In what's being billed as the retail "hipster wars" of the Mission, 988 Valencia will soon call sleaze designer American Apparel home. That is, if the scraggly elite of the Mission get their way. Local scribe and former prostitute Stephen Elliott is none too thrilled about this "chain store" opening up, going on to clarify the following at stopamericanapparel.wordpress.com.

This is not about being for or against American Apparel. It’s about keeping big box chain stores out of a unique neighborhood. You can get American Apparel anywhere in the country and if you want to shop a chain store you can do that in Union Square. There are already three American Apparels in San Francisco in the Haight, The Marina, and Union Square. An American Apparel on Valencia would establish a beachhead for big box chain stores which would undoubtably be followed by Gap, Banana Republic, Starbucks, etc. - Stephen Elliott

While it would be nice to see Valencia Street remain a bastion of overpriced vases and designer bags, we don't see the harm in this. Other than a few Mission women looking even slutier. After all, Mission Street (one block down from Valencia Street, but an entire world away race-wise) has Sketchers. A Sketchers, people -- an aesthetic fate far worse than McDonald's, Wal-Mart, Popeye's, Curves, and Target combined. Where was the rally for that?

Anyway, for those of you who want an AA-free Valencia Street, a public hearing to discuss the smut retail store will be held on Feb. 5. But, really, who cares.