For 20 years, the small Mexican art gallery Polanco has resided at 393 Hayes St., between Gough and Franklin streets. This May, the shop's tenure at that location will come to an end—but it's not moving far.
Owner Aldo Picchi told us that the building is undergoing earthquake retrofitting, and in the process the rent for the space tripled. Not wanting to leave the neighborhood, Aldo and his partner John decided to take over the lease at 334 Gough St., the former home of Bibliohead Bookstore, which also moved out due to a threatened rent hike.
Bibliohead closed its doors in September of last year, after its landlord, Pearl Investment Company, opted to perform earthquake retrofitting and then institute a rent increase that would effectively double what owner Melissa Richmond was paying. When we spoke with Richmond last fall, she told us that the building's landlord wanted to install a high-end boutique in the space.
"Many places are in limbo because of complications with the new retrofit mandate," she told us. "Once businesses have completed their retrofits, the rent naturally goes up since owner want to recoup their expenses. It’s going to be hard for a lot of mom and pop stores to stay in business.”
Bibliohead has still not found a new location for its business, as far as we know.
This story is popping up all along Hayes Street, as property owners seek to raise rents. The Painters Place, which is on the same block as Polanco, is also moving locations due to skyrocketing rents along the corridor.
Polanco will begin moving its inventory over to its new location in mid-May, and will settle in towards the end of that month. Aldo voiced concerns over the fact that Gough has less foot traffic than Hayes, but he says he's confident that business will continue.
As for what's going to take over 393 Hayes St. once Polanco leaves, we now know that Garrett Leight, an LA-based eyewear company, will be opening up its San Francisco flagship store in the space in early June.
That means Hayes Street will now have four places one can select glasses—Warby Parker, which opened up on Hayes Street last year, Retrospecs, which opened earlier this year, and Through The Hayes Optometry. And yes—Garrett Leight will exist on not just the same block as Warby Parker, but also the same side of the street.
Stay tuned for some Hayes Street store shuffling in May, and be sure to visit Polanco's new location at 334 Gough St. once they settle in.
