Bummer

Bummer

Borderlands Books to Close by End Of March

— By Jack Morse (@jmorse_) |

Citing a projected inability to keep up with future operating costs, Borderlands Books has announced it will close “no later than March 31st” of this year. From the Borderlands’ blog:

At the beginning of 2014, the future of the business looked, if not rosy, at least stable and very positive.  We were not in debt, sales were meeting expenses and even allowing a small profit, and, perhaps most importantly, the staff and procedures at both the bookstore and the cafe were well established and working smoothly.

So it fills us with sorrow and horror to say that we will be closing very soon.

The blog post pegs the inability of Borderlands to set the price of its books as the main culprit behind the closure. This is because unlike the cafe attached to the bookstore, which will remain open for the foreseeable future, Borderlands is unable to determine the price of the product it sells. Again, from the Borderlands’ blog:

 The cafe side of Borderlands, for example, should have no difficulty at all.  Viability is simply a matter of increasing prices.  And, since all the other cafes in the city will be under the same pressure, all the prices will float upwards.  But books are a special case because the price is set by the publisher and printed on the book. 

Having established that Borderlands is unable to raise the price of its books in order to offset increased operating costs, the announcement still then frustratingly moves to cast blame on the voter approved increase to the minimum wage. Stating that while Borderlands “support[s] the concept of a living wage in principal […] Borderlands Books as it exists is not a financially viable business if subject to” the 2018 minimum wage.

The San Francisco minimum wage, which currently sits at $11.05 per hour, is set to follow the path taken by Seattle and incrementally increase to $15.00 per hour by 2018. Borderlands goes on to state that although the “effects of the increasing minimum wage won’t be felt for a while,” closing now just “makes better business sense.” 

It should be noted that while the planned closure appears final, a February 12th, 7pm meeting will be held at the cafe to discuss any “alternatives to closing the store.”

[Photo: bubbletea1]

Bummer

Hamburger Eyes Photo Epicenter Packing Up, Might Reopen Elsewhere

— By Jack Morse (@jmorse_) |

Hamburger Eyes Photo Epicenter, the photography studio space that grew out of the Hamburger Eyes magazine, will close by the end of the year. The Epicenter provided “a centrally located hub of all things photographic” and offered black and white/color darkrooms, zine production and photography workshops, as well as a spot for artists to sell zines, tee-shirts, books, and photography. 

Capp Street Crap reports:

In yet another blow to the arts in the Mission, darkroom and studio space Hamburger Eyes Photo Epicenter is closing its doors – at least for the time being.

On Lilac Street, near 24th and Mission, the photography collective will close in the next few weeks or so, according to manager Ray Potes, who spent the weekend selling off frames, photos, darkroom equipment and other surplus items. Potes didn’t want to go into detail about why the business was leaving but said he hopes to reopen elsewhere in the future.

“Basically, our lease was up,” he said. “It was time for us to move. That’s all I feel comfortable saying.”

Fortunately, the Hamburger Eyes magazine will continue to publish.

[Photo: Capp Street Crap]

Bummer

Sunflower Has Closed, And Is Potentially Out of Business

— By Jack Morse (@jmorse_) |

Sunflower, the Vietnamese restaurant located on Valencia at 16th, has long been a go-to spot for affordable eats on what has become an otherwise expensive restaurant row. Now it looks like they’re in trouble.

SF Eater reports:

Sunflower is mysteriously shuttered, with only a sign on the door reading “We are closed until further notice. Sorry for the inconvenience.” A call placed to the restaurant was answered by a voicemail box with an identical message. A staffer at Sunflower’s sister location in Potrero Hill, which remains open, refused to comment on why the Mission location was closed, or when it might reopen.

The closure is even more curious when considering Sunflower is (was?) in the process of opening a vegetarian restaurant next door to their Valencia location. Eater speculates that escalate rents might be to blame, but there’s no way to know.

We can only hope that this is not just the latest example of affordable and well-loved spots being priced off of Valencia Street.

Update: It has been suggested that they have closed for renovations, specifically to make the restaurant ADA compliant. However, there are no building permits on file for any such construction—something that would be necessary for renovations to take place. There are also no active complaints on file for the restaurant. We’ll update as we learn more.

[SF Eater]