Downtown SF just opened 17 new spots

Melt-in-your-mouth doughnuts, whirring sewing machines and spicy Senegalese flatbread: Downtown San Francisco was abuzz with energy on Friday, as more than a dozen different pop-ups opened their doors to celebrate the launch of the city’s new Vacant to Vibrant initiative. 

The program, led by nonprofit SF New Deal with funding from the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, gives businesses grants and free rent for three months to take over and transform empty storefronts downtown. 

Of the nearly 1,000 businesses, artists and organizations that applied, the program selected 17, which offer a wide range of goods and services across nine different storefronts in service of revitalizing the area around Embarcadero BART. 

“We’re all so tired of the doom and gloom,” Brent Hayden, director at GCS Agency’s newly opened art gallery at 201 Jackson St., told SFGATE. “This initiative is something the city really needed.” 

SFGATE stopped at every open storefront on Friday to meet the proprietors, soak up the vibes, and get a sense of how the new initiative could impact the neighborhood. While the pop-ups provide wildly different offerings, the one thing every shop shared was an optimism about combating San Francisco’s doom loop narrative.

“San Francisco is such a resilient city,” said Nafy Flatley, the owner of Senegalese restaurant Teranga, which is popping up at Four Embarcadero Center. “Let’s bring people back downtown. I think this program could really take us there.”  

Five of the 17 pop-ups promise to delight your taste buds. 

Devil’s Teeth Baking Company is serving up its popular biscuit breakfast sandwiches, York Street Cafe is slinging creative espresso drinks, and Whack Donuts is hawking sweet treats that you almost won’t believe are vegan. 

Whack’s cinnamon spice doughnut paired perfectly with our strong cappuccino from York, while Devil’s Teeth’s veggie quiche was served piping hot and with a tasty blend of red peppers and cheese. 

Meanwhile, Rosalind Bakery is bringing its signature sourdough loaves and flaky croissants from Pacifica, while Teranga’s Flatley is serving up specialties from Senegal, including butternut squash flatbread, mango salad and a hibiscus and mint drink that includes a “kiss of maple syrup” for sweetness.

Vandor Hill, the owner of Whack Donuts, said he was amazed at the interest so far — he sold out multiple days in a row — while worker Mel Perrah at Rosalind Bakery said she loves how the program has created a sense of kinship among the pop-ups. For example, when Hill ran out of doughnuts, he pushed people to go check out Rosalind’s pastries a few doors down. 

“We’re all out here supporting and boosting each other,” Perrah told SFGATE. 

Laney Whitcanack, the CEO of a nonprofit leadership program with an office in the area, told SFGATE that she’s grateful to have more quick food options in the area, and bought gift cards for her employees to encourage them to check out the new spots. “We want to be out of our offices and connecting with the community,” she said.

In addition to food, a number of the pop-ups are dedicated to hosting workshops or events, including panel discussions, dance parties and happy hours. 

For example, Holy Stitch at 100 California St. plans to teach classes on clothing creation and repair, while radio station KALW is slated to host talks in its space, which also features the art of Bee Betwee and nonprofit Creativity Explored.     

“I think it’s a perfect fit because our mission is to tell the story of the Bay Area in all of these different ways, through lots of different kinds of programs, whether it’s news and information, or music and culture,” said KALW’s Ben Trefny. “And so being able to have a live event space that’s really visible is a way for us to amplify that and also to bring something of value to downtown.”

The pop-ups that focus on events are often paired with retail businesses that lure shoppers in with handmade goods. For example, Holy Stitch shares a space with Nature’s Keeper, which sells outdoor apparel, including caps made from old ski suits. Artist Risa Iwasaki Culbertson is situated inside Yonder, which curates ceramics, glassware, and other products for the home.  

On Friday, Culbertson had set up a table with scissors, glue and colored paper for shoppers to create collages. She ultimately plans to organize a wide range of events inside the space, including watercolor workshops, felting classes, and drink and draws.  

“My whole idea is to have artists and the people of San Francisco connect with each other more deeply,” Culbertson said. Like with her impromptu collage craft, she wants to make creativity and art feel more accessible (and fun) for people who might otherwise be wary: “We don’t allow ourselves to play as adults as easily as when we were kids.” 

Culbertson’s focus on deepening connections captures the spirit of Vacant to Vibrant overall, according to SF New Deal’s executive director Simon Bertrang. The program is all about infusing “culture and economic vibrancy to our downtown,” he said during a press conference on Friday, and making it a hub for people to come together: “Vacant to Vibrant offers a glimpse of the future of San Francisco that’s written by San Franciscans themselves.”

Here are all the businesses and artists included in the initiative, along with their addresses and typical hours:

• Devil’s Teeth Baking Company, One Embarcadero Center, Suite 1113, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. daily. 
• Rosalind Bakery, Four Embarcadero Center, Suite 4054, Tuesday to Friday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Whack Donuts, Four Embarcadero Center, Suite 4507, Tuesday to Sunday, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
• York Street Cafe, Four Embarcadero Center, Suite 4507, Wednesday to Saturday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Teranga (restaurant), Four Embarcadero Center, Suite 4104, Monday to Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.  
• Yonder (retail shop) and Risa Iwasaki Culbertson (artist), 151 Jackson Street, Thursday to Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. 
• KALW-FM 91.7 (radio station), Bee Betwee (artist) and Creativity Explored (art nonprofit), 220 Montgomery St., Suite 100, Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Holy Stitch (education) and Nature’s Keeper (outdoor apparel brand), 100 California St., Monday to Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 
• GCS Agency (multimedia) and Brujas (skate collective and apparel brand), 201 Jackson St., Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
• The Mellow (plant store/performance venue), Sucka Flea (retail shop) and Phil Spitler and Victoria Heilweil (artists), 332 Pine St., see Mellow’s events calendar