this is america, let jack spade open and if people dont want it, they wont shop there and they will close. but sadly they are exactly what these new moneyed mission people want. also, with all the backlash i am sure there business will be negatively affected because some people will be afraid to be seen shopping there.

the mission is dead, accept it and lets all move on. now when i see an over coiffed moron,with ugly shoes walking from valencia street with brand new outfits, from head to toe and carrying a little bag…i just laugh at them and whisper as they walk by…”welcome to YOUR new mission”

liz claiborne is a $1.5 billion dollar concern.

http://uptownalmanac.com/2013/06/liz-claiborne-holdings-halts-construction-former-site-adobe-books

And I’ll buy the drinks for my opponent, win or lose!

: )

Tom, I guess you didn’t read what I wrote?

“Local economies pose unique challenges, yes. But they are superior in essentially every regard to economies where ownership is absent and wealth is extracted from the local community and filtered into the pockets of stockholders in far off places who have no connection to the local community.”

This is one tiny aspect of the issue and yet it alone is enough of an argument to limit corporate chain store growth.

Here’s another one:
Corporate chain stores drive up rents and eventually make it impossible for anything other than corporate chain stores to exist in the corridor. Maybe this doesn’t bother you. Fact: it bothers a majority of SF voters, for starters.

Chain stores driving up rents is also alone reason enough to regulate their growth.

Meanwhile, I’d love for you to answer my direct questions you avoided:

“Do you think there is (or ever was) something/anything special about San Francisco and some of its neighborhoods? Are you honestly not able to recognize how the fact that some neighborhoods in this city are yet not overrun with Walmarts, McDonalds, and designer chainstores, might just have some small part to do with why SF is not yet as bland and stupid as 99.9% of the rest of this country?”

But maybe you like corporate chain stores. Maybe you like Walmart and prefer eating at McDonalds to eating at a local taqueria. Fine. Then I can’t convince you of anything and we have nothing to discuss. But there are plenty of people in this town who want local businesses and local character and that’s a big reason SF is the unique place that it is and it’s a big reason why so many people want to live here.

I think most people get that even if you can’t seem to.