As promised, popular skate brand Supreme debuted its first San Francisco store this morning at 1015 Market St. (at Sixth Street). And as those familiar with the brand might predict, the opening drew massive crowds — as well as a sizable security presence.
When a Hoodline reporter dropped by the store at noon, an hour after its opening time, the sidewalk was packed with more than a hundred eager customers in line for the brand's limited-edition items, as well as plenty of security guards protecting the entrance. Supreme had already taken reservations for spots in line, which reportedly filled up quickly.
Yet the item that sparked an eBay listing frenzy wasn't a hat or skate deck, but a Supreme-branded issue of SF Weekly that was handed out gratis for opening day.
Though the issue has no specific content about Supreme (it's merely wrapped in an extra cover bearing its logo), it's being listed on eBay for as much as $20 per issue, or $400 for a pack of 50. A couple of copies have already sold for $18-20.
Deborah Petersen, the editor-in-chief of San Francisco Media Co., which publishes SF Weekly, confirmed that the logo cover is included with all 65,000 issues of the paper that were published this week, which have been distributed to 1,700 free drop boxes around San Francisco and the East Bay.
The paper didn't undertake an additional print run just for Supreme, meaning that the copies the store handed out this morning were likely taken from SF Weekly drop boxes.
Supreme sf grand opening 😋 pic.twitter.com/ruIR6tCvV8
— x (@notxvr) October 24, 2019
Petersen said SF Weekly has gotten several inquiries from Supreme fans looking to purchase the (normally free) issue, but said she and her staff had not decided whether to print additional issues in response to the demand. If they did, she said, those issues would also be free.
In the meantime, the paper plans to raffle off a few remaining copies of the issue to people who sign up for its newsletter this week.
"We are enjoying the ride," she said. "It almost makes me want to take up skateboarding again."
Last night, the Supreme store also held a pre-opening private party for friends and family, which was equally packed to the gills.
The opening of @supremenewyork in #SanFrancisco is the most hyped event Mid-Market has seen since the debut of Dirty Harry in 1971. Welcome to the neighborhood #Supreme pic.twitter.com/WgiyHAIAuI
— Richard Lynch (@RickJamesLynch) October 24, 2019
The sheer scale of the opening event inspired awe in some passersby:
Holy Toledo that new supreme store is on my route home and I thought those mf’s we’re having a concert rn the hype crowd is real
— David (@2daayz) October 24, 2019
As well as some criticism:
fuck supreme and fuck them for putting their shit in the tenderloin. the people in the tenderloin don’t need more gentrification, they need HELP.
— OSO (@whoisOSO) October 24, 2019
The rear of the store features a large skate bowl, and several professionals conducted demos throughout the night. Here's a video that captures the store's debut from the inside:
For those who want to see the new store for themselves, it's now open from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and noon-6 p.m. on Sundays.
