Cute and cozy coffee shop! Lots of plants and cute decor…read more I really enjoyed the chai latte! Staff were really friendly

Stumbled into The Mellow SF and I am so glad I did. I kept…read moreit simple and got an iced chai latte and it was super yummy. It runs a little on the sweeter side so if you prefer less sweet you might want to ask for a modification, but what I really loved was that the chai flavor was front and center and didn't get lost in the sweetness. A good chai that actually tastes like chai? Always a win. The space itself is super cute and has this really cozy, earthy vibe that just makes you want to settle in and stay a while. And the fact that they have seating is a bonus, perfect for when you want to slow down and actually enjoy your drink instead of grabbing and going. The Mellow SF is giving exactly what its name promises and I will definitely be back to explore more of the menu!

Very unassuming and easy to miss walking by. They have an extremely well-curated selection of…read moreinteresting books and will often have cool art openings going on in the back. Definitely worth popping in. Double check the hours and for what events might be going on and go check it out.

Et al. is at a new gigantic location right by 24th st Bart. I think it's easy to come into the…read morebookshop in the front and completely miss the giant gallery space in the back. KEEP WALKING! Also the prices for the used books are on the top right corner of the first page. Most of them are pretty affordable but you have to watch out in case it's a collector's item- then it's like $300 or something crazy. How long has it been here? They moved to this space in spring of 2023, but it was next door in the smaller space for five years before that. What's in that space now? Another gallery- go check it out. This place is run by Jackie Im (born and raised in SF) and her husband, Aaron Harbour (nerd) who started their curatorial project in a tiny studio space in Oakland. They eventually moved it into a basement under a dry cleaner in Chinatown. Then by a weird twist of fate (the gallerist who used to be there moved to LA) they were able to get into this enormous space. I don't know how they make it work other than both of them have full time jobs elsewhere. The place is pretty DIY and hardly makes any money. BUY SOMETHING SO IT DOESN'T DIE AND TURN INTO A WEWORK! They have events here constantly- opening receptions for the art shows, poetry readings since the literary org, Small Press Traffic keeps their archive in an office in the back. Book releases, performances, and all kinds of other things happen here that you can keep up with on their instagram. I don't know what to tell ya- if you want to look at art and read books then this is the best spot to go to within a half block radius of 24th st. Bart!

Tucked away down a little street right off of Mission. Very cool little gallery that had an…read moreinteresting exhibit of street art from Iran by artists Icy and SOT. Check out the mural on the side of the building with the tree by famous graffiti artist Banksy, and also the skeleton and rainbow heart added by Icy and SOT. This is a relatively new venue that has limited hours, so call first to make sure that they are open.

The Roll Up Gallery is part of The Public Works building which is why the address is the same…read more I came here during Noise Pop 2013 for a gallery showing called East Middle West: the Stencil Street Art of Icy and Sot 'Underground From Iran'. It was a really fabulous showing! Though the gallery is small, and long and narrow there is plenty of space to display the art. The back of the gallery had a door leading into another space of Public Works where they had a table set up selling beer. The gallery is only open by appointment only, for events, and when Public Works is open so you can't just go anytime. Roll Up Gallery is big on supporting local SF artists which is great since gallery space is so costly in SF. Note: the side of the building of The Roll Up Gallery/Public Works features various street art, one of them being a tree done by Banksy and another a heart with a skull recently done by the visiting Iranian street artists.

This gallery moved in recently on a busy accessible corner in the Tenderloin. It stands out or its…read moreclean aesthetics and amazing art. The kind of art also stands out in an unique way: abstract and different styles each time. Unfortunately, I never dared to enter the gallery and yet I'm hoping to introduce this kind of art to fellow residents. It's very different than the many murals seen throughout the TL. It also adds a different cultural space unlike the Luggage Storage which has been very accessible to me and and always visited by local and many others. I realize that both art spaces have different backgrounds, which on the one hands I love because it exposes us to art that I more see near Union Square or Geary Street and that's great to have as a source in this neighborhood. But unfortunately, I started of on the wrong foot with them and felt even less welcome, in which I spoke up about on Yelp. This Gallery since then has apologized profusely and expressed their various contribution or inclusion of some of the neighborhood organizations. I'm not sure, but at this point I have not seen any activity at the gallery that appeared really inclusive for local residents to attend openings or perhaps times when we can look around. There is always a huge contrast between the visitors of the gallery and how some of us, myself included present ourselves. I would love to visit the gallery to view the different artists' works as it is very inspiring to me as and artist who does has done abstract series. We'll see

Very cool gallery in the heart of the loin. You'll see this area get more art galleries in the…read morecoming years and you'll look back on this gallery as the trend setter. They choose excellent artists, I've been popping in periodically since they opened in 2013. Highly recommend.

Young people can be inspiring…read more For all the criticism that this generation, there is something that has to be said about those passionate and devoted ones like Valerie Liu. Starting in December, I started seeing her perform her artistic skills as she painted the frontage for this space. After several passes over the next several weeks, I enjoyed her vision come to life, through rainy wet days and cold dreary mornings. Check out her work here and enjoy the thoughtfulness in highlighting Chinese New Year in Chinatown San Francisco. With a mainstream flood of artworks throughout the City in January (hearts for SF General Hospital and dragons for Chinese New Year), Ms. Valerie Liu shines. Her subjects include custard egg tarts, a fortune cookie, a gourd, tea drink cup and straw, pink cake box, bamboo plant, and, of course, the sitting cat with one paw up in a waving position. Obviously, these are things that she finds significant in her life journey culturally. Do check out her other amazing works at https://valerie-win-liu.com/. Take a bow, Valerie. If you're in Chinatown, do take time to check out her work especially with the Year of the Dragon approaching.

Great arts and community space in Chinatown! You can see edge art and at the same time learn…read moresomething unique about this city at 41 Ross.

This is such a fun studio!! Christine helped get our large group settled and there were sooo many…read moreceramics to choose from. The wall of color was so helpful to see how the colors would fire and how many coats to achieve the right color we wanted! Lots of brushes and tools to get the design you want! Firing takes a few days so plan to come back and pic up. A perfect Saturday with Terra Mia:)

Usually I am not the one to leave bad reviews but our experience here was unacceptable to the point…read morewhere I had to. Initially, we had a great experience! We came here last month to paint 2 bowls which cost us only ~$76 total for the studio time and bowls themselves. And, before anyone says anything and blames us, YES we did a double coat of paint! Then, we came a week later to pick them up and in the moment, they looked good! Then once we got home, we realized that there was a little paint chip on one of the bowls, making it no longer food safe. Granted, we probably should have noticed this ourselves when we picked up the bowls but we believe it is also the employees' responsibility to perform a quality check before giving a product to a paying customer?! Instead, they didn't say a word when we picked it up the first time so we had to notice the defect ourselves and drive all the way back from the east bay to get it fixed. After coming back to get it fixed, we came back yet another time to pick up the fixed bowl, believing that the bowl's paint chip would be fixed this time. However, to our surprise, the bowl was not fixed. Rather, the paint chips were even worse this time...going from a single small paint chip to SEVERAL large paint chips along the outer edge of the bowl. Again, the employee didn't say anything to us when they gave us the bowl until we pointed out how the paint chips were even WORSE this time. In response, they blamed the worsened condition of the bowl on their "finicky burner" and offered us either a $36 refund or store credit. They didn't even apologize for their mistake or wasting our time yet again. Of course, we took the refund because why would we take another chance here... Personally, I am grateful that they gave us a refund but I feel this experience was a huge waste of time and money. We had to make 4 separate trips from the east bay to SF and what did we get out of it? A bowl with a shitty paint job that somehow got worse with each "fix". A $36 refund doesn't even cover the cost of tolls to cross the bay bridge and come back this many times, not mention the cost of the time and GAS we spent coming back so many times. Overall, I hope Terra Mia Ceramic Studios takes this as a learning lesson to perform more rigorous quality inspections before giving the finished product to paying customers as prevent their customers from wasting time and money coming back to get it fixed. After all, after we finish painting, everything else is in the hands of the employees (glazing, firing, quality check, etc), all we do is come back to pick up the finished product. I feel as though this all could have been avoided, especially since it's just a simple bowl...there are so many more intricate complicated objects that people paint at the studio... Painting the bowls was a great fun experience but we are not happy about coming back 3 additional times to get it fixed only for it to get worse each successive time.

Enjoyed walking through Pier 2 and 3 exploring curated designers and makers…read more I loved learning about the artists with the option to buy. We also got to sit in a Zoox, enjoy the lounge and see all the creative minds that make this event happen. There were food vendors and talks we didn't get a chance to get to. My fav was Sko Habibi, who is a textile artist that stitched two eyes onto my hoodie. Meaningful interactive art I can showcase! Looking forward to next year already :)

Another great little gift/souvenir shop in the area with amazing high quality products, a lot from…read morelocal artists or small businesses. I've bought gifts here for others, as well as little gifts for myself because I wanted to treat myself. There's a wide selection of things: puzzles, socks, pins, jewelry, incense, candles, hand creams.... even more than I can remember. Prices range all over but you're supporting a small local business, local artists, and the quality is excellent. Service was friendly and helpful and she volunteered up some information on the items I was purchasing. Definitely a great shop and asset to the block. You can't go wrong if you're looking for gifts for others or yourself.

I was really looking forward to coming back to Needles and Pens after losing a favorite pair of…read moreearrings I had previously purchased from this store. I've been here plenty of times before and have spent my hard-earned money supporting this business. When I came in today, I placed my drink on the small stand outside since drinks aren't allowed inside, and started looking for the same style of earrings I had lost. I had only been in the store for less than two minutes when an employee approached me and said something along the lines of, "Excuse me, can you finish your call outside or put headphones on?" I was simply on the phone with my mother catching up, and I was not being loud or disruptive. What bothered me most was that the employee never greeted me or acknowledged me when I walked in, yet was quick to approach me and address my phone call almost immediately. There were also no signs indicating that customers aren't allowed to be on the phone inside the store. I understand wanting to maintain a certain atmosphere, but I don't feel the way this was handled was particularly welcoming or necessary. Unfortunately, after this experience, I no longer feel comfortable supporting this business. It's disappointing, especially as someone who has been a returning customer and has supported this store multiple times.