Not yet open as of this posting, but I thought some folks here might enjoy seeing the soon to be opened store in progress. 147 Clement Street, San Francisco. Walking distance from the Heroes Club and Park Life shops. Nice to see some Paul Kaiju coolness in the window. photo: The Richmond District Blog
That is cool! I see he also has a RxH cat in the window, I hope he stocks lots of Japanese vinyl. I have to make that a stop on one of my Cal train journeys to San Franciso.
I was wondering about this and why clement street. I know those shop spaces go pretty deep so it makes sense you could work there and have a stocked shop no problem.
Ha! I think your right! Mori did a two eye Fortune eel cat but I doubt he did a two eye with traditional style head.
You can see some of the process pictures of getting the shop ready on Frank's instagram. Alot of the work on the space he did himself. I find Frank's DIY/just-get-shit-done attitude very inspiring. Some people talk the talk, others just get shit done. I think it's a smart move and hope it does well.
It's a pretty awesome hardware store. As to why FK's opening shop on Clement, only he could say but as a speculation, it's one of the last parts of SF where the retail property values aren't yet ridiculously overpriced. There are a lot of longstanding neighborhood businesses there that make it a cool place to visit, but not completely over-the-top. Yet. Lots of great inexpensive eateries there, an excellent independent bookstore, amazing Asian markets, Irish bars, oldskool pizza places etc. Very smart location.
All this and the endless looking for a place to park when I use to go there to eat every week in the late 80's and early 90's. I always liked that part of town and thought maybe it was still much cheaper than a lot of other parts of the city. I didn't expect it for the tourists as I can't remember it ever being a tourist destination. It's a great place to shop right in the middle of a residential area and easy to get to by bus that's for sure.
Kozik told me... 1. - Its a few blocks from his house 2. - Paying for parking was expensive at his old studio 3. - Same or cheaper rent, cant remember right now 4. - Going to lunch doesnt involve dodging crack heads 5. - Food everywhere 6. - Larger with a whole basement of storage. 7. - Studio used to be a wood working shop, so lots of light and sound proofed.
^ What he said. I've lived in the Inner Richmond for nearly 25 years and Clement Street has always been our 'downtown'. I always wanted a spot on Clement, but it's pretty hard to get a decent one that's affordable and has the right combination of space for a studio, workshop and office…finally found the spot, its nicer than the old one and actually cheaper. I'm in heaven. The store will be open in like 3weeks or so. There will be monthly events and constant group shows etc. I keep an open studio policy so anyones welcome to drop by any time. 147 Clement.
