NVV May 2014: 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 2014

Front Page: Helpful neighbors come together to rescue a Philz patron's keys from the sewer; City Planners propose a combined tennis/basketball court with room for a dog-friendly quadrant for Douglass at 24th St [Ed.--imagine lots of fences]; Global Exchange closes in Noe and looks for a new location, while the Berkeley shop is still open; Sally Brunn Branch Library is now open 7 days per week.

Letters: St. Paul's corner store (and the former owner, Alex) at 29th and Sanchez will be missed; Sadness at the departure at the of Mike's shoe repair - oh and also for the Goodwill dropoff in the new Town Square; Praise for Supervisor David Chiu for supporting local B&Bs - from Richard Kreibich of Bed and Breakfast San Francisco; RIP Susie, the canine mayor of 29th St.

Cost of Living in Noe: A mystery buyer purchased the record $7 million home at 625 Duncan, and competition among home buyers in general is fierce. Average rent for a 2 bedroom? $4542.

Store Trek: TugTug (396 24th St at Sanchez)

Rumors: A retail space with 2 residences above is being built at 3820 24th St (near Shoe Biz) and the owners have received inquiries from a stationery company, men's and women's apparel company, a fitness center, yoga studio and pilates studio [available next year]; Mike's Shoe Repair is becoming Rare Device [Ed.--: the old shoe sign has been purloined by a neighbor for safekeeping]; Noe Valley Pack & Ship has a new owner, the building will be undergoing a seismic and ADA upgrade, and some of the mailboxes will be moved to create a new retail space which has already been claimed by another 24th St merchant who wishes to remain anonymous; Incanto has been reimagined as Porcellino; Women's clothing boutique Lola has moved into Clipper Corner as a pop-up and is hoping to negotiate an ongoing lease; Kitami Ropa on Church St has closed and will be replaced by TMI Colonics ("We really know our shit"), a certified colon hydrologist [Ed.--that explains all the new walls inside and the red velvet curtains]; On May 17th, Noe Valley merchants will host a giant sidewalk sale from Douglass to to Dolores; Noe Valley Pet Co is celebrating 15 years with champagne and cake on May 10, 2-5 pm.



[The Noe Valley Voice]

Closed: Dermalounge

We received a tip via Twitter that Dermalounge abruptly closed up shop at 1301 Church St. The notice posted on the states "Dermalounge has suspended operations as of October 5, 2013. Thank you for your support over the years." It directs inquiries to the mailing address for its other location in Burlingame - also closed. We attempted to contact the owner via phone and email without success. Dermalounge's website and Twitter have been pulled down.

We weren't the only ones surprised by the closure. Reviews on Yelp express anger that Dermalounge would close without contacting customers about future appointments, credits due or even to cancel an invite-only event at the vacated Burlingame location.

Dermalounge had been here since 2006 when it took over the space from Nourish Skin Care Center.

For Lease: Elisa's Health Spa

If you've ever wanted in on San Francisco's hot tub scene this is your chance. Tucked behind Easy Breezy and Bliss Bar on 24th Street, Elisa's Health Spa has been here since the rollicking '70s and is even ADA compliant. It may not be the cleanest, but you could change that. $48,000 gets you in the door and presumably into a partnership. Rent is $3500, and of course you'll need staff.

Add some bleach, the right lighting and some mood music for a swingin' time. Shagadelic!

[LoopNet: 4028 24th St # A, San Francisco, CA, 94114 - Available for Lease]

Opening Nov. 14: New Spa on Outer Church

There's a new spa opening on outer Church St. in Noe Valley next Monday, and it's not a nail salon. The K9 Scrub Club, first announced in July, is a locally-owned upscale dog spa.

From the press release (emphasis ours):

The dog wash is designed to make washing your dog a fun process without the chore of cleaning up. There are five tubs to reduce wait time and each is designed to make the process easier on both dogs and their human companions. K9 Scrub Club team members will provide a blueberry or plum face scrub on the house, which helps to relax dogs with aroma therapy and will leave their face smelling great! They have a strong selection of shampoos to help everything from itchy skin to smelly dogs. All of their shampoos are made from natural sources and are good for your dog.

During the month of November, the Scrub Club is offering free basic washes. You can read the full release here.

K9 Scrub Club
1734 Church Street (between 29^th and Day)
415-648-2582

NVV: 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 highlights from the latest issue. Links are to stories we've covered at NVSF.

September 2009

Front page: Whole Foods opening; Blue Church on outer Church inches closer to demolition (and condos); Senior lunch program extended at NV Ministry; local artist maps her NV memories; librarian Carol Small retires.

Letters: A plea to allow parking in driveways as long as a potted plant is in the car; an open letter to the annoying woman who leans on her horn whenever drivers stop for pedestrians; an appeal to neighbors to shop at local stores once Whole Foods opens to avoid transforming Noe Valley "into a cookie-cutter, third-rate Union Street"; and a reminder that Valencia St stores are open for business during the Streetscape Improvement Project.

Op-Ed: Farewell to Noe Valley Pizza founder Tony Vozaites. Following the La Boulange buyout, Tony and his wife are going on an extended vacation back to their native Greece.

Obits: Remembering longtime Noe Valley resident Mary K. "Micki" Ryan and musician Bruce Sherman.

Cost of Living in Noe: 37 single-family homes sold in June and July – the 2nd highest tally in 10 years according to Zephyr Real Estate. Rent: Still expensive.

Short Takes: The Noe Valley Association is holding a survey to see what businesses residents want to see on 24th St. Take the survey online Sept 7-21 or email suggestions to Debra Niemann at debra@noevalleyassociation.org. (Ed--The survey was not online yet as of this posting but here's your chance to veto any future title companies, banks, nail salons, psychics or pawn shops.)

Store Trek: Bistro 24, Successories in the Button Box.

Traveling Voice: Spotted in Turkey, North Carolina and Edinburgh, Scotland.

Rumors: Camel's milk chocolate at Chocolate Covered; Circle Bank fills the Aveda spot; Green 11 comes to former Ritz space; Deep restaurant opens in place of Deep Sushi; Noeteca soft opening Sept. 9; Noe Tuttimelon finally gets froyo; Accent on Flowers at 24th and Castro is bought by Flowers of the Valley across the street and will soon carry gardening supplies like soil and tools; a plant nursery and garden store called Independent Nature will open behind When Modern Was on Church St on Sept. 21; Glow Day Spa and a psychic are now open on 24th Street; the old Streetlight building and the vacated Phoenix Books building are both for sale ($2.2 million for Streetlight, the other undisclosed).

[The Noe Valley Voice]

Announced: Noe Valley Glow Day Spa

We're hoping that day spa isn't a euphemism for nails/waxing but regardless that's what's going into the old Well's Fargo space at Riki space at 4037 24th St. After some serious work on the place, a A sign in the window (and an ad on Craigslist) announces the new spa and the need (requirement) for new staff ("aestheicticians & nail technicians "). No mention of massage therapists, herbalists, landscapers or any of the other arts we associate with a spa.

Stay tuned.

[NVSF: Closed: Riki]