All stories about "Formula Retail"

THE CASTRO—This just in on the CurbedWire: A nabe tipster dishes the deets on the 18th Street Walgreens— or rather, the soon-to-be second Walgreens location. On one corner. In a scheme set for imminent approval by the planning department, the megapharmacy plans to build a special facility for private pharmaceutical consultations by an as-yet-unnamed nonprofit. The second location, essentially across the street from the existing one, won't carry the standard Walgreens fare (votive candles, Slim Jims, the wall o' lube ...). Says our informant: "I can't help but feel like this is Walgreens overkill in such an iconic neighborhood. Isn't there a better way to provide private pharmaceutical consultations? ...The company doesn't seem particularly open to any design changes that might make it look like not-a-Walgreens, or even be more street friendly (transparent windows, etc). And so far I haven't heard them commit to signing a promise that this won't be a Trojan horse to create a second standard Walgreens." Red flag: raised. [CurbedWire]

Have a question? Need an answer? Consult the oracle that is the Ask Curbed SF inbox.

"What a reasonable neighbor" we thought, sifting through today's offerings from the Curbed SF inbox. Let's allow allow democracy to do its magic, shall we?

Hey Curbed: So I live in the Castro— have lived there for a long, long time, actually. Us old timers have heard some rumors circulating around the younger set that the Castro might soon host several new chain stores. I'm feeling a little conflicted about this, and so given that your readers have been pretty vocal on the Mission retail ban, I thought I'd ask you to put it to them. I'll be interested to see how other people feel about having more big-name stores in the neighborhood.

[Image courtesy Flickr photog chiasie]

Chain. Retail. Go! Nothing (or very little) riles up San Franciscans like a good throw down over a Starbucks. Or a Walgreens. Or in today's case, a brand paint store— one that has already been in San Francisco for 65 years, mind you— that would relocate to Cesar Chavez Street in order to replace an otherwise deserted Hollywood Video storefront; the plan was initially denied by the city's Planning department and scheduled to be heard once more (and likely, overturned) today. San Francisco has held a proudly hostile stance against formula retail chains for some time: in 2003, the board of supes mandated that coffee houses and pharmacies post notices of their intent to open, thus making it easier for nabes to launch oppositional measures. Proposition G, passed in 2006, obliges the Planning Commission to hold public hearings on given retail applications before deciding whether they are appropriate for the area based on the nabes' needs, architectural compatibility, and whatever other rigmarole suits their fancy.

Long opposed formula retail in the Mission, Supe Tom Ammiano has upped the ante on the anti-chain debate by launching a proposition that calls for an all-out ban on such stores all throughout the Mission; his newest legislation was inspired by what he sees as a trend toward "homogenization" (Ammiano cites the high number of Walgreens in the Mission as a damning example). His proposal comes up for review in June. Until then, well ... yeah. Nothing. Nothing ventured, nothing gained for the Mission.
· S.F. grows ever more hostile to chain stores [SF Gate]

[Graphic courtesy the San Francisco Chronicle]

The People's Guide is Curbed SF's tour o' the nabes, led by our most loyal readers, favorite bloggers, and other luminaries of our choosing. This week, we welcome Jackson West on board as a guest contributor; Jackson has been blogging in and about San Francisco for nearly five years, most recently gossiping about the technology industry at Valleywag. Join Jackson every day this week as he says his piece about the NB. Want to say yours, blogger? Holler!

For a neighborhood with so much foot traffic, North Beach sure hosts a lot of shuttered storefronts along the Columbus corridor south of Washington Square Park. As a resident, it would be nice to see more services for the locals. Walking by yesterday, it looks like a restaurant named Alimento will be replacing the old Golden Spike — but the corner unit at Columbus and Green, which I imagine would be quite valuable, seems neglected. Marco's of Venice, an inexpensive hair salon, looks to be getting renovated, though into what is a mystery. And finally, the old Rossi's supermarket at Columbus and Vallejo, which has been empty for at least the two years I've lived here, is finally getting a tenant: Lushart, it appears. I have to imagine that the slow pace is due to two factors: