Dynamite!

Leland Avenue received an explosive new business as TNT “Mad Cuts and Beauty” opened their doors last month at 91 Leland Avenue. While the name and location might be new, the full-service barbershop and salon is the latest venture from co-owners Tavis Landry and Tiffani Reid who previously owned DOB “Definitions of Beauty” on San Bruno Avenue. The two licensed hair care specialists are now open for business in Visitacion Valley offering hair care services to men and women including specialty designs and razor shaves for men.

For Tavis Landry, the opening of TNT is a culmination of an entrepreneurial journey that has come full circle since he started cutting hair at age 12. After getting his license in 1994, Tavis got his opportunity when local barber JB rented him a chair out of The Shop – now located at 160A Leland Avenue. It was under the tutelage of JB that Tavis perfected the craft, yet he began bouncing around from barbershop to barbershop when he was unable to find a good space of his own in Visitacion Valley. After a few years of cutting hair with Tiffani on San Bruno Avenue, Tavis was contacted by an old friend and client from his days at The Shop in 1995 - Hank Ropati (see Leland Avenue Gets Down to Baysics, February 2011). With Hank's retail store 'Down to Baysics' opening up at 93 Leland Ave., Tavis saw an opportunity to open his barbershop at the available storefront next door at 91 Leland Ave. Not only was this a chance to open up his own shop next to his longtime friend, it was an opportunity for business partner Tiffani Reid who grew up on Campbell Avenue to work as a beautician in her neighborhood.

Tavis loves the neighborhood; citing the good elements and people he remembers since 1994, including one of his old favorite stores – the Visitacion Valley Pharmacy (100 Leland Avenue) who are still around as well as the new physical upgrades he sees in along Leland Ave. and surrounding homes. He sees the neighborhood, “at a threshold where it's going to blow up, it feels good like there is a lot of growth.” Since opening the doors at 91 Leland Ave. in early February, Tavis tries to view his neighbors at 'Down to Baysics' next door as partners in business - constantly referring over customers to one another. TNT will be adding a third barber in the near future as they work to regain their customer base from San Bruno Avenue back onto Leland Avenue. One thing is for sure - it feels great to be apart of positive growth.

VisValleyBoom.org

VVBOOM took a major step forward this month with the launch of our new and improved website: www.visvalleyboom.org. We tried to anticipate the needs of the visitor with a professional appearance that gives an accurate, positive depiction of our magnificently diverse community of small business owners along with quality content that is easy to navigate. Our increased web presence will enable us to reach potential customers locally and resources nationally, breaking through geographic barriers. With an up-to-date commercial district map and business directory, residents and visitors alike will be able to access downtown Visitacion Valley from their personal computers or handheld mobile devices. It will also allow visitors to stay current by clicking on the 'News' tab while complementing our print communications and district-wide marketing materials. Vendors interested in booth space at our annual Leland Avenue Street Fair will now be able to download applications under the 'Events' tab. Above all, it will offer convenience to anyone interested in the critical work we do and the celebrated small businesses that line Leland Avenue and Bayshore Boulevard. Spread the word – www.visvalleyboom.org!

Leland Avenue gets Down to Baysics

Hank Ropati remembers playing arcade games at 83 Leland Avenue as a kid in late 1980s where City Wash Laundromat now sits. He and his friends would hangout on Leland Avenue, grabbing a bite to eat at Luen Fat Bakery and Restaurant (110 Leland Avenue) when they weren't in school at Visitacion Valley Elementary and later middle school. Long story short, Hank grew up in downtown Visitacion Valley where he still resides on Peabody and Leland. He's as local as they come, so it's only fitting that Hank was able to open his new retail store – Down to Baysics on his birthday December 18th. Hank saw his opportunity at the newly vacated 93 Leland Avenue storefront; recognizing increased foot traffic, and a neighborhood on the right track. Whats more, with friends and neighbors frequently heading over to San Bruno Avenue to do their clothing shopping, he saw a market for retail clothing in Visitacion Valley - acknowledging “people want to shop in the neighborhood.”
For those who not only want to shop locally, but save time and serious money – Down to Baysics is the spot. The merchandise is exactly what you'd expect from the name - clothing essentials, everything from: white tees to thermals, hats, jackets, sweatshirts, pants, and all sold at a great price. To be sure, he has beanies and hats for only $5.00 and brand name jackets (including Renegade) all priced between $40.00 and $50.00. While tall tee shirts and thermals are top sellers right now, merchandise will be keeping up with the seasons; expect to see affordable, top notch warm weather apparel including brand name shorts for sale starting in March.
Hank keeps his prices low on a wide variety of top quality accessories for men and women too, including earring, bracelets, glasses, and necklaces. When you visit Down to Baysics however, chance are you won't find Hank, who works primarily behind the scenes, making business connections and checking inventory. Instead, you'll be greeted by his cousin Classy and his wife Matty. Hank is already talking about expanding the store over to the East Bay in the future, and plans to open a barbershop next door as soon as February. Down to Baysics has all your clothing essentials on sale for less. They're open Monday through Saturday from 10am – 7pm at 93 Leland Avenue.

Tax Tips

In an effort to provide tax-tips and inform small businesses in Visitacion Valley, VVBOOM partnered with Chinese Newcomers to host a 'Bookkeeping for Small Business' seminar on Tuesday, January 11th at Bank of America (6 Leland Avenue). Aside from some noteworthy generosity from Tina Chu and our friends at Bank of America, the seminar featured the expertise of Henry W.P. Hu, EA - specializing in income tax preparation, bookkeeping services and management consultation and Nancy Yeh, Sales Consultant at PayChex. Our presenters provided vital instruction, conducted in two languages on topics including: specific types of records needed, maintaining books and records, basic examination procedures and IRS examination expectations. For the twelve small business owners in attendance, the seminar provided poignant information and resources on record-keeping and how to avoid IRS pitfalls, while putting them in direct contact with industry experts. Moreover, the seminar was a great example of how the Visitacion Valley small business community can be served through a successful partnership with our friends at Chinese Newcomers who we look forward to working with in the future.

Holiday, Holiday...the Best One of the Year!

To celebrate the holiday season in 2010, VVBOOM took the festivities indoors to the Visitacion Valley Community Center (VVCC) where families gathered for live music from homegrown musicians, local small business promotion, interactive arts and crafts activities, delectable baked goodies to eat and an unforgettable photo session that transformed the 50 Raymond site into a dynamic photography studio. In the spirit of the holidays, we got a lot of help from our friends and family. This collaborative effort, including Joey Chandler & Help Portrait, Real Options for City Kids (ROCK), the Boys and Girls Club and the VVCC, resulted in a wonderful Saturday afternoon in early December where 100 families walked away with high quality family portraits, local small business coupons, holiday wreaths and t-shirts.

With the help of 75 talented volunteer photographers, videographers and make up artists from throughout the city, over 250 neighbors were able to be photographed professionally and take home two 5'' x 7'' glossy prints to display proudly. The photography session was part of a world-wide 'Help Portrait' day and reinforced how incredibly powerful and transformative a simple photograph can be. Participants got the celebrity treatment (if they so desired), as professional make up artists worked their magic on families before getting in front of the bright lights and camera lenses. After the photo session, participants were able to view all their pictures on laptops before deciding which ones they wanted to take home. Favorite photos were sent to print down the hallway and families left with glossy, high quality family prints to take with them.

But new family portraits to hang in the living room weren't the only gifts attendees walked away with. 75 attendees also left with a Visitacion Valley small business promotion bags (courtesy of the San Francisco Department of the Environment) which included discounts at 10 stores offering fantastic unique deals from $5.00 off childrens hair cuts (JB's The Shop-160A Leland Ave.) to 20% off all fish and supplies with the purchase of a tank set (Dragon City Aquarium, 144-Leland Ave.). The advertising was just in time for the holiday shopping rush, prompting many to spend locally.

For those looking to put their own creative touch on holiday gifts, there were multiple arts and crafts activities where participants took home decorated wreaths and personalized t-shirts. Our showcase wasn't lacking in entertainment either. Not with the increasingly popular Visitacion Valley Ukulele Club, a stellar karate demonstration by ROCK and a performance by a talented group of local Cantonese musicians. However, nobody captured the mood quite like the Fog City Jazz ensemble, who played an extended set of holiday favorites that embodied the warm neighborhood event. The organizers and sponsors would like to thank everyone who dedicated their time and talent to make the 2010 Winter Showcase a smashing success.

Lights Over Leland

For the 4th year in a row, Leland Avenue got lit up in early December. In an effort to spread holiday cheer, unify and bring increased attention to storefronts up and down Leland Avenue, VVBOOM partnered with ROCK to decorate downtown Visitacion Valley and bridge the gap between local youth and merchants. 8 students from Visitacion Valley Middle School joined VVBOOM to hang colorful holiday light displays at a dozen local small businesses and stripe some of our new street furniture in front of the Hans Schiller Plaza at Peabody Street. After a fun-filled afternoon, participating youth headed to the Taqueria where they were treated to an enormous plate of nachos courtesy of our friends at El Buen Sabor #2 (98 Leland Avenue). The lights and decorations were on display throughout the month of December. Happy New Year!

VISITACION VALLEY – 2010 COMEBACK NEIGHBORHOOD OF THE YEAR

On Wednesday November 17th community leaders from Visitacion Valley gathered in the North Light Court of City Hall for the Neighborhood Empowerment Network’s (NEN) annual award ceremony. Devoted to honoring the hard work of neighbors and community based organizations, NEN award categories ranged from ‘Best Community Green Project’ to ‘Best Graffiti Watch Volunteer.’ After weeks of advocacy from a variety of local stakeholders in an extremely competitive nominating process, Visitacion Valley walked away with arguably the most prestigious award of the night – Comeback Neighborhood of the Year. Below is the nominating letter VVBOOM wrote, making a strong case for the neighborhood.
Visitacion Valley is the comeback neighborhood of the year in 2010. All one needs to do is visit this southeast San Francisco community that serves as a gateway to the city to see how far we’ve come. In the past twelve months Visitacion Valley has been the recipient of long overdue investment and used it to energize residents and stakeholders, challenging long-standing perceptions city-wide. Visitacion Valley is back; as evidenced by the renaissance underway along the Leland-Bayshore Commercial Corridor - the civic and economic heart of the neighborhood.
The most visible sign of progress in Visitacion Valley is along its business district - Leland Avenue. A recently completed streetscape project (stretching 4 blocks from Bayshore Blvd. to Rutland St.) has resulted in the installation of 63 new street trees, 30 accessible curb ramps, 15 curb corner bulb outs with added green space at intersections, 45 newly installed pedestrian street lights, sidewalk and street repaving, decorative-stamped crosswalks for shoppers and new street furniture. In addition to the aesthetic appeal, the green project design, permeable pavers and LED streetlight fixtures have made the Leland Avenue streetscape a model for best practices in environmental design and storm water management of urban business districts nationwide. Moreover, colorful tile detailing to the street furniture along Leland Avenue was carefully added to match the design concepts on the Visitacion Valley Greenway creating congruence through the heart of the community.
As part of the revival, Leland Avenue now also boasts a dynamic new art installation created by the talented San Francisco artist team – REBAR. The sculpture titled Street Life, is composed of surplus parking meters and includes seven inspirational words related to growth and life written in the diverse languages spoken in this neighborhood. The sculpture is meant to mark a particular moment in time, when the neighborhood undergoes a radical and positive transformation while contributing to a vibrant street culture; a gateway and an invitation for conversation about community, art and the proper use of parking meters.
Across Bayshore Boulevard, a fallen, blighted factory site is being transformed into a lively mixed-use transit-oriented community as the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved the Schlage Lock Redevelopment Plan last November. The plan calls for the former site to be renewed into a 1250 new housing unit community with new parks, a community center, as well as new neighborhood serving retail including a grocery store. The formal plan approval was a symbolic victory and signaled progress for a neighborhood waiting for a step in the right direction since the factory closed almost fifteen years ago. The ripple effect of Schlage Lock’s closing devastated Leland Avenue, where numerous businesses especially restaurants and delis who depended on foot traffic generated from factory employees saw their customers base disappear. But after 10+ years of a slumping local economy, downtown Visitacion Valley is back.
Speaking of local small business, this past year saw 3 fantastic new businesses open their doors in Visitacion Valley, signaling a revival is underway. The San Francisco Sewing & Quilting Collaborative located at 2189 Bayshore Blvd (@ Blanken) is a multi-unit, multi-purpose storefront spearheaded by altruistic entrepreneur Linda Hannawalt. One unit serves as a classroom dedicated to teaching the art of quilting and clothing alteration while donating the finished products to charitable causes around the city. The other storefront is a dynamic consignment boutique boasting a stunning floor display of jewelry, handbags, pillows, clothing items (scarves, hats, purses) as well as home accessories. Visitacion Valley finally landed a top-notch Taqueria this past July when El Buen Sabor opened its second location at 98 Leland Avenue (at Alpha St.) after expanding into the neighborhood from its wildly successful location on 18th and Valencia St. Furthermore, in April Kuk Sool Won of Visitacion Valley started holding martial arts lessons at their 189 Leland Avenue location. Open to students of all ages, the lessons are taught by Visitacion Valley resident and accomplished KSW Jorge Liberona.
The new martial arts studio is located near the Leland Ave. and Rutland St. intersection which will soon be home to Visitacion Valley’s new branch library. While the gorgeous new building won’t be ready to open until early 2011, this past year neighbors watched the new SFPL branch library break ground and erected. It’s 8,500 square feet footprint and skeleton is getting the attention of passers-by eager to enjoy the community room, outdoor courtyards, children & teen areas, and quite study lounges, not to mention all the new computers and books.
But Visitacion Valley isn’t waiting for the future to celebrate. This past September, the neighborhood had its most successful festival ever – the Leland Avenue Street Fair. Nearly 3,000 people packed the streets of downtown Visitacion Valley to visit booths from home grown artists, crafters, caterers, and service providers. There was a dedicated ‘Kids-Zone’ headed up by the San Francisco Urban Riders and Jumpstart who provided engaging youth activities while Pete Escovedo entertained the crowd from the main stage. The legendary Latin-jazz percussionist and his 6-piece band transformed the festival grounds into a dance party, headlining a great bill of musicians and performers.
Less than two months earlier, Robert Mondavi sponsored a sustainable gardening workshop on the breathtaking Visitacion Valley Greenway. The workshop included free sessions on composting, planting, maintenance techniques and demonstrations from a guest chef on how to cook fresh garden vegetables. Serving as the neighborhood’s top amenity, the Visitacion Valley Greenway is a true hidden gem in San Francisco. And as 2010 proved, the same is starting to be said about the Visitacion Valley neighborhood – your comeback neighborhood of the year.