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.

If you've been following the news lately, San Francisco is a city that doesn't care much for chain stores. We prefer local. And although the recent economic boom has pushed out many stores and institutions, some still remain decades later. Here are 10 classic San Francisco stores that SFist writers adore.

Amoeba Records
Located in a converted bowling alley on Haight Street, Amoeba is a punky beacon in an age when most listeners spend their monthly allowance on streaming music instead of new records. Racks stacked with new and used vinyl keep expanding the collections of die hard analog fans and free live shows keep the Haight spirit alive. When you finally decide to unload your physical media, the good folks at Amoeba will gladly take it off your hands. — Andrew Dalton

1855 Haight Street (at Stanyan)

Cable Car Clothiers
As haberdashery comes back into vogue, Cable Car Clothiers is capitalizing on their heritage brands, in-house barber shop and shoeshine. But make no mistake, the shop has been a family business importing fine British goods since 1939. — Andrew Dalton

110 Sutter Street (at Montgomery)

City Lights Books
City Lights was there when the beat era snapped its way into the literary conscious, and today stands strong as San Francisco's epicenter of text put to paper. Founded in 1953 by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter D. Martin, the independent bookstore and publisher specializes in world literature, the arts, and progressive politics. — Brock Keeling

261 Columbus (at Broadway)

Cliff's Variety
Part hardware store, part home furnishings, part drag emporium, Cliff's Variety has been going strong for decades in the heart of the Castro, providing queens and lesbians alike with light bulbs, wigs, french presses, caulking guns, spoons, toys, super glue, and other assorted items for home improvement. — Brock Keeling

479 Castro (at 18th Street)

Good Vibrations
When Joani Blank first opened the Good Vibrations retail store in 1977, she may not have had an idea that she was starting a whole new kind of sexual revolution. Since that day, Good Vibrations has served a San Francisco's premier sex toy and accessories outlet. But while "sex shop" conjures visions of sleazy roadside pit stops, Good Vibrations is like the warm, welcoming, and well-lit bookstore of the sex toy retail world. Expect outstanding selection, educational opportunities galore, and friendly, professional service that well help you get on your way to getting off in no time. — Rose Garrett

603 Valencia (at 17th Street); 1620 Polk Street (at Sacramento); 899 Mission (at 5th Street)

The magic and wonder of Gump's. (Photo: W.L. / Yelp)

Gump's
Long before Pier One Imports and CostPlus World Market, there was Gump's. This is where tourists and well-to-do locals came to find unique serving platters from the Orient, jade and porcelain tchotchkes, and cool pieces of Asian furniture. The place has been going strong since 1861, and the brand is now synonymous with high-end, Japanese and Chinese-style jewelry, dinnerware, and objects, but everything comes with a pretty hefty markup, so it's always a little bit anxiety-inducing to see when somebody's registered here. — Jay Barmann

135 Post (at Kearny)

Mr. S Leather [NSFW!!]
So, it's Tuesday, and you need a straight-jacket. Or a cock ring. Or a leather harness to wear to a mixer. Look no further than S.F.'s own Mr. S Leather, which is one the nation's premiere manufacturers and suppliers of leather and bondage gear. The SoMa institution is still going strong serving their niche market, and now with an online presence they can sell their sex toys and rope restraints far and wide. You don't get more San Francisco than this, folks. And the half million people who traipsed through Folsom Street Fair the other week are helping this place thrive year in and year out. — Jay Barmann

385 8th Street (at Folsom)

Paxton Gate
One of the newer "classic" S.F. retailers is this Valencia Street stalwart, opened in 1992. Paxton Gate represents the epitome of the modern, eclectic, Edison-bulb-laden, Museum of Jurassic Technology-esque style of decor, complete with humane taxidermy, skulls, air plants, mounted magnifying glasses, and insects in amber. The inspiration for the place came from the passions of two landscape designers for the natural sciences, and the store evokes a mood and a specific "offbeat" era in aesthetics like few others. Also, kids love the place so much that they had to open their own kids' store next door, replete with old-timey wooden toys and puzzles. — Jay Barmann

824 Valencia (at 19th Street)

Iconic legs atop Piedmont Boutique in Haight. (Photo: Kimberly Panian)

Piedmont Boutique
Another standout among the tie-dye vendors and headshops in the Upper Haight. There is simply no better selection of feather boas on the West Coast. — Andrew Dalton

1452 Haight (at Ashbury)

Wilkes Bashford
We've never actually shopped here, but it's where Willie Brown gets all his hats. — Andrew Dalton

375 Sutter (at Stockton)

Moms. They're fantastic. And they just want you to be safe. Take, for example, Ofelia Gomez of San Lorenzo, who camped out in front of the new Pink Dolphin store location on Haight Street for two nights so that her son, Christian Gonzalez, 16, could be first in line for the store's grand opening.

"We came Thursday night to see the scene and we have been here waiting since Friday morning at 8 am. I am here because my son loves the brand and I wanted him to be safe," Gomez told the store's PR ilk. She parked in front of the store so she could watch over her son while he kept his spot in line. She slept in the back seat during the night.

Your editor, who came across the massive line outside Pink Dolphin, spotted a queue the leaned heavily toward young teens and a mix of ethnicities. A refreshing change compared to the types who, no matter the wait, will line up for Sriracha ramen mole cupcakes or whatever the latest food trend is.

Anyway, the reason for the line was that Pink Dolphin — owned by Neima Khaila and Cena Barhaghi, who are from the Bay Area, and only 25 and 22, respectively — released a collection of limited edition hats, hoodies, shirts that were only available in store. Here are some pics of the scene and the store.

Pink Dolphin: 1431 Haight, San Francisco

Billed as the first-ever stand alone retail store in Hayes Valley, AETHERsf is a concept store constructed from three black 8' x 9.6' x 40' shipping containers. They're stacked together and feature a custom glass-encased cantilevered lounge, reclaimed oak floors, and a third floor conveyor system.

It's sleek, modern, gorgeous -- a perfect example of prefab. Wish we could see more of it in the city. Conceived by architectural firm A+D to lead the project, AETHERsf kicks off tonight with an opening night party.

Store hours: Tuessay-Saturday 11-7; Sunday 11-6; closed Mondays.

AETHERsf: 432 Octavia (at Hayes), SF; 415-437-2345

Photo by Troy Holden.

Cats who call liquor stores or corner stores in the Bay Area home have a special place in our hearts, and rightfully so. They look cute lounging on dusty boxes of Vienna Sausages that no one buys, but they also protect the store from rodents that crawl around and into the store after it closes. Pictured here is one little fella guarding the carob chips and arrowroot at a store in the Lower Haight. He's also watching to see if you swipe anything, so don't even think about it. This cat will cut you.

So, inspired by our New York City sister publication, we are asking you to send photos to tips@sfist.com of your bodega cats and we'll create a list of the greatest corner store cats in the Bay Area! Feel free to include a location (vicinity/neighborhood, but no store name since we don't want to get anyone in trouble) and any details you may know about the cat. You can also share photos with us via Instagram by hashtagging them #SFist and #CornerStoreCat, or via Flickr tagging them with "sfist" and "corner store cat."

Chilling bog-box retailer Wal-Mart plans on opening four Neighborhood Market grocery stores in the Bay Area at sites in the South Bay and East Bay. The morally-questionable company will unleash stores in San Jose, Pleasanton, Hayward, and San Ramon. Godspeed, anyone selling food their zones of destruction, for you are doomed.

"The latest Walmart Neighborhood Market slated for the Bay Area is headed for a onetime Safeway store in southwest San Jose at Westgate Mall," Delia Garcia, a spokeswoman for Walmart West, explains to Oakland Tribune, adding that the company will open "Neighborhood Market groceries in Hayward at a onetime Circuit City site, in Pleasanton at a shuttered Nob Hill Market, and in San Ramon in an empty building at Country Club Village Shopping Center."

All together, the four stores "should create about 300 new jobs," with pay going at $12.69 an hour.

[Oakland Tribune]

After a much-needed (?) $30 million makeover, the Metreon, struggling early aughts mall fortress at Fourth and Mission, will open a new set of "reimagined" restaurants and shops on Saturday. Among the reworked ideas: a simpler, cleaner tone to the place; easier entry; and stores that—get this—one can enter without having first to walk through a human maze. Which is to say, many retail stores will now be accessible from Fourth Street.

According to The Chronicle, new establishments will include, "Buckhorn Grill, SoGreen Yogurt and San Francisco Soup Co., to be followed in days or weeks by Cako Creamery, La Boulange Bakery, Massage Envy Spa, Brandy Ho's Hunan Food and many others."

We took a mini-tour of the new digs. While still in the incomplete stage as of Friday afternoon, the changes are impressive. Judge for yourself.

The Metreon will also house a new Target store, taking up the entire second floor. Target plans to open the mammoth store later this year.

The luminous folks at Mission Mission have unwittingly sparked an effort to save the eye-catching Discolandia sign on 24th Street. "Not that I ever went in there or anything, but I think we can all agree, whatever happens, the next tenant better not even think about touching the signage," exclaimed editor Allan Hough. "How do we get it on some kind of registry of historic stuff?"

UC Berkeley's Mission Local found out just how. Said signage, it seems, "represents a Mission that is disappearing — one where people actually bought records from stores like Discolandia, and where 24th Street 'was practical for the blue collar community.' "

Fresh & Easy, a British chain of grocery stores locally headquartered in El Segundo, plans to open eight stores in the Bay Area by 2011. The recipients are: San Francisco (in Bayview at 3rd Street & Carroll Ave), San Jose (Bird Ave & Minnesota Ave), Danville (Diablo Blvd & Hwy 680), Pacifica (Cabrillo Hwy & Linda Mar Blvd), Vacaville (Elmira Rd & Nut Tree Roadd), Modesto (Oakdale Rd & Lancey Dr), Walnut Creek (Ygnacio Valley Roadd & San Carlos Drive), and Concord (Clayton Rd & Ygnacio Valley Road).

Fresh & Easy, it seems, is a green venture where they "recycle or reuse shipping and display products." Also, stores come equipped with LED lights in freezers, coolers and for outdoor signs, and some stores even have reserved parking for hybrid cars.

by Ryan Robles

Times are tough. Or so we've been told. So, in this economy it’s ideal to know where to go to get the most omph for your buck, especially if your tastes are a lot bigger than your wallet. For cocktails, obviously, it's happy hour (Bag Lady favors Orson Tue-Sat, and obviously the Castro for two-for-one’s anytime before 9 p.m.) For food it’s dining at home, or out during the week at any restaurant that has a special weekly or monthly price fix dining menus. Currently, Bar Bambino is at the top of the list with a 4-course dinner that will only set you back about $35. And for nightlife, it’s going out during the week when people are generally more unruly and “living life to the fullest.”

But what about clothing? It can be a challenge to find inexpensive separates outside of the youthful yet dry American Apparel and Urban Outfitters to wear out on any given day of the week. The answer? The Seventh Heart.

The Seventh Heart, located on Market near Van Ness, sell thoughtfully selected basics, one-of-a-kind pieces, as well as hosts monthly art shows in their gallery-like setting. Owners Jess Cuevas & Mark Hoke, friends from high school and Bay Area natives, have created a special and unique space where local fashion and art converge to create a one-of-a-kind shopping experience. As many know Bag Lady is just as crazy about aesthetics as is clothing, and The Seventh Heart doesn’t disappoint. Currently the boutique is a mix of equestrian, vintage leather daddy memorabilia, and Mickey Mouse. Yes, three things that make Bag Lady swoon. The space also houses three gorgeous graffiti-style murals from local artist and nightlife personality, Mica Horseface.

As for the clothes, The Seventh Heart carries a ton of tees and totes designed by Jess Cuevas & Mark Hoke.

Every year at Thanksgiving, you're bound to forget one or two critical items. A shallot, cooking twine, mushrooms, Ketel One -- something will slip your mind and you run the risk of having your Thanksgiving dinner collapse in on itself. And then you've ruined everything. Everything!

But who can we prevent such yellow wallpapered hysteria? This is where you come in: do you know of any grocery stores that stay open late on Thanksgiving Day? A good list of open-late store would sure keep our audience from curling up in the fetal position on Thanksgiving Day.

So far we know that Whole Foods (SOMA) stays open until 2 p.m., Golden Produce (Church/Market) until 3 p.m., Rainbow Grocery is closed (no doubt taking the day off to mourn the genocide of Native Americans by the pilgrims), and some of your finer 7-11 might have a box of Stove-Top Stuffing and canned gravy available. Any others?

Update: Inspired by our cry for stores that are open late, Menu Pages has also complied a brief list of SF stores open late on Thanksgiving.

All Safeway stores in the city are open until 6 p.m.
Cala on Hyde and Pine streets is open until 6 p.m.
Delano's on South Van Ness Avenue and 24th Street is open until 6 p.m.
Delano's on Geary Boulevard and 28th Avenue is open until 4 p.m.