“Everyone has a story,” said Vanessa Viray-Carlos, explaining why she named her Inner Sunset boutique Paragraph. “I think when you hear our tagline, it makes sense." That tagline: "Paragraph … Your story starts here.”
The 9th Avenue boutique, which features wares crafted by local, independent, and mainstream designers, recently received SF Weekly’s “Best Neighborhood Boutique” honor. “This Inner Sunset retailer wears its San Francisco pride on its sleeve (or T-shirt, or knee-high, or jewelry) with fun designs stamped with the Sutro Tower and other local favorites," said the alt-weekly.
Paragraph's assortment of unique clothing, accessories and gifts means customers can find items suited to their unique tastes, as well as gifts for friends. Items have a heavy Bay Area emphasis, including local artist Amos Goldbaum's Muni-inspired T-shirts, Warriors and Giants logos done in the style of Dia de Los Muertos skulls, and a onesie inked with the battling Golden Gate and Bay Bridges. Jewelry, greeting cards, perfumes, and wood carvings are carefully laid out in artful arrangements.
Photo: Caitlin Harrington/Hoodline
Paragraph’s own story starts in 2004, when Viray-Carlos and her family opened their first boutique in Glen Park. She and her mother, who were already designing jewelry, started Paragraph with Viray-Carlos’s sister and brother. Her mother bought a mixed-use building on Chenery Street, and they lived upstairs while running the store on the ground floor.
“We’ve always wanted to have a family business,” she explained. “I think it stems from coming from a family of entrepreneurs." Viray-Carlos lived in the Philippines until college, where “my grandparents had a pawn shop and a restaurant. My mom was involved with a restaurant as well, and had a T-shirt store.”
Although Paragraph features a variety of brands, Viray-Carlos said she's always focused on local and independent designers. “We have so much local talent in the Bay Area. Why not showcase the talent we have here?” In recent years, she's expanded her selection to include some designers from other parts of the country and world. “When we travel, we try to bring stuff back,” she said. “Last year we went to Argentina and brought back leather goods and some accessories. I went to the Philippines earlier this year and bought some bags and accessories as well.”
Photo: Caitlin Harrington/Hoodline
In 2007, Paragraph relocated from Glen Park to the Inner Sunset. Viray-Carlos said that while she loved Glen Park’s village feel, the neighborhood was a little off the beaten path. “I’ve always loved the Inner Sunset,” she said. “We’d go to the park to walk around, and we had tennis lessons there. I wanted a place where there was foot traffic, but wasn’t oversaturated with stores. It seemed like it was a great place.”
At the time, Viray-Carlos said, 9th Avenue's Alaya was the only boutique in the area. Since then, a host of small shops have sprouted up within a few blocks, including Cary Lane, San Franpsycho, Urban Bazaar, Ambiance, and Covet. While the neighborhood has long had a wide selection of restaurants, “it seems like it’s become more of a shopping destination,” Viray-Carlos said.
After the move, Viray-Carlos’s family members decided to pursue other endeavors, so she took over responsibility for the shop, which she now runs with her husband, Jerry Carlos. In addition to owning Paragraph, Viray-Carlos works as a production specialist at Bayer. (She studied biochemistry and molecular biology at UC Santa Cruz.) Her family continues to offer support. “If I need somebody to help out, they’re there, especially my mom. She likes to hang out at the store. A lot of people know her, actually.”
Photo: Caitlin Harrington/Hoodline
Viray-Carlos said she was somewhat surprised at the news about the SF Weekly honor because she thought the paper would have chosen a newer store, but also noted that tourists and other visitors often complimented her unique selection. “It was definitely flattering, and a good reinforcement of our vision for the store.”
“I think a lot of people are pleasantly surprised when they come to the Inner Sunset on their way to the Academy of Sciences or the deYoung. They see there’s a hub of stores, and a variety," she said. "It would be nice for people who haven’t already visited, or who've only visited to go to the restaurants, to check out the shopping as well.”
Viray-Carlos said her favorite part about running the store is cultivating relationships. “We have a lot of loyal customers,” she said. “I think the best thing is the relationships we build with people and sharing the items we love with them.”
Paragraph is located at 1234 9th Ave. in the Inner Sunset, between Lincoln Way and Irving Street.
