San Francisco - Retail & Industry

SF’s only Marshalls location has its days numbered, as the discount apparel retailer will close its Market Street store.

After 25 years in the Castro, vintage gay memorabilia store Auto Erotica (4077A 18th St., between Castro and Hartford streets) has turned to crowdfunding to help make it through the pandemic

The Moscone Center says it faced declining business even before the pandemic, but the city is loath to help amidst COVID-19 budget deficits.

Castro barbershop Healing Cuts (3903 18th St.) has shuttered after just one year in the Castro. The barbershop's last day in this space will be December 1.

Although 2020 seems to be unending, the holiday season is upon us, and it’s worth remembering the wealth of small businesses scattered across San Francisco that offer the perfect gifts for friends, loved ones, and even yourself.

A man who made international headlines after allegedly attempting to board a Delta flight out of Salt Lake City while refusing to put on a face mask turns out to be the owner of Upper Haight smoke shop Pipe Dreams (1376 Haight St.), which advertises itself as the oldest smoke shop in San Francisco.

After 43 years in business, the family-owned Upper Haight mainstay Haight Ashbury T-Shirts is closing permanently at the end of the year, citing the economic pressures of a pandemic that's killed virtually all tourist traffic to the neighborhood.

The cultural fabric of Union Square has been brightened with a spiffy new incarnation of the iconic Britex Fabrics sign.

Last week the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District (Castro CBD) announced plans to seek immediate community feedback regarding a controversial proposal to install a private network of security cameras.

The city's Office of Cannabis this week approved the application filed earlier this summer for FGW Haight to operate a cannabis dispensary at 768 Stanyan Street, currently a residential garage on a quiet block near Kezar Pub and facing Golden Gate Park.

Though Union Square is still mostly boarded up like a ghost town, a new cannabis dispensary opening today is creating a big buzz.

Male Image barbers Philip Stover and David Hone have partnered with Jim Bolton to reopen the barbershop.

After the second change of ownership in five years and a full renovation, the former Loews Regency (nee Mandarin Oriental Hotel) has reopened as the Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco at Embarcadero.

Citing the city's climate-change goals, some Twin Peaks area residents are objecting loudly to extending the life of a gas station on Portola Drive that's been there for almost 50 years.

The drama about the redevelopment of the wholesale San Francisco Flower Mart in SoMa goes back many years. But now a new Flower Mart in a different part of town is one step closer to being a reality.

With construction now two years behind schedule, area businesses say the grants won't make a dent in their six-figure revenue losses.

The program, administered by the SF District Attorney's office, will reimburse merchants up to $1,000 for replacing broken windows.

This week's business brief is full of causes for celebration, including some reopenings, added service and an expansion.

More business closures are taking place downtown.

The neighborhood has now lost 20 businesses since the start of shelter-in-place.

A skincare studio and a shoe boutique have called it quits, while a pastry shop is becoming a polling place during the upcoming election.

Been thinking of taking a DIY craft class to liven up your quarantine? These studios are ensuring all you'll need is a laptop and a mailbox.

Plus, more parklets have arrived in the neighborhood.

Some bright spots in this edition of Upper Haight business briefs: one expansion, one reopening, and more good news from the neighborhood.

In light of concerns about a lack of mask use and distancing at last Sunday's event, the Castro Merchants are doubling down on safety enforcement.