It's been nine years since sisters Cynthia and Jennifer Huie opened Inner Richmond clothing boutique Seedstore, one of the backbones of Clement Street's post-recession renaissance.

But at the end of December, Seedstore announced the end of the road. 

"My sister and I have had Seedstore for almost 10 years," Cynthia told us. "So we've been working on this for quite some time. And I think we just really wanted to try something new, and see what else is out there for us."

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As we say goodbye to 2019, we would like to announce that we are also saying goodbye to Seedstore. After 9+ years of owning the shop together, my sister and I have decided to focus more time and energy towards new endeavors. We have loved (absolutely loved!) the relationships we've built with designers, vendors, artists, team members, neighbors and especially our customers. When we started, we had no idea how long we would be doing this, but we never would have guessed that Seedstore would be around for almost a decade. I am always astounded by what we have accomplished. It’s been so so so much fun! Thank you for making our dreams come true. We wish you all the best in the coming year with lots of parties, laughter that makes your belly ache, and most of all joyful time with your friends, family, and community. We will be open again on 1/3 at 11a through the month of January clearing out our inventory, so please come by to say "hello" and pick up something special, we would love to see you. Always, Cynthia and Jenn

A post shared by Seedstore (@seedstore) on Dec 31, 2019 at 4:41pm PST

Cynthia was also clear that the closure wasn't related to a rent hike. 

"We've been so lucky to have an amazing, supportive landlord," she said. "We're really fortunate — our business from the beginning was always pretty successful. We started this when we were pretty young, so I think now we're just like, 'What else are we going to do?'"

For Cynthia, that next step is a position on the city's Small Business Commission, which advises legislators on issues that affect SF's small businesses, and creates programs to foster and assist small business owners. 

She's already served as president of the Clement Street Merchants Association (CSMA), and is excited to take that work citywide.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing how we can best support our small business communities," Huie said of joining the commission. "I love what we've done in the Richmond and on Clement Street, and I feel like we've really put things in place so that the community can grow and thrive."

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Thank you Mayor Breed for the honor to serve the City and County of San Francisco. When we started Seedstore, I had no idea where this journey would lead. Today, surrounded and supported by my family, I was sworn in as a Commissioner on the Small Business Commission. I am incredibly excited to continue advocating for small businesses and working towards building stronger communities in the city that I love. ♥️

A post shared by Seedstore (@seedstore) on Jan 13, 2020 at 10:50pm PST

After a big weekend sale this past weekend, Seedstore will be open sporadically this week, to sell off its last bits of discounted inventory and fixtures. It will close for good before the end of the month.

Cynthia said the primary thing she and Jennifer will miss about the shop is its sense of community.

"We just don't have enough face time in our communities, we don't have enough human connection," she said. "One of the wonderful things about Seedstore was we were just open, and people would just pop in and say hi and hang out. There's so much value in that."

"For people to grow community, you really need these moments — not the moments that are necessarily intended or manufactured, but the unintentional happenstances and coincidences."