Although most of us are giddy that Hollywood has come to our little town to film a moving picture show, others are less than gay about it. Namely, a few Castro merchants who have seen business drop since production began late last month. According to the BAR:
"It has really impeded on my business. We are losing $400 to $500 a day," said Cecil Russell, the owner of Always Tan Skin and Body at 550 Castro Street. "Harvey was a small business owner. He would be against this." Russell said customers to his business have found it a hassle to navigate through the film set. He also complained that cars being used to give the film a period look from the 1970s have hogged valuable street parking.
(But why would people get tans in the middle of the winter? We thought that people used them to accentuate their skin during the summer months. Doesn't a dark varnish look strange in February? Clearly, we're confused. Since sunless tans are trashy, we don't get them. Can someone explain this ritual to us?)
Adding to the decline is local business was the nearly non-stop rain over the past two weeks, which has kept daytime foot traffic at bay. Combine that with the paltry $200 a day most Castro business are being offered in compensation, and you have some steamed merchants. But according to Supervisor Bevan Dufty "the movie will be a benefit for the business district" in the long run. After shooting ends next Friday and the film is released, we'll see if Bev's words ring true.
Until then, why not treat yourselves to a tangerine golden brown tan?
