Corner stores are the most immediate barometers of economic and racial change in a neighborhood.
The stories of gentrification and shifting demographics are right there in what's for sale: soda or kombucha, malt liquor or Belgian Trappist beer, a deli or a fridge full of kimchi? Photographer Gundi Vigfusson and I visited 12 shops in the Western Addition to capture pictures of a neighborhood filled with contradictions and stuck in change.
Since the ’40s, the city has been working to redevelop the Western Addition, once a predominantly African American neighborhood west of Van Ness Avenue. The project ended in 2008, leaving the original community gutted. In an article written in 2008, The San Francisco Chronicle estimated that the city had destroyed 2,500 Victorians and forced out almost 5,000 families. The Fillmore District was transformed into blocks of subsidized housing and Japantown. In the ’90s and ’00s gentrification crept in to form neighborhoods like Alamo Square, Hayes Valley, and most recently, NOPA.
The state of each area is reflected in its corner stores. The impoverished Fillmore District is still dominated by liquor stores with inexpensive, convenience products. Around Japantown the corner stores have been replaced by ethnic groceries that import good from India, Korea, and Japan. On Divisadero Street, standard convenience stores are turning into or being replaced by expensive health food and specialty stores. Soon there will even be a Bi-Rite Market, which will be moving into an old corner shop next to the ultra-trendy Nopa restaurant in the next few months.
The products tell one story, but the owners of the stores tell a different one, of immigration and hope. All 12 stores we visited are owned by first- or second-generation immigrants — eight by Palestinians, two by Koreans, one by an Indian, and one by a Japanese couple from the earthquake-shattered town of Miyako. A majority of the Palestinians were refugees in the ’60s and ’70s who first came tothis country on student visas. They had few connections and limited language skills. Over the years they have become integral parts of their neighborhoods, living proof that there is more to a corner store than just four walls and a place to get a fix.
Visit these 12 shops in the Western Addition and/or your local corner store. Got a favorite corner store? Tell us about it!
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Rebecca G
this is an awesome feature of some of the most hard-working people in the city! these guys put up with all kinds of shit, so happy to see them getting some love! :)
Nicole G
Not quite in Western Addition, but Sam at the Grove Street Market slings sandos like a champ! $5 a piece at that. He's been on the block for 27 years.
Tina H
I lived on the corner of McAllister & Baker, and loved stopping into Green Earth for some fresh dinner ingredients!
Tina H
Also, one time the man pictured in Save-More Market helped me pair a wine with a can of strawberry icing I was purchasing. He's good.
Maureen F
An homage to the corner store - who does that? Good for TBI and the photos are beautiful!
moderniste
I live above the awesome corner store on Fillmore @ Oak St. Nothing special about the goods for sale, but the longtime owners and employees--Jimmy, Habib, Omar; hi!--have created a very informal metting place for our little Lower Haight hood. I used to be kinda scared of the local teenagers who hang out around the shop, but now I know them all, and they have my back. This shop brings people together!
David B
This is an awesome feature. Thanks.
vintagelife
Awesome post, but why feature a picture of a corner store you didn't include (first pic, In n Out on Hayes/Fillmore)?
Nanette W
George at Home Service Market on Hayes and Central. He's awesome and his sandwiches are amazing!! I love the breakfast croissantwich, and his normal lunch sandwiches on dutch crunch are also delicious.
drewdown
Very cool feature. Brought back a ton of memories. I haven't lived in SF for a while but one of my most crystal clear memories from my early days there (1995/96) was walking into this great corner store on Fillmore and Post and hearing Dru Down's "Pimp of the Year" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8DMKziMuqc) bumping out of the store's speakers. I walked in, grabbed my soda or whatever and walked up to the counter where a little old elderly black man (must of been in his '70s) was chomping on a tiny bit of cigar and nodding his head to the beat. It left quite an impression. Also used to live on Fell and Fillmore and went to that corner store on Fillmore that Moderniste mentions above. It's great! St. Ides beer used to put out all these great posters featuring all the big players in the East Coast/West Coast rap wars back then. They of course hated all the east coast rappers so gave my buddy these gems with Biggie Smalls and the Wu Tang Clan cause they didn't want them in their store. I always loved that. And loved those posters. Anyhow, thanks again for bringing back all these memories..
Alexis B
Local liquor stores run the street. They know all the gossip, all the kids, all the drama. They know your schedule day in and day out, how many miles you run on Saturday, and what neighbors are playing nookie with eachother. I'm not a resident of the Western Addition (I live in Pacific Heights where Kenny and George from Avenue Fine Foods on Pacific Avenue can tell you almost anything about me - they're my go to after a rough day), but my sister lives on McAllister and Scott - although Sam from Save-More confuses us at times, he's been victim to some of our best late night snack requests after the oh so frequent Friday night stumble home from a bar. He's saved our alcohol, and our diginity, and is one of the friendliest people on the block.
Auratron
great way to go Sasha!!!
Sam H
Hi vintagelife,
We unfortunately couldn't get in touch with the owner at the first store in time for the story, but we felt that the photo captured the corner shop feel in a way that would make a great intro. In the end, since space allowed us to only feature the outside of a single shop, we thought it would be the most equitable to use a store that wasn't part of the feature. Glad you liked the story!
DJTomas
Cindy's Market on Hayes at Cole, named after the Habash sons mother. It is an absolute centerpiece of the neighborhood, they take food item requests seriously, always have the hot MLB or NBA game on, puts the emphasis on people not necessarily on slangin booze. And the dirty little secret of the block is that Cindy's has better coffee than Sacred Grounds across the street. That's a freebie for you new residents...
katieu
In 1969, I used to live across the street from the Third World Market. It was call the "new" something or other but we (a bunch of hippies) called it the "new far out" and went there for cigs and ice cream. We did not go out at night at all - hippies were not welcome in the neighborhood. Sometimes we went to Safeway for a big 'garbage run' but it was the new far out for every day.
oceanbeach4243
Irving Street Market - Irving at 22nd. Have a sandwich.
And David in Hayes Valley is a neighborhood hero; block parties, UPS deliveries etc.
pasinina
This is a great story! I used to live in Western Addition and loved it. Sam at Save-More is a really wonderful guy. He is super friendly and helpful, AND he helped out my wife when she got locked out of the apartment -- he lent her his phone and some cab money. As a result, I refused to buy beer and its-its from anyone else!
remix
An interesting feature indeed. One that you missed that I especially like is my local corner store, the Opa Market on Post and Broderick. Abraham, the owner, is also from Jerusalem and makes all kinds of delicious fresh food and has a lot of specialty items as well. He is also very friendly and often chatty.
Run Your Mouth