Sunday, February 1st, 2009
Indie Mart doesn’t support American Apparel on Valencia Street
hiey there indie marters..
i rarely get political but on this one, i had to step in. american apparel is trying to open a store on 21st & valencia street. though i shop american apparel from time to time, lots of indie mart vendors and myself use them as a wholesaler for our blanks to silk screen and it’s a style fit for the mission for sure…but i am speaking out against them opening a retail location on valencia. in the end, it is a chain store, whose decisions are made by a board of directors. and i have yet to see them become a chain that stands out as being involved in their neighborhoods or be about anything but fast and dominating growth in the market. letting aggressive chains into neighborhoods often changes the landscape and effects local businesses, not always for the positive.
i have nothing against them besides getting annoyed with always seeing girls skanked out in thier ads and 17 year olds at the trade shows parading around in their short shorts acting like brainless bimbos….ANYWAY.
valencia street has become a creative, unique, locally fueled, involved and interesting street and destination for shopping, food, local culture and flair. it is not something that happened overnight, rad businesses like paxton gate, 826, delfina, bi-rite, bugaloos, ritual, lost weekend video, community thrift and etc, etc..have taken risks, gotten involved in the community, employed local folks and helped create the uniqueness of that area. as a former and long term resident of that area, as a local business owner in a similar neighborhood (divisadero corridor), as founder of the indie mart (hello, started in my yard at 25ht & guererro)…i gotta say letting aa on valencia will open up an opportunity for other chains to come along.
imagine of spork were a kfc again, delfina a pizza hut, ritual a starbucks, four barrel a dunkin donuts, paxton gate a spencers, community thrift a gap, you get the idea. the culture of food, local design, uniqueness and something different is what makes this neighborhood and why i pay a $13 cab ride to go eat and shop there. people need to speak out on this to protect local businesses and the culture of valencia. if people get involved, it can be shut down…check out batteries plus on divisadero last year, shut down. to get involved write letters and check out the site below more information and how you can get involved. i urge all of the indie mart designers and friends to do so, because many of you are vendors in these stores! this is the neighborhood that made me want to create the indie mart and then open a biz on divisadero where there also is an artistic and local flair growing on the street.
thanks, off my soapbox for now.
Here is the website:
http://stopamericanapparel.wordpress.com/
Here is a some press:
http://therumpus.net/2009/01/kron-covers-the-stop-american-apparel-campaign/
Here is where you (and everyone you know) write letters
Pilar LaValley
San Francisco Planning Department
Pilar.Lavalley@sfgov.org
Bevan Dufty
District 8 Supervisor
Bevan.Dufty@sfgov.org
David Campos
District 9 Supervisor
David.Campos@sfgov.org
Christina Olague
President of the SF Planning Commission
c_olague@yahoo.com
Lawrence B. Badiner
Zoning Administrator
San Francisco Planning Department
Larry.Badiner@sfgov.org
Gavin Newsom
Mayor of San Francisco
Gavin.Newsom@sfgov.org
Also cc linda.avery@sfgov.org.
She is the commission clerk and will ensure feedback gets to commissioners.
Finally, you can go to the hearing:
planning commission hearing February 5 at 2:30 in City Hall…GO!
