The long-empty and effectively forgotten upstairs mezzanine area of the Inner Sunset’s Green Apple Books on the Park has at last been filled, by a co-working space dedicated specifically to writers called the Backstory Above.
It’s been more than ten years since SF legendary, long-lost video store Le Video closed down permanently, but it did not “close down” in the way a normal business would. Instead, it sort of had its ashes scattered across town; its physical DVDs and video cassettes went between Lost Weekend and Alamo Draft House, and Le Video kept some upstairs presence in their “co-rental” agreement with their former shop’s new tenant Green Apple Books (who parenthetically branded the new store Green Apple Books on the Park for its proximity to Golden Gate Park).
Le Video would not last long in their "upstairs at Green Apple Books” location on Ninth Avenue. But then again, neither would anything else. Since Le Video gave up the ghost for good, the upstairs mezzanine level of the Inner Sunset Green Apple Books has been largely unoccupied and vacant, and has had what SFGate refers to “a velvet rope blocking a staircase that used to lead to … nowhere.”
But it leads somewhere now. SFGate reports that the mezzanine at Green Apple Books in the Park is now home to a literary co-working space called the Backstory Above.
A literary co-working space? How does that work? We’ll let the Backstory Above’s website explain.
“Our mission is to provide a sanctuary for writers, readers and the literary and creative community on the west side of San Francisco,” the site says. “We value the silence necessary for our work as much as we value the opportunity to connect over conversation, and we are committed to providing opportunities for both. Ours is a silent workspace during the day that also offers designated opportunities for moving, socializing and learning together. We offer a soundproof booth for phone calls and zoom meetings, and a room for small, in-person conferences.”
Backstory Above co-founder Paige Patterson Duff explains to SFGare, “We usually have a library silence policy. It’s never going to be completely quiet because the bookstore is often very lively. It’s like a coffee shop, without getting distracted by a phone call or very loud conversation."
Co-working memberships at the Backstory Above run at $245/month for a co-working space with a conference room, and $210/without. Day passes are available for $35/day, and a $20/month “community” option provides access to various perks and discounts. You can find more information here.
Related: Green Apple Books Expanding Into Le Video Space To Save Two Dying Media [SFist]
Image: Rae S via Yelp
