Last Friday Upper Haight Monthly Salon

Friday, April 24th, 2009 marked the beginning of the Upper Haight Monthly Salon. Over 20 merchants participated by hosting a special event in their shops between the hours of 5pm -9pm. There were a lot of pedestrians strolling the street enjoying the various offerings along the way. Aqua Surf Shop had art in action. While visitors sipped Mai Tai's and nibbled cheese, they could watch a large canvas being transformed into an abstract painting. A live DJ completed the scene. DJ's were also spinning at other venues including Buffalo Exhange and CoCoLuxe. There were live performances at Soul Patch Tattoo, Mendel's Far Out Fabric and Art, and the Red Vic Peace Center. After playing in the cool wind for a while, the Jugtown Pirates were offered a space at the Peoples Cafe. If you stopped into the PureBeauty shop, you could walk away with a goodie bag of samples. Dollhouse Betty not only gave out wonderful tealights made with coconut essential oils (after the oiled wax melts, you use it to massage someone special,) but they also had a window tableau complete with a beautiful live model. Outside the window, an adorable young lady played accordian (which is the official instrument of San Francisco.) There were many exhibits of artwork by local artists, and OffBeat on Haight had some trunk shows set up. Paul Madonna met the public at the Booksmith politely talking about his style of capturing the city and signing his book "All Over Coffee." A small sampling of his work was on exhibit in the window. Coffee to the People also had some great art and the "photo booth" was a hoot - a fun idea. Other shops offered special discounts for the evening. I am sure that I am leaving a lot out...you just have to attend the next salon on the last Friday of the month to explore for yourself. There was a pleasant party atmosphere on the street and I personally enjoyed running into friends and neighbors as we explored the varied shops that make the Upper Haight corridor so special.

Acknowledgment must go to the good folks at Buffalo Exchange - in particular, Kate Morrow. They had the idea, energy, and organization to pull this event together. Congratulations on a successful endeavor. Let the good times roll.

May 9 Community Clean-Up

Much gratitude should be expressed to all the participants of the community clean-up. What a successful event it was! Most of the poles and garbage cans along Haight Street from Masonic to Stanyan received a face lift. Stickers were removed from signs and the flyers on the poles came down to allow a fresh coat of paint to be applied. This was a wonderful opportunity for folks to get to know one another better. The picnic afterwards was a wonderful way to relax and socialize further.

I personally was riding a high after the event. So many different factions of the community had joined together to beautify the street. An amazing amount of work was accomplished. It was inspiring to see how much can be done when so many come together.

On Sunday morning, the street ,for the most part, had remained sparkling and pristine. What a welcome sight!

The idea was born after a panel presentation at the Booksmith about homeless youth. Karen Growney, a HAIA member, helped coordinate the cleanup with the help from DPW, Vallie Brown in Supervisor Mirkarimi's office, and the homeless youth service providers: HYA, Larkin Street, and Huckleberry House. Three neighborhood organizations, HAIA, CVIA, HANC, gave donations and assistance to the effort as well. A special thanks goes to Escape from NY for the donation of the delicious pizzas. The biggest "thank you" goes to all those who participated and helped.

There was a lot of enthusiasm for another community clean-up...perhaps in August. Stay tuned and involved.