The Chronicle’s new, exhaustive list of black-owned Bay Area restaurants is just one of many resources available to support minority-owned shops, eateries, and service providers.

You’re surely aware of and heartbroken over the triple-tragedy affecting small businesses nationwide, and particularly black-owned businesses: the decimation of business caused by nearly three months of shelter-in-place orders, the emotional toll of seeing George Floyd killed at the hands of police, and the monumental property damage from the resulting civic unrest.  These are all complicated matters that may take years to resolve, but one simple way to foster the healing is to just buy from local, black-owned small businesses. A ton of resources to this end have popped up or gained popularity over the last week, and we’ve listed as many as possible in this post. Keep in mind you may be able to dine there in person too, effective June 15 in San Francisco, when Phase 2.5 of the city's reopening will allow limited outdoor dining.

The one that’s really taken off is Chronicle food critic Soleil Ho’s list of black-owned restaurants and pop-ups in the Bay Area Google Sheet. That list is free for anyone to view, though its quick executive summary is behind the Chronicle subscription paywall. The Google Sheet version lists nearly 300 black-owned restaurants in San Francisco, Oakland, and the greater East Bay. It also lists their websites, phone numbers (the real numbers, not the fake GrubHub scam phone numbers) and whether they’re currently doing take-out, delivery, or catering.

Eater SF expands on this list to include Berkeleyside’s aggregated black-owned eateries in Berkeley and Oakland open for takeout, and a similar Bay Area News Group list of Black-owned restaurants in the South Bay and Oakland.

Eater SF also directs us to the Bay Area Organization of Black Owned Businesses directory, which is a national list but does include the Bay Area, and is available as a download if you submit your name and email. It covers not only restaurants, but other types of small businesses and nonprofits.

Because there’s more to life than just food. Several dedicated apps and websites can pull up the Black-owned small business near you, whether you’re looking for retail goods, specialized services, or entertainment. The app EatOkra serves as a guide to black-owned restaurants near you, and is a richer smartphone experience than all the above lists. WeBuyBlack is an online marketplace to buy directly from Black-owned retailers, and right now it’s booming with hard-to-find items like masks, hand sanitizer, and bleach cleaning products. And Official Black Wall Street functions as both an online directory and smartphone app that sends you push notifications when you’re near a black-owned business, and covers a whole range of niche services like accounting, fitness studios, or whatever Phase 3 activity you may wish to engage in again some ten days from now.

Related: Site Launches To Make It Easier To Support Local Restaurants Through Gift Cards; Nightclubs Look To Crowdfunding [SFist]

Image: Flavas Jamaican Grill, Trois C. via Yelp

One of the more curious aspects to Amazon’s wholesale slaughter of the brick-and-mortar retail book industry is Amazon’s apparent desire to revive the brick-and-mortar retail book industry. To that end, the Bay Area is about to join Seattle, Portland and San Diego in getting a physical Amazon retail location, as the San Francisco Business Times reports that a permanent Amazon book store is coming to the Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek.

It will apparently be an Amazon Books store, according to a store page which is already up and running on the Broadway Plaza website.

This is technically not the Bay Area’s first-ever Amazon retail store. The UC Berkeley campus has an Amazon store, though it is more of a package pick-up and flatscreen TV lounge than a retail store. Additionally, there is an Amazon pop-up store in the Westfield Mall downtown that recently reopened after a remodel. But neither of these has the firepower of fully operational retail station in line with Amazon’s vision for a bookstore-slash-showroom, with shelves of books plus usable display models of Amazon Kindles, Echos, and the numerous Amazon products all redundantly called Fire.

Eater also notes that the Walnut Creek Amazon store will have a cafe, will be a roughly 6,500-square foot space, and is tabbed with an opening date of August 2017. The location is 1259 Broadway Plaza, in a space previously occupied by the shoes-and-handbags retailer Coach.

Do not scoff that Amazon’s store will be way out in Walnut Creek, as that suburb is an emerging luxury market. The East Bay Times notes that “Annual rental rates in downtown Walnut Creek averaged between $30 and $90 per square foot at the end of 2016, according to John Cumbelich and Associates, a Walnut Creek commercial real estate firm. Rents in Broadway Plaza, where Amazon will set up shop, are between $80 and $140 per square foot.”

It does not appear this Amazon store will incorporate any part of their Whole Foods acquisition. But if there are too many boxes in your cardboard recycling, perhaps this all merits a trip out to Walnut Creek.

Related: Amazon Echo Gets Porn-y Real Quick When Child Asks For A Song

After a holiday season that left major retail chains reeling with disappointment, department store giants Macy's, Sears, and Kmart have announced a massive wave of real estate sales, closures and shutdowns, including one high-visibility closure in San Francisco.

It's no new news that department stores have struggled for a while, with a reported failure to adapt to current shopping trends causing losses quarter after quarter. This week, we're seeing the result of those losses, as 108 Kmart locations and 42 Sears locations announced closures Wednesday.

Though the few remaining Bay Area Kmart and Sears locations are untouched by this round of cuts, another floundering company's issues will have an impact on local shoppers, as Macy's also announced the closure of 68 stores and the loss of 10,000 jobs Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. As part of that reorganization, the SF Business Times reports, Macy's will be selling its Stonestown Galleria store to the San Francisco mall's operator, General Growth Properties.

That doesn't mean that the store will close right away, the AP reports, as they will "will lease back the Stonestown location for an undisclosed amount of time" until making way for a new tenant. So, a shuttering looms, but no one knows or is saying when, a cloud of certain doom sure to make the already fraught and spooky experience of shopping the deserted, messy, and oft-strange-smelling store all the more pleasant.

CNBC reports that "Macy's comparable sales fell 2.1 percent in November and December." The layoffs and closures are expected to "save the company an estimated $550 million a year starting in 2017. The company will use these proceeds to invest an additional $250 million in its digital business, as well as the growth of its Bluemercury beauty shops, Macy's Backstage off-price stores, and China," CNBC reports.

According to a press release sent by Macy's, closures and sales like this one are expected to "focus resources on strategic priorities, improve organizational agility and reduce expense" and the sale of the Stonestown property (and others) is "consistent with the previously announced real estate strategy."

It's still unknown what's next for the 280,000-square-foot Stonestown space Macy's will at some point vacate. When contacted by the Business Times, a General Growth spokesperson refused to comment specifically on their plans, but said "We have redeveloped, and are currently redeveloping, over 100 former anchor and big box sites throughout our portfolio over the past 5 years. The Macy's at Stonestown represents a further opportunity for us to add value to the property."

As previously reported, Macy's also sold its Union Square Men's Store, in a November deal with Morgan Stanley worth an estimated $250 million. The company says they will continue to lease the 120 Stockton Street property back from its new landlord for the next two years, as their main store is reconfigured to accomodate the men's department. That is, assuming that by the end of 2018 any department stores remain at all.

Previously: Macy's To Shutter Its Union Square Men's Store

"We've been planning a LONG time for this," exclaimed Erez Morag. The 31-year old San Franciscan was one of the first in line to check out the new Lego Store at the Westfield Shopping Center, and he's an active member in BayLUG (Bay Area Lego Users Group). Morag could barely contain his genuine excitement as he and his fellow BayLUG members guided me through the store. He looked around and beamed, "I am so thrilled about this."

Lego opened their 1,660-square foot store today in the space formerly occupied by the forgettable San Francisco Sports Store, just across from the Sunglass Hut. While the Bay Area is home to three other Lego stores already (Pleasanton, San Mateo, and Santa Clara), this first San Francisco outpost is a big deal, especially to AFOLs (Adult Fans of Lego.)

Part of this new store's draw for these Lego superfans are this weekend's special events and giveaways. Shoppers who spend $50 on Friday get a free Lego backpack, but the AFOLs are planning on making their big purchases on Saturday, where a $99 purchase nets an exclusive Lego Store Set. $50 purchases on Sunday come with a special mini-figure set.

The store features interactive components, like a video screen which allows shoppers to scan a Lego box and then watch themselves holding an animated version of the set as it comes to life. There's also a floor-to-ceiling "Pick-A-Brick" wall where builders can select the exact Lego piece they need, and a kiosk of various Lego figure body parts, where custom characters can be created. (Please see my cat lady in the photo gallery. I'm very proud of her.)

Master Builder Chris Steininger is also in attendance all weekend, helping the public build a large scale Ninjago Lego figure on the second floor in front of J. Crew. Anyone is welcome to pitch in and assemble parts of the figure at tables adorned with choking hazard signs.

Steininger is one of only eight official Master Builders, having worked his way up from "Model Gluer Trainee" to follow in his father's footsteps. The Steiningers are the only father-son Lego Master family and are rightly regarded as celebrities in the Lego community. Once he left the store opening, Steininger headed up to the large-scale build on the second floor where excited kids and even more excited adults waited to pose for pictures with him.

"I've been here since 25 to 5!" announced Dave Townsend (meaning 4:35 a.m.). Townsend made the pre-dawn trip from his home in Crockett after doing a reconnaissance mission yesterday. "I'm a Lego freak!"

"I never figured myself as a sculptor," confessed kind-eyed artist and AFOL Robert Campbell, "until Lego came along." A member of BayLUG, Campbell was the first of his friends to read that the Lego Store would finally be coming to San Francisco. He laughed, "My wallet went, 'uh oh.'"

Once the thrill of opening weekend is over, the Lego store insists the fun will continue with regularly scheduled builds and special events. "We generally have a good relationship with the people at the Lego Stores," explained Morag of AFOLs. "There's a mutual respect."

Morag's Lego-based joie-de-vivre is endearing and contagious. As we chatted, various BayLUG members and AFOLs came up to show me iPhone pictures of their Lego masterpieces, drag me over to check out their dream set, or explain what they love most about Lego. They all seem to possess the most important quality in any quirky group of passionate people: a healthy sense of humor. Perhaps my favorite of the many Lego t-shirts in attendance was the gentleman sporting the cast of "FRIENDS" in Lego figures.

"It's such a boost to your confidence and pride," said Morag of his passion for Legos. "Plus, it's just so much fun."

Related: Half Moon Bay Rolls Out The Pink Carpet For Dunkin' Donuts

Union Square shoppers will soon have to walk a few steps further to partake in that special kind of fast fashion you can only get at Forever 21, as the company's massive Powell Street location is reportedly closing its doors.

Hoodline reports that the Forever 21 at the Powell and Market cable car turnaround will shut its doors as of August 2. That's the same location that made headlines two weeks ago after a shoplifting-related brawl in which a suspect allegedly attempted to assault a San Francisco Police Department officer before she was pepper sprayed.

As of August, however, shoppers and shoplifters won't be able to do their business at the chain's Powell and Market location, known to old-timers as the Bank of America building (and to even older-timers as one of the locations of the Bank of Italy). Instead, they'll have to hoof it up to the retailer's other location at Stockton and Market, in the old Virgin Megastore.

In 2010, a Forever 21 spokesperson told the SF Business Times that “Due to the success of our 1 Powell store, we needed a more expansive shopping environment,” hence the second Union Square location.

It's unclear how the company's fortunes have changed since then — as a private company, Forever 21 hasn't released its financials since 2008 — but one can always hope that shoppers are starting to mull the global costs of fast fashion and are making purchasing decisions to reflect such considerations.

Hoodline reports that "there's no indication" of who might take over the three-floor, 30,000 square foot retail space. What would you like to see the space become?

It may surprise you to learn that San Francisco doesn't have a dedicated Warby Parker eyeglass retail store. Or didn't, until now: Next Tuesday, one is opening at 357 Hayes Street.

"Surrounded by independent bookstores (score!) and coffee shops (double score!), we’re so happy to be setting up shop here," says a release from the eyeglass maker. Expect library-inspired bookcases, wood floors, periodicals like n+1, and murals from Lab Partners. "Look closely and you might spot Cafe Trieste, the Mechanics’ Institute Library, City Hall, or even the Tamale Lady," they say of the forthcoming art.

Staff will sport 60's-style uniforms and French work jackets a la Bill Cunningham, and special sunglasses "inspired by San Francisco's sunny days" will be on offer.

Warby Parker carved out a niche with its online business, selling relatively inexpensive but stylish frames and offering an at-home try-on service. This will be the 11th brick and mortar location for the company — meaning they get in just under the wire of the neighborhood's formula retail ban. In the past few years, they've sold glasses at hip local spots like The Perish Trust and at a pop-up school bus last year.

Warby Parker stores sell an average of $3,000 per square foot per year, as reports the WSJ. Is that more or less than Hayes Valley real estate is going for now?

Lots of holiday cheer and zero cars or cranes will occupy two blocks of Stockton Street in the Union Square shopping district this season. Construction for the new Central Subway project (coming soon in 2019) looks to be complete between Geary and Ellis, where today a redditor grabbed this picture and wondered "So, I guess post-construction, Stockton doesn't exist anymore..."

For the moment, they're right: The street will be “an inviting open plaza in the heart of Union Square” reads the cheery copy for Winter Walk, running from November 28th to New Year's day. Caroling is included, and so is Off The Grid, who will be around for lunch and dinner every other day of the week.

While closed to cars in 2011 but open to buses, taxis, bikes and pedestrians, Streetsblog reports that retailers on Stockton saw a boost in business. Construction in past years, however, has had the opposite effect.

Who knows: if the plaza is a pedestrian hit, perhaps it could endure year-round? After all, that does appear to be durable astroturf, making it a great spot for sit-ins like the ones at the Beach Chalet soccer fields last week.

It seems like everyone in SF has an opinion on thrift store shopping, from "that's how I spend my weekends," to "there's no good thrift store shopping in San Francisco, you need to go to Idaho or something," to "I have a gazillion dollars in Twitter stock, I don't need to buy things that have been used." But everyone, even that last guy, likely agrees that $2 is pretty cheap for a wearable item of clothing—but that's all you'll be spending today and Saturday at any San Francisco "neighborhood" Goodwill store.

According to the press release sent to SFist, shoppers are promised "one-of-a-kind, new arrival fashion finds from today’s most popular brands" (excluding items with pink, red or "vintage" tags) for $2 all day today and tomorrow at their stores at:

1580 Mission St.
2279 Mission St.
4631 Mission St.
3801 3rd St.
820 Clement St.
1669 Fillmore St. (an SFist fave)
822 Geary St.
1700 Haight St.

If you noticed that two local Goodwill stores were missing from that list, you're right: their stores in the Sunset (400 Irving St.) and West Portal (61 W. Portal Ave.) are apparently "boutique" stores, where all clothing items will be 50% off Friday and Saturday.

The latter deal's way more hit or miss, so if you're short on time, I suggest that you skip the boutiques and go straight for the $2 stores. And if you can't make it this week, don't stress too hard, as this isn't the first time they've had this sale, and it won't be the last.

All the money you spend this weekend or any other day at Goodwill will go to their programs to fight poverty, giving you a self-righteous do-gooder glow in addition to your bargain duds. So have fun, and, please, learn from my high-school-era mistake: wash before you wear.

Store hours differ, you can see a list of locations and hours here.

Remember the good old shopping days of SF? No, we're not talking about when Valencia wasn't home to multiple places selling $300+ shoes, we're talking about the golden era of San Francisco department stores, almost all of which are lost to the sands of time.

But not completely lost! Not if the San Francisco History Association has anything to say about it. And they'll have plenty to say about it tonight, when Therese Poletti, local journalist and author of Art Deco San Francisco will "present a brief history of SF’s merchant princes and princesses and the department stores they founded."

Poletti is expected to cover once grand San Francisco institutions like "The Emporium, Roos Brothers, City of Paris, Hastings, H. Liebes, I. Magnin, Joseph Magnin, Ransohoff’s, O’Connor Moffett (now Macy’s), and Gump’s."

According to the History Association, this Poletti will discuss "the stores’ founders and specialties, the architecture and grand interiors, as well as the death of the family-owned department store."

Just think, after this event you might finally get some of the references in Carl Nolte's columns for the Chronicle! That might be worth the trip, alone.

What: Grand Emporiums of Old San Francisco
When: Doors open at 7 PM, program begins 7:45 PM
Where: St. Philip's Church, 725 Diamond Street (between Elizabeth Street & 24th Street)
Cost: $5, paid at the door

Have an event you think might be good for SFist Tonight? Send it over to events@sfist.com.

Over in the city's elite Mission District, rue de la Valencia might play host to a couple of chain stores. (Heh.) According to Mission Local, two retailers hawking widely-available goods might worm their way into the precious D9 lifestyle. Aesop, an Australian perfume shop, which sounds perfect because scents are glorious and you probably stink, and San Francisco belt-buckle messenger bag company, Chrome Industries, last seen on your bearded friend who rides a Public Bike to work.

In a lengthy article, Mission Local notes:

Aesop and Chrome plan to move into 956 Valencia St. — between 20th and 21st, next door to Mission Creek Café — which has been vacant since July when The Touch, a furniture store, moved to Mission Street after the landlord tripled the rent. This week, the store was vacant with construction workers inside. The Valencia property owner, a limited liability company named after the building’s address, didn’t respond to an email.

It’s unclear how Valencia merchants will react to Chrome, a San Francisco-founded company known for its American-made messenger bags selling for $80 to $200 and cycling accessories. Its merchandise is already carried by Mission Bicycle, the general manager of which was one of the main opponents of Jack Space.

According to Aesop spokesperson, Victoria Del Ric, they're not trying to gentrify the neighborhood. (Too late.) "We like to have small stores that go with the neighborhood," she goes on to tell ML.

Also, Chrome isn't really a chain, right? They have a few locations, but definitely not 11. However, it could be on its way to becoming a chain store since that's typically the goal of small formula retail businesses. Maybe there's some sort of Minority Report-like program for stores perceived as getting too big for their britches? That would be horrifying.

Anyway, when Jack Spade tried moving in on the boutique street of choice earlier this year, organized protesters managed to get the company out of the neighborhood. Understandably so. Residents should have a right to say what pops up in their hood. (Also, for bizarre reasons, new Missionites like to outwardly pretend they have little money. Sporting a Dipped York Brief at Papalote stands in direct opposition to the socioeconomic posturing for which San Francisco's Little Brooklyn is infamous. Shhh.)

[Mission Local]
[Uptown Almanac]

About a month after news broke that Google's mystery barge in the San Francisco Bay was more like a fancy Google sailboat, a few more details have emerged about the floating heap loaded with shipping containers and embellished with faux-sails. According to the ship's builder, the vessel is officially a buoyed retail store. Google, however, remains coy about the barge's purpose.

In earlier reports submitted to the Port of San Francisco, the ship's builders at Turner Construction Company described the vessel as a "studio" or "temporary technology exhibit space" — as though the barge could be used for learning about something remotely educational instead of just a demo space where the company's reps can evangelize Google Glass. In a telling quote, Mirian Saez, director of operations of the Treasure Island Development Authority, explains that Google reps told her that "this would be an important opportunity for the launching" of Google Glass, expected to become available to more users next year.

As we noted last month, the barge seems like a convenient way to circumvent San Francisco's pesky planning process while at the same time captivating an audience of curious onlookers. An executive from the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, which will need to approve the project before it can park anywhere in the bay, told the Chronicle's Matier and Ross that a retail store probably won't float by the commission too easily.

Regardless of its purpose, the barge is huge: it stands about four stories tall, contains 80 shipping containers total and will eventually extend its size even further via decorative sails. That likely won't go over well with the various San Francisco interest groups who make it their goal to protect waterfront views along the bay and are still reeling that slap in the face from Larry Ellison and the America's Cup. (For comparison, the tallest structure built in the A-Cup village was two shipping containers stacked on top of each other. Google's barge appears to be four or five containers high.) In addition to the San Francisco barge, Turner Construction claims to be building similar vessels for use in New York and L.A.

Google's lawyers, meanwhile, are still trying to keep everyone in a fog about the project. The company told the Chronicle over email, "While we have explored many ideas in the past around the barges, our current plan, as we've stated before, is to use them as an interactive space where people can learn about new technology."

Our prediction? Google will try to win over skeptics by selling the barge as "an interactive space" for learning, just one where most of the "learning" will be about why you should want to put a computer on your face.

Previously: The Mysterious Google Barge Is Now The Fancy Google Sailboat
[Chron]

Do you procrastinate until the end of December, hoping against hope that a natural disaster will save you from holiday gift-giving duties? Conquer your crippling shopping phobia with the San Francisco Bazaar, an independent art and craft festival that boasts over 200 local venders to answer every gift-giving challenge in the books.

Next weekend, browse the stalls for everything from art, ceramics, cocktail accessories and knitted everything to soap and skincare, chocolate, jewelry and, for the hardest-to-shop for-dudes in your life, this magnetic bottle opener. A DIY section will provide relief from shopping (and distract children) with cards, jewelry and screen printing, and a special gift-wrap station will leave you with nothing to do before December 25th but deal with an endless brigade of festive social engagements (note: stock up on Tums and Advil now).

Now in its seventh year, the SF Bazaar is also showcasing local nonprofits like La Cocina, the San Francisco Public Library, the Crucible and SF Youth Employment Coalition with booths at the show. And with a staunchly "shop local" mission, any money you spend here will go to support Bay Area artisans and designers, which should help erase residual guilt from any and all involvement in the 1996 Tickle Me Elmo stampede.

SF Bazaar
Concourse Exhibition Center’s East Hall
December 7th and 8th, 11am to 6pm