Interview: Anna Calonje of Little Artistas

Sleepy outer Church Street is getting some new life this summer with the opening of Little Artistas, an arts, crafts and language studio for kids. For reference, Little Artistas was the group that painted the murals at Alvarado Elementary and Glen Park School with over a hundred munchkins. They are also a partner of DrawBridge, a nonprofit organization that provides expressive arts programs for homeless and underserved youth.

We caught up with the founder, Anna Calonje, via email for a brief interview about her vision for the space and what she has planned.

Welcome to Noe Valley. What made you decide to open a studio here? Thank you! We love it here already! We decided to open a studio in Noe Valley while searching for a second location to expand to. We knew we wanted to be in Noe Valley, if possible, and we found the absolutely perfect location.

A photo posted by Little Artistas (@littleartistas) on May 4, 2016 at 9:56am PDT

Tell us a little about yourself and the team… Our team is first and foremost FUN. We like to play, we believe in creativity and freedom of expression. Children crack us up! We love hanging out with them and encouraging them to explore through art. Our team is composed of myself, Anna, and two amazing studio managers, Sofia and Becky. We also have a fabulous assistant, Steph, and the best party planner, Sarah.

What’s you or your staff’s personal connection to Noe Valley? I've lived on the border of Noe and the Mission for the past 7 years, so this is my turf! Our original Little Artistas studio is located in Glen Park, so I've been Noe-adjacent my entire San Francisco career.


On a related note, what’s your connection to Tacolicious – the previous renter that just moved into that the space? And to Little Folkies next door? My connection to Tacolicious is that I really enjoy their delicious tacos and cocktails! I need to be a better neighbor and introduce myself to their fine staff. On the Little Folkies side, I really enjoy the live concerts we hear on a daily basis. Irena, their founder, and I are planning some fun music and art collaborations!

A photo posted by Little Artistas (@littleartistas) on Jun 3, 2016 at 12:37pm PDT

You opened Little Artistas in Noe Valley for the summer – will you also offer classes year round? We will offer classes year-round, six days a week! We also offer fun events, such as date nights and birthday parties, and Summer camps!

What are your favorite local places to visit in the neighborhood? I absolutely love La Ciccia and La Nebbia! I would eat Italian food three times per day if I could. I think I was Italian in a past life. I also love Noeteca for a leisurely lunch!

Bernie’s, Martha & Brothers or Philz? :) Well, I'm ashamed to say this because it's practically blasphemy since I'm Colombian: I don't drink coffee.... EEK! I'll order up a chai at any of those places anytime, though.

Little Artistas
1513 Church St
San Francisco, CA 94131
(415) 493-8603
littleartistas.com

This Week in Noe Valley: Tiny Houses, Election Season and a Victorian Time Capsule

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

• Love in the parklet [urbanhapinesssf]
• Beautiful, cooling fog [hellahaythornewhite]
• Is this your kale? [@sociallehman]
• ICYMI: Noe Valley Voice June 2016 in 60 seconds [NVSF]
• Election season: Jane Kim at the Farmer’s Market today [@JaneKim]
• Hahn’s Hibachi is closed - priced out of Noe Valley [NVSF]
• Happy Donuts is still one of SF’s favorite donut shops – and Noe Valley’s branch is considered one of the best [SFist]
• Are your Airbnb neighbors too noisy? Now you can report them… [Mercury News]
• Tiny houses (but just for the homeless) find a toe hold in Noe Valley [Hoodline]
• Noe Valley time [Mankool_SFO]
• Time capsule of old Noe Valley [Curbed]

[Photo: Noe Valley sunset via tobzahs]

NVV June 2016: 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.

June 2016

Front Page: A profile of Audrey Cooper, Noe Valley resident and editor -in-chief of the San Francisco Chronicle; Some 24th Street retailers are feeling the squeeze from online shopping; The 35 Eureka bus runs more often; A profile of Kim Nguyen-Ehrenreich, the founder of the Noe Valley branch of Bricks 4 Kidz; A peek inside three Noe Valley Victorians.

Letters: Thanks to the team that put on the Noe Valley Garden Tour; A plea to vote no on Prop B.

Features: The proposed Town Square owl sculptures may finally be approved - with a more literal than abstract design; Local businesses are split on whether the Farmer's Market on 24th St helps or hurts business on Saturdays; SummerFEST is coming on Saturday June 18.

Cost of Living in Noe: Home sales are hot with 15 single family homes selling in April for an average of $2.4 million.

Store Trek: Songbird Studios, 3823 24th St. and VOILA, 1431 Castro St.

Rumors and Tidbits: Still no movement in the former Real Foods space. The former site of The Ark toy store is now a pop-up called The Curious Object which sells luxury items that Noe Valley resident and realtor Stephen Moore procured on a trip to London (including a penny-farthing, a stuffed swan and other curios). Once the pop-up pops down, Moore will turn the space into a more permanent shop called The Mercantile which will sell new and vintage gift items, housewares and antiques (basically, the same stuff). When Modern Was is offering Chalk Paint classes to "give new life to tired furniture"  and owner Donna Taylor is selling her other shop Buttons Bar, which is potentially very bad news for the recently relocated Video Wave. Walkershaw Man sublet its shop to Azil jewelry boutique for the month of May, and Azil is now looking for a new place to pop-up in Noe again. Heroine is leaving Noe Valley and moving to L.A. - Charlie's Corner bookstore will now expand into that space for more room for kids storytime, parties and theater classes (Ed.--Very Noe Valley for a prime corner location to become a child's reading space). Bom Dia is still closed and the owner is not responding to requests for information. The deal that would have put Golden Gate Urgent Care in the space vacated by In-House fell apart (Ed.-- Good) so the storefront is once again for lease. Instead, GoHealth Urgent Care is opening in the brand new commercial space on 24th at Church (Ed.-- Boo). Hahn's Hibachi has closed and is being replaced by Bistro SF Grill.

[The Noe Valley Voice]

A Sad Farewell from Hahn's Hibachi

Hahn's Hibachi has closed the doors at 1305 Castro St after years of rumors of their leaving. This note is taped to the window:

Thank You!

Since 1978 we have served San Francisco, our wonderful food. It is with a heavy heart, that we must now say.. Farewell.

You have made this a great businss, but, the rising cost of everything, in the city, has made a great business, obsolete.

You all have been wonderful customers. See you, enjoy our food, over the years, has given us so much happiness. Again, we say, Thank You for your patronage. We will miss you greatly.

You can still get Hahn's food, from out good friends a the Ivering Street, and Polk Street restaurants..

All the best to you and yours..

The Hahn's Family

Best of luck to you, Hahn's Family.

Set to move into the space is Bistro SF Grill, which lost their lease in Lower Pacific Heights. We don't know if they will attempt a live music permit, but you can count on their award winning burger. Nearby Bernal resident Matt Nathanson is sure to be pleased, so expect to see him around the neighborhood.

This Week in Noe Valley: Town Square in Phase 2, Uma Casa's Opening Moves to Fall + Fun Photos

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

• VoilaSF is open in the old Video Wave space on Castro St. [cindyloughridge]
• Phase 2 of construction for the Noe Valley Town Square is underway [SF Rec & Park]
• Uma Casa (a new modern Portuguese restaurant) now plans to open this Fall in the old Incanto space [SF Chronicle]
• Overhead shot of one of the Noe Valley Garden tour yards [adbonifacio]
• The Podolls and Rare Device get a stylish shout out in the June issue of In Style magazine #shoplocal [In Style]
• The current state of the Mission in one photo [@NoeValleySF ]

[Photo: Pretty in Pink via jaytay]

This Week in Noe Valley: Street Crime Levels Up, Bernie at Bernie’s and Beautiful Old Noe

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

• Street crime at a whole new level: wheels stolen off a parked car on Castro Street @ 22nd [@moiradawson]
• More teasing in the old The Ark window front [@holdin2aces]
• One of SF’s first energy independent homes lists for $5 million in Noe Valley [Curbed]
• Beautiful old Noe as seen from an Airbnb rental [adventureswithizzy]
• SF MOMA director Neal Benezra lives in the hood [SF Chronicle]

[Photo: Spotted outside Bernie's coffee shop (in the tow-away zone) via tyler44durden44]

This Week in Noe Valley: Pricey Home Facelifts, Rotary Club Moves In, and a Local Artist’s Project

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

• Little Artistas moves in next door to Little Folkies (of course they did) [littleartistas]
• Local artist and computer scientist launches ArtAtomic scarves [Indiegogo]
• The second oldest Rotary Club in the world is in SF – and it now offers a Noe Valley/Castro chapter [Hoodline]
• Sidewalk Sale coming to 24th St on May 21 [Eventbrite]
• “Pricey home facelifts” in Noe Valley in the national news [WSJ]
• A “passive home” in Noe Valley featured on ABC7 [ABC News]

[Photo: Billy Goat Hill via @TheGreenGoat_SF]

NVV May 2016: 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 2016

Front Page: Bingo night at St. Paul's is a six decade tradition; The Noe Valley Town Square is on track (and maybe even under budget) - plus the new choices for the owl sculptures are open for comment; The Folio Books book club is a hit.

Letters: A neighbor asks Noe Valley residents to do their part to keep the neighborhood clean and litter free; A resident since 1985 suggests the new Town Square should be an eco-playground (while past the planning stage); A poem about Noe Courts.

Features: Noe Valley Garden Tour is back on May 21st; neighbors are lobbying force neighbor notification when "major changes are made to a project midway through the design process.".

Cost of Living in Noe: Only six single-family homes sold this March - half the number that sold in the same time last year - because of low inventory. Meanwhile, a 1904 Edwardian on Fair Oaks sold for $5 million.

Store Trek: TMI Colonics, 1478A Church St.

Rumors and Tidbits: The  NVV canvassed people on 24th St on April 21/22 and discovered that among 50 Noe Valleyeons that 56% were for Hilary, 34% were for Bernie, 6% were undecided between the two and 2% (aka one person) was voting for Trump; Again, the Noe Valley Town Square is on track; The Luxe on 24th Street condos now have sales pending. VIP Scrub Club opened in the former K9 Scrub Club spot on Church (no remodel necessary); Robin Shered of Blue Ova Health was rated a top acupuncturist by Bay Area A-List; Noe Valley comedian Mike Capozzola is selling hand-painted drawings of kid's names for gifts; Congrats to NV resident Felicia Lowe for the success of her film Chinese Couplets.

[The Noe Valley Voice]