Lost Cat: Stolen?

A beautiful and obviously much-loved cat is missing, but according to the poster it appears to have been stolen - her collar was found near Skyline College! With luck, a vet will query the microchip if the perps bring her in. Meanwhile, if you have any helpful info please contact the people listed on the flyer.

This Week In Noe Valley: Gov At James Lick, More Shuttle Bus Nastiness, Bethany Is Back

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

• Governor Brown kicked off the James Lick school year [SF Appeal]
• DPW has made sidewalk landscaping permits easy [SFDPW]
• Another shuttle bus (driver) behaving badly [SFist]
• Noe Valley's official car? [@CarinaOst]
• There must be a video geek in Noe Valley who will appreciate this [pbump]
• July condo sales in Noe Valley average $1M plus [Downing & Co]
• Bethany returns to renovated church; open house is September 15th according to sign in windows [Bethany]
• At least we know why there may be another helicopter in the air for a while [NNSA]

[Photo: Whole Foods parking lot construction or just another day?]

This Week in Noe Valley: Wild Pepper Redux, Trash Scavengers and Deep Wine Walk Discounts

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

• Wild Pepper gets a remodel and a new chef [Mission Local]
• Skateboarders interrupt dance class at James Lick (and gloat) [Thrasher] 
• Noe Valley housing market still on fire – with no signs of cooling [Zephyr] 
• SF Street Food Festival this weekend [SF Station] 
• Noe Valley resident says neighborhood is being overrun by trash scavengers [KTVU] 
• NV Wine Walk sales must be slow - tickets (once again) 50% off [Living Social and GotDailyDeals] 

[Photo: St. Paul's at moonrise from Automatt.com] 

Perseid Meteor Over Sutro Tower

[Photo: Sent to us by trophygeek]

Update: Whole Foods Parking Lot Madness

The PR department at Whole Foods has more info on the chaos in the parking lot this month and some workarounds offered. It's interesting to note that WF is also dealing with ADA requirements plaguing other merchants around Noe Valley and SF:

Details/duration of project: The store is making required ADA improvements (as are many other retailers in the area) and these include added markings for a pedestrian walkway, improved caution markings to alert drivers to pedestrian crossing and repairs to the sidewalk next to the store. Duration is Aug. 13- 17 and Aug. 20-24 when we will have very limited spaces for parking – approximately 12.

What the store is doing to ease the impact of traffic in the neighborhood as well as ease shopper experience:

• We are hosting free valet parking from 9a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday- Thursday in the farmers’ market parking lot.
• Offering gifts and prizes for every customer that shops during non-peak hours which are Mon – Fri @ 8-10 a.m. and 9-10 p.m..
• There will be specials in every department all day Monday – Friday each week of construction.

Interview: Michelle Janezic of Mill

UnionMade's sister store Mill is opening this week on 24th St. Store manager (and local designer) Michelle Janezic was kind enough to give us the lowdown:

Why did you decide to open in Noe Valley?
Noe Valley is one of our favorite neighborhoods in SF. Between being centrally located, Noe has a strong sense of community, beautiful weather and is easily accessible to and from Unionmade, our men's shop.

Give us a preview - what can we expect in the new space?
As the feminine counterpart to Unionmade, the store is designed with a softer sensibility and aesthetic to beautifully showcase the many lines and products carefully selected for the store. Owners Todd Barket and Carl Chiara designed a beautiful environment with plenty of natural light, white walls and dove grey accents.

Are you working with any local vendors?
We have Cinq jewelry by local designer, Vipada Wongpatanasin. Vipada is also featured in our opening campaign (shot by local photographer, Andrew Paynter). We're working with Matt Dick of Small Trades Co. who developed an exclusive clothing collection for Mill. We are also carrying a selection of perfumes and balms by Julie Elliot's apothecary brand, In Fiore.

Has Mill established a leadership team yet? Any familiar faces?
We believe that everyone's a leader! We have a great team in place and Mill will be managed by local designer, Michele Janezic (who's apparel line, Janezic, will also be at the store).

UnionMade has a women's section. Will Mill have a men's section?
Mill is exclusively a women's store and since we now have Mill, there is no longer a women's section at Unionmade.

When is the opening date?
Our target opening date is this Thursday, August 16th. [But] the target is a moving one. I think it's better to say we will open this weekend as opposed to giving a specific date.

Do you have a special party or event planned for the opening?
Our focus at the moment is getting the store opened. Once we've settled in, we will host a campaign and shopping event in the next few weeks.

Mill
3751 24th St
millmercantile.com

This Week In Noe Valley: Indie Rocker Digs Noe, Whining Moms, And A Town Square Update

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

• Noe is cool enough for Mike Deni of Geographers – headlining at Outside Lands [HuffPo]
• Two Birds is having a 50-75% off sale this weekend [Refinery 29]
• 1930s San Franciscans sure loved their cars [Richmond SF Blog]
• Noe Valley moms ride the bus? [Twitter]
• 265 donors have pledged $345k to the Noe Valley Town Square [NV Town Square]

[Photo: @CasaMurriguez]

Interview: David Segal of DAVIDsTEA

DAVIDsTEA in NYC

With 70 stores across Canada and in New York City, DAVIDsTEA is now opening one of three planned San Francisco locations in September on 24th St. We caught up with Co-founder David Segal:

What can Noe Valley expect at the new store? And will you be serving tea as well as selling it?
Our Noe Valley store will be a clean bright space filled with colorful canisters of 150 varieties of loose leaf tea and unique blends. Customers will be greeted by enthusiastic, knowledgeable staff, who will offer free samples, and can guide them through the fun experience of exploring our teas. We sell our teas loose by the ounce for home use, accessories to easily make loose leaf tea, and a wide selection of tea gifts and variety packages. We also offer any tea hot or iced by the cup.

Noe Valley will be the 3rd or 4th location you'll open in the US. What made you chose Noe?
We look for a neighborhood that has a community feel - where people are out and about, strolling, visiting, shopping. It felt like a perfect fit for us.

You're next door to Martha & Bros which also sells tea – what should we expect from your shop that's different from what other local coffee shops offer?
We are mostly about selling loose leaf teas to take home and enjoy, in varieties that are completely exclusive to DAVIDsTEA, although our customers can enjoy a freshly made cup of hot or iced tea, in any of our 150 varieties. That makes us quite a bit different than other tea shops. We also don't serve coffee, so for those who want a cappuccino, we will happily send them next door, where we think Martha is doing a great job!

What are your plans for or thoughts about the parklet on that stretch of 24th Street?
It’s a great outdoor space where people in the community can share a pot of tea or coffee with a friend.

You've announced a tentative opening date of September 8th on Twitter. Is that still the date and will it be a soft opening or a big party?
We are planning a public opening on that date, with free tea being served all day. We hope all of Noe Valley will come on down and check us out!

DAVIDsTEA
3870 24th St
http://www.davidstea.com/
Opens September 8, 2012 (Update 9/5: the new open date is Sept 22, 2012)

[Photo: Bleecker St in NYC by JDP Architecture]