Under One Roof's former Castro Street digs.
Last year Under One Roof, the 21-year-old non-profit retail store that raises money for AIDS charities, shuttered its long-term Castro location (518 Castro St) citing changing economy, slumping sales, lack of community support and ballooning overhead.
After a nearly 10 month absence from the neighborhood the venerable charity reappears in the Castro on June 7th as a pop-up store directly across from its former location.
Under One Roof has returned to its original form of operating-as a pop up store-exhisting in donated retail space or one's whose rent has been sharply discounted to allow them to make a profit beyond what other stores would achieve. The store has currently been operating downtown in the historic Crocker Galleria since its move from the neighborhood in September of last year.
The Patio Restaurant (Photo: M. Petrelis/Petrelis Files)
The new pop-up in the Castro will run for three months through Labor Day weekend out of the rumored soon-to-reopen Patio Café. It will sell mostly donated goods such as home décor, tableware and linens.
Founded by San Francisco artist Daniel Goldstein in 1991 at the height of the AIDS crisis most of the product they offered then came from 50 other HIV/AIDS organizations. Money rolled in as everyone united in an effort to raise funds to help stem the AIDS pandemic. As the 90's wore on the store expanded from its original location next to the AIDS Quilt office on Market St. to the permanent Castro Street location in the early 2000's.
Changing times soon had Under One Roof buying product to sell instead of getting donations. That cut severely into profits. Add rising rents, expenditures for staff vs. volunteers, overhead on every possible level and soon the amount of money to divvy up amongst its beneficiaries had dwindled down to a fraction of what it once was. In 2010 the non-profit was only able to dole out $14,000 amongst the 22 groups it had earmarked to support.
Critics were quick to wonder wether the non-profits efforts were worth the effort as a consequence of that very small donation amount. With an overhead at the store of nearly a quarter of a million and staff costs running just a bit below that number many in the City's HIV/AIDS non-profit community questioned Under One Roof's purpose and viability.
By changing tactics and returning to their roots they hope to see profit margins rise. Staff has been cut, priorities sorted and hard facts faced. Returning to the old tried and true model of donated goods and space will hopefully help Under One Roof become more viable as it once was when they sold $11 million in retail goods to benefit 23 local AIDS/HIV groups over the course of their charitable life span.
If you want to help, volunteer or donate goods to be sold in the Castro pop up store you can contact Under One Roof here.
via San Francisco Business Times
