Mission Creek Cafe, which left its storefront at 968 Valencia in January, will be missed for its free wifi, cheap coffee, copious outlets, and fault-finding employees who took every opportunity to scream at perceived rudeness or non-payment from customers. Admittedly, these customers were a sometimes rude and always eccentric bunch themselves.

But as apparel shops like Azealia and Chrome opened on the block and Ritual took root down the street, the writing was on the wall. Now that reads Benny Gold: The longtime 16th Street skate-inspired apparel shop from local graphic designer Benny Weiner was hit with a rent increase at its previous location and packed its bags for Valencia where it's softly open while under construction.

As he quipped to the Chronicle this summer, “if I’m going to pay Valencia prices, I might as well be on Valencia.” Benny Gold's first sales at its new spot were made last week on Black Friday, and the store will be open intermittently until a grand opening sometime in January, Weiner tells SFist.

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Caleb Pershan/SFist

The re-done space will serve coffee and tea in front, and Weiner envisions a spot for aspiring brand owners and creative types to lounge and generate ideas. Expect office hours with him, for example.

Benny Gold has been around since 2003 when Weiner put his first T-shirt in a store. Then, in 2010, Weiner quit his full-time job as a graphic designer, working within the skate industry and for such companies as Four Barrel, to pursue the brand. Of his connection to skating, says Weiner, I moved here for skateboarding in the '90s, and I still skateboard regularly and consider myself part of the community. But [Benny Gold] is more of a menswear brand with roots in skateboarding, because it's always been my passion. We're far from a skate shop, you can't put a board together here."

You can still assemble a nice outfit or dream up your own creative pursuit there — for now, just pop in when the door's open.

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Caleb Pershan/SFist

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