Because everyone wants to have their bangs trimmed in a motor vehicle, San Francisco is filling up fast with truck-based businesses that cater to more than our stomachs. That's right, foodless food trucks that instead sell flowers and haircuts are all the rage, according to a glowing profile of she-trucks in San Francisco Magazine:
Sarah LaShelle, owner of the Mission salon Pretty Parlor, and her partner Misty Briglia started taking their new beauty truck, which they dubbed Pretty Parlor a GoGo, to big tech companies such as Facebook and Google last fall, where they offer services to employees. “We’d been talking about how cool it would be to own a mobile salon and decided to give it a shot before somebody else did,” LaShelle said. “Once we made up our minds, we bought a truck on Craigslist the next day.” She and Briglia celebrated with tequila shots and coordinating tattoos. [...]
“It’s definitely a labor of love,” LaShelle said of the undertaking. “The generator weighs a ton, and we have to take it and out to charge it after every trip.” Even finding a space to park the truck in the city has proved a challenge. Yet the duo has pressed on, traveling to music festivals and teaming up with wineries and neighborhood businesses for events where they offer makeup, spray tanning, waxing, and occasionally nail art and hair braiding. “We get a lot of attention as cute girls driving a big truck,” LaShelle said.
Is rolling retail here to stay or just the next passing fad we'll all be over in 18 months? Either way, I'm pumped for the impending roll-out of the F.S.C. Barber Lifestyle Truck For Men.
We always knew that the people protesting basic freedoms outside of Valencia Street's Planned Parenthood were a bit unhinged, but their tantrum during last week's Board of Supervisor's meeting--when the board created a 25 foot protest-free "bubble" around the city's reproductive clinics--defies our already low opinion of them. The Examiner's Melissa Griffin caught the scene:
At the meeting, a number of anti-abortion activists came to register their opposition to the law, and while I usually listen to the meetings while doing other work, I stopped multitasking when the first activist said, “This is my daughter. She was born on April 22, much to the chagrin of my husband. April 20 — 4/20 — might have been more fun, living in San Francisco.”
So, yes, it started with drug humor and got worse. “I have a question for the supervisors and all the people present here. Have y’all heard of the Emancipation Proclamation?” said the next activist. “There was a time when, if I had the means and the desire, I could own slaves.”
Then, pointing to various supervisors, two of whom are black, she said, “I could own you. I could own you. I could — usually the black people — I could own them. Yes I could. You would belong to me.” She went on to say that eventually, we will all view abortion like slavery, as something we can’t believe we tolerated. At least that’s what I think she said. By that point, I had crawled completely under my desk.
Fortunately, the law passed.
[Examiner | Photo of a BACORR counter-protest by Steve Rhodes]
Here we go again: another spring, another police crackdown of apparently illegal activities in Dolores Park. Their annual dog and pony show of rounding up dealers and pushers and scolding the citizenry has become predictably routine, sadly. And it clearly accomplishes nothing. Alas, SFPD is busy dropping officers in the park while violent crimes remain unsolved.
But while we're not the least bit surprised SFPD has posted up in Dolores again, we cannot help but laugh at their recent bust of James "The Cold Water Guy" for selling bottled water. That's right, water. Water.
It was silly enough they had him arrested for flipping PBR for stupid prices last year, but come on. Who knew SFPD could be this petty.
[Thanks Jack for the tip!]
Previously on Uptown Almanac
Betabrand, Valencia's latest--and probably not last--purveyor of $225 smoking jackets, hosted their opening party last night. This morning, the critics branded it "retarded" and a "scam."
They also found a piece of chalk for some less weather-proof statements:
Previously on Uptown Almanac
In 15 seconds, 200 white people in banana suits dancing like they're at a Limp Bizkit concert will suddenly appear.After all the hoorah about Carnaval's troubles a couple months back, I decided to poke around their website to see how the festival was holding up. This is what I found:
This year’s theme is Carnaval Harlem Shake, with 8 city blocks in San Francisco’s Mission District bursting with music, dance, and exotic food from the many countries that celebrate Carnaval.
I was really pulling for a Grumpy Cat theme. What a let down.
Famed Latino queer bar (and all-around fantastic comedy venue) Esta Noche is in danger of closing. As they put it, "Last year the Board of Supervisors made changes to laws that can make it harder for small businesses to afford their permitting and license fees. Unfortunately, Esta Noche will have to pay for all their licenses in one bulk payment, which is already one month late." Now they have two weeks to pay off a $9,000 debt to the city or they won't be able to stay open.
Taking a page from Adobe Books' fundraising success, the 16th Street club has an Indiegogo campaign up and running. And on the 18th, "local queer DJs, drag performers, and politicians" will come together to party and fundraise for the venue.
Let's hope they pull it off, because the neighborhood probably doesn't need another Thieves bar...
[via Eater]
Grief not included.We know Kickstarter burn out and mistrust is at an all-time high, with Zach Braff and other doubtfully desperate artists pleading for money they already have. But this isn't that; this is The Secret Alley--the ever-necessary and adored workshop and community space sitting at Capp and 17th. Certainly you already familiar with their ping pong parties, movie nights, concerts, and halloween shows, and now they're looking to give their ground floor gallery some much needed love. Our friend and Secret Alley co-founder Ariel Dovas fills us in on their plans:
TSA has recently started a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter to renovate its downstairs gallery, The Galallery. This space, separate from the upstairs studio and workshop, has been host to many local talents over the years. In addition, the Galallery has been the home of TSA's annual Halloween-themed art shows and installations. 2012 saw a 12-foot-tall interactive deathray built by TSA members and hosted a surrounding art show with a doomsday theme. In 2013, TSA installed the crashed wreckage of a life-size flying saucer accompanied with creature sculptures, conspiracy paraphernalia, and alien animation and sound installation.
These renovations will include the installation of a new wood floor, custom designed to add to the already unique aesthetic sensibilities of TSA; a new, energy-efficient lighting system to allow for better, more professional lighting of artist works; and an overall patching and resurfacing of the existing walls and ceiling. Most all of the work will be done by current and past members of TSA. TSA is hoping that the humble fundraising goal of just over $6000 will be met within the next few weeks so construction can begin. This will allow the Galallery to open it's doors once again, to continue hosting some of the best, innovative, and underexposed artists, musicians, videographers, performers, and others the San Francisco Bay Area has to offer.
If this sounds like your kind of project, you can toss them a few bucks on Kickstarter. But do it quickly, because there is only a day and a half left.
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