'Hero Shop' Brings Designer Fashion To Lower Nob Hill

'Hero Shop' Brings Designer Fashion To Lower Nob HillPhotos: Brittany Hopkins/Hoodline
Brittany Hopkins
Published on July 20, 2016

Hero Shop—one of many new commercial destinations coming to Lower Nob Hill this year—is now open for business just off the corner of Post and Larkin.

The boutique, featuring high-end women's clothing and accessories by West Coast designers, is the first brick-and-mortar endeavor for Emily Holt, a Bay Area native and former editor at Vogue. After 12 years in New York City, Holt returned home to pursue her interest in retail and take a leading role in fostering a community around local fashion.

Hero Shop, located at 982 Post St.

Bay Area designers currently showcased at Hero Shop include Dogpatch-based Stevie Howell, a textile designer who's popular for printed scarves, robes and tunics; NU SWIM, a swimwear line by San Francisco resident Gina Esposito; Never Everywhere, a printed T-shirt company born in Oakland; and San Francisco stalwart Levi's.

Products range widely in price. You'll find small gifts and home accessories for as little as $5, and jewelry going for as much as $6,000.

Shortly after swinging the doors open for the first time yesterday, Holt said it took a year and a half to find the perfect space for Hero Shop. 982 Post St., below the Saratoga Hotel, was the first location she walked into, and she immediately fell in love.

She's spent the past two years getting to know the neighborhood. After more than a decade in New York, Holt said she enjoys how urban Lower Nob Hill feels, compared to other parts of the city. "I love its character, for better or worse."

And while she's well-aware that Hero Shop doesn't fill the needs of all of its neighbors, especially many longtime residents of the Tenderloin, Holt said she plans to do her best to work with neighborhood services, like Larkin Street Youth Services, 826 Valencia and Raphael House. "That's more interesting to me than a more foot-trafficked area," she said.

Garments by Stevie Howell.

Hero Shop is currently open 10am-6pm Tuesday through Saturday and 12-5pm Sundays. Holt said the hours may adjust as she settles in.

For details on upcoming in-store events, including trunk shows and panel discussions with local designers, keep an eye on the shop's Instagram account.

Thanks to tipster Stephannie D.