Today is the 3rd annual
Small Business Saturday. Conceived by American Express as an alternative to the riotous, corporate box store mentality of the post Thanksgiving, consumer feeding frenzy, Black Friday, today's nationwide event encourages holiday shoppers to spend their hard earned coin at local, brick and mortar, businesses.
The Castro is rife with such one of a kind, Mom and Pop-or Pop & Pop/Mom & Mom-stores whose business health is closely tied to the ongoing robust growth of San Francisco's economy. At large corporate chain stores every dollar spent roughly only 40% of that dollar makes it back into any local economy's tax base. Compare that to money spent at small local business where the tax percentage returning to our local coffers dramatically increases to between 62%-68%. Those percentage differences add up to big revenue windfalls for our City's treasury.
Conversely these stores employ your neighbors as staff creating an ecosystem of cash flow within the confines of our City's borders from employee tax and salaries spent on day to day living costs. Those taxes support local infrastructure, city services, schools and the general well being of the City itself.
Shopping locally encourages our neighborhood to retain it's unique flavor by bolstering it's merchants who bring their particular flair and aesthetic to each of these privately owned stores. The sharp eyed, finger on the pulse, merchants also has a huge advantage over the cookie cutter, everybody has one of those, products sold in chain stores. They have use of hometown artisans, goods, products that no buyer from any faceless corporate entity would ever have access too ensuring your purchases/gifts will have that one-of-a-kind, San Francisco flavor.
Within the shop local movement we can also encourage you to buy not only local-but-recycled local. Many of our favorite, locally owned and operated stores within the Castro also have the distinct twist of providing resale of existing goods. This time honored form of commerce reduces waste, re-uses existing goods and keeps the ecology strong by not using up precious resources to produce more goods in an already flooded market. Resale shops have always been one of my destinations of choice and often have the best bargains, rare finds and always the most knowledgeable staff. Here are three of my local favorites.
Streetlight Records, 2350 Market Street. As the lone surviving Castro record store Streetlight offers great daily deals on used and new vinyl, CD's and a massive selection of DVD's. The staff is some of the most knowledgeable I have ever met in every genre of music and film and their selection is bolstered daily. A cultural hub within the Castro since it first opened it's doors the stores survival in this era of digital sound revolution has been nothing short of miraculous and a testament to their business acumen and loyal customers.
Aardvark Books, 277 Church St. At the furthest reaches of the neighborhood stands the second to last bookstore in the Castro. In business since 1977 this primarily used bookstore has an immense amount of the printed word crammed within it's confines. Titles range from interests in every category conceivable. Graphic novels, comics, magazines are also well stocked-and-if you're lucky you may even get a chance to cross path's with the ginormous, tabby store cat napping in the main display window on warm, sunny days.
Worn Out West, 582 Castro Street. Opening it's door in 1980 this little patch of Queer heaven offers new, consignment and resale clothes with a particular rough around the edges, Gay man, vibe. Leather coats, work boots, camo gear, fetish wear and other unique items. It's always restocking new and rare items. Perhaps you'll find those English to the knee riding boots you've always wanted amongst it's shelves.
These and many, many more Castro neighborhood, small businesses awaiting to serve your needs every day-holiday or not-and we can't encourage you enough to take advantage of their bargains, unique goods/services and knowledgeable owners and staff.
