This is both Super Bowl Weekend and the grand reopening weekend for the Castro Theatre. And ahead of that big event, we have an update on the two small business at the front of the theater building.
There was some consternation in the Castro neighborhood last year following news that two well loved small businesses, Castro Coffee Co. and Castro Nail Salon, whose storefronts are at the right and left sides of the Castro Theatre entrance, were being evicted. Another Planet Entertainment, which now holds the master lease for the building, said that it will need the storefronts for back-office and box-office functions for the theater after it reopens, and both businesses were set to lose their leases last June.
They are, indeed, still going to be vacating those spaces, but district Supervisor Rafael Mandelman tells the Bay Area Reporter this week that he and the city are working to help them potentially relocate.
"I think our hope is each of them will be able to stay in the neighborhood. … That is one solution we are going to try to help them with," Mandelman tells the publication.
Brothers Ken Khoury and Riyad Khoury own the coffeeshop and the nail salon, respectively, and their family has other real estate holdings in the Castro neighborhood. They had both sought to stay in their spaces, with the coffeeshop having the longer tenure of the two — it has occupied the same space since
Now, per the BAR, both businesses have secured spaces nearby — though this appears to be not entirely confirmed, at least by Mandelman. The coffeeshop will reportedly be moving almost next door, to the Lisa's Hair Design space at 421 Castro — in a building owned by the Khourys' relatives. And the nail salon will be moving to the next block, the 500 block of Castro.
The Nasser family, which owns the Castro Theatre, expressed its gratitude for taking care of these longtime tenants.
"We extend our sincere appreciation to Mayor Lurie and board President Mandelman, both of whom played instrumental roles in reaching an agreement that thoughtfully balanced the needs of our long-standing tenants, the Khoury family, with those of Another Planet Entertainment as we move forward with the renovation and revitalization of the Castro Theatre," says Chris Nasser Padian, speaking to the BAR via email. "The solution devised ensures that these cherished businesses will remain right here in the Castro for years to come. We also thank the Castro community for its engagement, patience, and continued commitment to preserving the neighborhood’s cultural legacy."
The theater, meanwhile, officially reopens Friday with a benefit screening of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and with a party hosted by drag impresario D'Arcy Drollinger on Saturday. Next week, Grammy-winning singer Sam Smith takes up residency with a series of shows lasting through mid-March.
