Mission Mission

Allison Arieff in a New York Times blog post looks at why maybe Facebook should’ve moved to downtown San Jose or something instead of just expanding their big isolated suburban campus:

There may be a place to get a latte there but there is no Third Place, those accessible anchors of community life like bars, farmer’s markets or barber shops that help foster civic engagement and interaction with both regulars and new faces. Yes, it’s stating the obvious, but Facebook workers interact with other Facebook workers. There’s next to nil outside influence to be found on a corporate campus. Indeed, many tech employees (Facebook’s and others) have observed that many of their most meaningful encounters occur not at work but while waiting on city streets for the now-ubiquitous corporate shuttles from San Francisco that take them south to Silicon Valley.

(Emphasis ours.) Yep, cities are the bomb! You’re welcome, Facebook!

Read on.

You see it every day, but it never ceases to amaze. (Unless you’re dead inside or something I guess.)

[via Finch Linden]

Cool Try kills it again, what more can I say?

Also available in tie-dye and as a crewneck sweatshirt:

Is he about to do what I think he’s about to do?? See for yourself:

http://youtu.be/TyTsD1LhRZE

[via Danny MacAskill]

Not quite as sick a move as the last Muni acrobat, but not bad.

[via Stay Sick Turn Blue]

SF Zine Fest is back, this weekend in Golden Gate Park! Here’s what to expect:

This year’s Zine Fest will feature over 100 exhibitors in two exhibition halls, ranging from nationally recognized publishers in the DIY scene to local creators based throughout the SF Bay Area. The exhibition halls will be open on both days from 11AM-6PM, and as always, the Zine Fest is a free event to all public attendees!

In addition to the wide array of exhibitors, the Zine Fest will also host numerous panels and workshops throughout the show, including a Q+A Spotlight with our 2012 Special Guest (and Eisner award nominee) Sarah Oleksyk, a DIY Animation workshop, discussions with local creators Susie Cagle & Ed Luce, and much more. There will also be a raffle held throughout the weekend with prizes for attendees and a reading room to view zines from past and present.

Plus there’s an afterparty right here in the Mission! Anyway, here are some pics from last year to get you in the mood:

[Photos by Cindy Maram / Dig In Magazine]

Today it’s condos and valet parking. A few years back, the big controversy on Valencia Street was American Apparel trying to move in. There were protests and death threats and Sarah Palin-style hyperbole and official corporate statements and a hearing downtown and Sasha Grey’s pussy and we all had a lot of laughs.

Amidst all this, I became acquainted with Kiya Babzani, one of the owners of Self Edge. He told me about some of the bellyaching and violence he’d faced when he first opened his denim shop on Valencia near 18th, and I ended up publishing a big feature about him and the store — which I think still stands as probably the longest thing I’ve ever written for this blog. Here’s how it starts:

When Self Edge took over the old Leather Tongue Video space a few years back, I thought to myself, “Oh great, some high-end Marina douche boutique has displaced a beloved Mission landmark.” Over beers the other night, Kiya Babzani, owner-operator of the place, informed me that apparently this was a pretty common misconception in the early days, as Self Edge was repeatedly vandalized and he and his employees were shouted at, muttered at and spat at.

Mind you I’d never patronized Leather Tongue, because who the fuck has even seen a VCR in the last 12 years? But it looked pretty punk rock and I guess I liked knowing it was there.

We go on to talk about his denim obsession and a then-forthcoming jean collaboration he was really excited about. (That jean ended up being the first thing I ever bought from Self Edge, and in the above image you can see how awesomely they age.)

Anyway, American Apparel never made it in, but Valencia has changed a lot nonetheless. Self Edge is still there, still going strong, and they just completed a big remodel to coincide with their sixth year in business, and this Saturday night there’s a big party (and sale) to celebrate. Here’s what to expect:

We are once again open for business in San Francisco and have updated our store with two dressing rooms, fancy lighting downstairs, a new paint color scheme, more natural light coming in from the front, a new online shipping fulfillment room behind the store, a wild looking new rack system downstairs, and more.

To celebrate all these improvements and the fact that we just signed another six year lease on our original space we’re having a “6 Year Itch” Anniversary Party on September 1st at Self Edge San Francisco along with a 12% off sale at all three Self Edge stores and our online store.

The Self Edge San Francisco Anniversary Party will be from 6pm to 10pm on Saturday night, September 1st.  Come enjoy some beers, music, and general rowdiness courtesy of our unruly clientele and local retailer friends.

Read on for more info on the party and the sale (including online options).

UPDATE: Bonus pics of my jeans here.

“There was a woman heckling the poor painter about destroying art,” says our pal Jess who walked by just now.

Yeah, that’s a shame. But…. RHEA’S!!!!

From the invite:

Kick your Labor Day weekend off right! AMERICAN TRIPPS returns to RICKSHAW STOP for a night of Berlin-style ping pong, foosball, skeeball, dancing, drinking, romancing, and general merriment!

TRISTES TROPIQUES (of Haçeteria fame) will be on the decks, spinning a vinyl-only selection of hits by DAVID BOWIE and DAVID BYRNE (whose band TALKING HEADS will figure prominently into the proceedings) and a number of related acts.

RSVP and invite your friends! Oh and RSVP here for free beer!

King of Oakland Ryan Christopher Parks and his rock band B. Hamilton make another rare appearance in the Mission tonight. Have a listen:

RSVP and invite your friends!