HUF, the skateboarding and apparel brand, just opened a new store on Valencia Street, and they went around the Mission spray-stenciling their logo on neighborhood sidewalks — apparently unaware that SF has a law against this and others have been fined for this.
Remember when Justin Bieber's record label went around spray-stenciling ads for his new album on SF sidewalks in 2015 and the city attorney issued fines? Edward Sharpe's people did something similar the following year and so did Lady Gaga's team, and then so did the deYoung Museum in 2017, advertising that silly Summer of Love exhibit. Anyway, it's still illegal, and the city calls this vandalism, and HUF may now be facing fines of $2,500 per tag.
Mission resident Doctor Popular tweeted the image below of one of HUF's sidewalk stencils, advertising the new store at 968 Valencia.
Corporate ads on public sidewalks suck. It’s lame when Microsoft or Justin Bieber’s marketing team does it, and it’s lame that @hufworldwide is doing it in SF now. pic.twitter.com/RTLMiLQm4P
— Doctor Popular 💉 💉 🎉 (@DocPop) August 8, 2021
As the company documents on its blog, there was a launch party for the store in the parking lot at 18th and Valencia (City Station) on Friday, with an afterparty at The Chapel.
They should be hearing from the City Attorney's Office soon.
The ads are typically done with spray chalk and therefore are easily washed off, but the city does not distinguish between media when it comes to corporate vandalism.
A spokesperson for the Department of Public Works said in a statement to Hoodline five years ago — after the Lady Gaga graffiti — "We do not at all condone the use of our public sidewalks for advertising billboards. That's not what they're for." The department vowed, in addition to any fines levied by the city, to also send the record company a bill for DPW's cleanup work as well.
