Valley music is closed. Isso is closed. La Boulange is being shuttered by Starbucks in September. Horner’s Corner is being reborn as Hamlet. The Noe Valley Town Square will begin construction in January. The new retail/housing building next to Shoe Biz will be on the market soon, and the little Victorian next door will be demolished for mixed retail and housing. Change is hard; let’s hope it’s done right.

Update (8/28/15): Dan sent out another email today announcing a new location in a larger space:

Great news...we have a new location. 2377 Ocean Ave. A bigger space allowing me to add 3 extra students to each class. I should be set up and open by 10/15. I'm taking bookings for those spaces so get back to me early to have a preference. Class fees will be $230 per session. Each session goes for six weeks, 2.5 hours per week. The classes are 7-9:30pm Tues, Wed, Thurs, 9:30 -noon on Sat, 10:30-1:00 Sunday morning and 1:30-4 on Sunday afternoon. I supply the use of tools in class. You'll need to purchase the consumable but will get a 10% discount on those items. I'm looking forward to having even more fun. Thanks, Dan