New Mural On 24th St By Shawn Bullen

The side of the Radio Shack building on 24th Street is getting a new look this week with the addition of a giant greenish blue, black and gold mural. The project is part of a citywide celebration of small business and a promotion involving the American Express national #ShopSmall promotion plus major San Francisco partners including SF Travel, the Office of Small Business, Invest in Neighborhoods, and the SF Chamber of Commerce. We asked around, and Carol Yenne of Small Frys connected us with Dani Sheehan-Meyer of Cliché Noe who in turn connected us to a representative of Small Business Saturday Coalition based in Washington, DC.

The artist, Shawn Bullen, is an accomplished muralist who has painted hundreds of pieces around the country. The artist claims he’s created murals in most cities in North America and plans to create works on every continent in the next five years. He’s also been teaching mural painting for 8 years. You can see some his work on his personal site -  ShawnBullen.com - or follow him on Instagram: @shawnbullen1.

We asked the organizers a few questions about the mural and here’s what we learned:

How did you choose the artist for this project? The mural was created through a partnership between American Express and the SF Arts Commission. The artist, Shawn Bullen, was selected by the SF Arts Commission.

How was the design was chosen - was it the artist's discretion or did you give him some guidelines? The artist was free and open to create his own design, representative of his work to include the “Shop Small” icon.  The concept and initial sketches were approved by the Commission, building owner etc.

How is the building owner involved in the project if at all? And is it meant to be a permanent mural? The building owner was involved, and the mural is permanent.

We were also able to connect with Shawn today while he was painting. Shouting up to the lift he was working from, we asked if his mural has a name. He thought for a few seconds and replied: “Dream Big.” Love it.

The mural is a work in progress but looks like it will be done in plenty of time for Small Business Saturday – which is this Saturday - November 29.

[Photos: Murals via NVSF; Shawn selfie via shawnbullen1]

This Week In Noe Valley: Orange October, Harvest Fest, And Other Signs of Fall

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• It was Harvest this weekend and Scott Wiener was there [@Scott_Wiener]
• So were Carol Kingsley and David Campos [Carol Kingsley and @DavidCamposSF]
• Orange October indeed: Beautiful Noe Valley sunsets [ktmow and andrewgodwin]
• And the hayride not operated by Uber [brianalvey]
• A short video of Trolley Dancers that rode the J-Church line this weekend [swim97]
• And an in-depth piece about said Trolley Dancers [KALW]
• Bom Dia corner market gets closer – and they're hiring [Good Food Jobs]
• Sorry #NoeDads – Hooters is not replacing Bliss Bar [San Francisco]
• A discerning review of Rare Device [SF Girl by Bay]
• After a recent facelift, Noe Valley Bakery launches a Kickstarter to raise $19,000 for...a facelift (because France) [Kickstarter]
• Man rear-ended, then pistol-whipped at 24th and Dolores [SF Examiner]
• KRON goes to the scene of the crime and interviews neighbors who feel less safe now [KRON4]
• Beware of this potentially dangerous Comcast scam [@paulettebleam]
• An in-depth review of Porcellino's pork ragu that survives from Incanto [SFGate]
• Meanwhile, Cosentino hopes to branch out at his new restaurant Cockscomb [SFGate]
• San Francisco and Noe Valley are tops for trick or treating once again [Zillow]
• Are there any grown-ups in SF? Yes, and they're all at Urban Putt [SFGate]

[Photo: NVSF]

New Mural on Outer Church by Local Artist Amos Goldbaum

The building at the corner of Church and Day (now the home of Cardio-Tone and before that Kohler-Jones) is in the process of getting a mural painted by local artist Amos Goldbaum. A native of Bernal Heights, Goldbaum's style is hand-drawn images of iconic, local, and historic San Francisco landmarks. The finished mural will cover the entire building wall and feature lots of recognizable local touches (similar to what you'll find on the designs on his shirts). Here's a shot of the artist at work today:

Longtime Noe Valley residents will remember another funkier rainbow mural that used to be on the building when it was occupied by Mikeytom Market. That mural was called "Make Love" and was the work of Castro Street resident Brad Mossman (before it was a mural it was a street-level billboard which explains the smaller format of Mossman's mural).

A neighbor who spoke to the artist told us Goldbaum expects the mural to be done in about 2 weeks or less. Check it out while it's being created and you can meet the artist. Or you can follow the progress on Goldbaum's Instagram feed and on Twitter.

It already looks great and should be a gorgeous addition to the area.

[Photos: top images NVSF, bottom image a screenshot from B. Mossman's site]

This Week In Noe Valley: Town Square Funding, Public Art On Sanchez, And A Rave Review For La Nebbia

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• Town Square funding update [NVTS]
• NV Farmers Market's El Buen Comer opening a restaurant in Bernal Heights [SJ Merc]
• Scott Wiener's March newsletter [Scott Wiener]
• Growing up in Post-War Noe Valley - a tribute of sorts to Uncle Doug [Kate Campbell]
• Levy Architecture commissions an outdoor art installation on Sanchez [LA&A]
• The Noe Valley Voice - a local paper filled with charming news and lunatic rants [David Spark]
• More proof the housing market in San Francisco is insane [Business Insider]
• A rave for La Nebbia, Noe's "goddamn charming" new pizza and wine bar [SF Weekly]

[Photo: sfgirlbybay]

This Week In Noe Valley: Fines For Real Food Blight, Google To Take Over The City, And Easy Breezy Is The Best Froyo

News from, about and for Noe Valley from around the interwebs:

• Google may open a massive SF campus, which makes us wonder how workers will get there (public transit?) [SF Biz Times]
• Richard Brewer-Hay's kids do some cool stuff - this time appearing in a SF Bulls ad [esbale]
• Julia Turner of Slate loooooooves Noe Valley's Happy Donuts (skip to 46:36) [Slate Radio]
• The Real Foods space may not be occupied anytime soon, but at least Nutraceutical will pay the City for the blight [@bwalsh]
• This week's real estate porn: 1612 Church Street [Socketsite]
• Easy Breezy wins an international frozen yogurt award (no really!) [PR Log]
• A brief history of the wood sculpture at the top of Clipper [Art & Architecture SF]

[Photo: thesamekz]