Something funny's going on in Visitacion Valley, where a new venue called Church of Clown is right on the nose with clown troupe performances, and clown classes for both youth and adults.

There’s a long-vacant spot in Visitacion Valley, at the corner of Bayshore Boulevard and Leland Avenue. Its last tenant nearly 15 years ago was something called the Shun Lee Market, which was in business long enough to generate precisely one Yelp review. Back in 2017, someone was trying to put a marijuana dispensary in the location, but the SF Planning Department shot that idea down because it was too close to a community youth center. (There were a number of appeals.)

But a funny thing happened on the way to the dispensary deal falling apart. The Chronicle now reports that the 2400 Bayshore Boulevard location recently reopened as a clown performance venue called Church of Clown. The venue, which opened in September, was founded by Davd Griffiths,  who once ran the S.F. Circus Center’s Clown Conservatory.

“I’ve had the honor of meeting and sharing my work with clowns and communities across the globe,” Griffiths says in a statement on the Church of Clown website. “With the launch of Church of Clown I’ve found a home for my work, helping others to share their talents, gifts, and magic.”

The Church of Clown offers clown classes geared toward both youth and adults. But it also features live clown performances, and has been running its inaugural Flop Festival performance fest every weekend since opening in mid-September. This weekend wraps up the Flop Fest with Griffiths himself in Gastro Absurdo (November 3-5), and previous performances included Tabletop Theater Company's Box Life, and cabaret artist and comic Wendi Wynazz, who's been described as “Lady Gaga meets Mister Rogers.”

Church of Clown is at 2400 Bayshore Boulevard, at Leland Avenue. Upcoming events here, upcoming youth classes here, and upcoming adult classes here.

Related: U-Haul Truck Full of Shadow Puppets Found Abandoned In Richmond, Puppeteer Very Grateful [SFist]

Image: Church of Clown via Facebook