The San Francisco Small Business Commission continues to recognize longstanding, community-serving, and culturally vital businesses, unanimously approving 11 businesses for the Legacy Business Registry in the past six weeks. Currently, a total of 376 businesses have been added to the Legacy Business Registry since it started in 2015.
The recent entrants include:
- Adventure Cat Sailing Charters
- Delano Nursery
- The Dubliner
- Ellie and Eva Company
- Enclosures International
- Frascati Restaurant
- The Irish Bank Bar & Restaurant
- Mario’s Bohemian Cigar Store Café
- Mitchell’s Ice Cream
- San Francisco Go Club
- Underglass Custom Framing
New Legacy Business Spotlight
The San Francisco Go Club is the oldest continuously operating Go club in the United States. It was founded by Japanese enthusiasts in 1931. Go is an ancient Asian board game for two players invented an estimated four thousand years ago in China. Today, Go is played all over the world but is most popular in Japan, China, and Korea. Somewhat comparable to Western chess, Go has rich and complex strategies that emerge naturally from a few simple rules.
With the outbreak of World War II, most of the club’s Japanese members were forcibly “relocated” to internment camps throughout the western part of the country as a result of government actions based on race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership. The club closed, but enthusiasm for the game remained. With little else to do in the internment camps, many of the Japanese club members played Go, and their skill improved significantly. After the war, they were allowed to return, and in 1947 the club reopened its doors.
The club flourished, especially in the 1970s when it became a gathering place not only for Japanese seniors, but young “flower children” spilling over from San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury scene. On any given day from noon to 9:00 p.m., through thick cigarette smoke, you could see long tables covered with dozens of Go boards, and Japanese octogenarians playing intently with young hippies.
Today, the San Francisco Go Club remains a thriving and beloved institution. Located in the Japan Center Mall, it attracts locals, tourists, and passersby.
The full details of the 11 new additions to the Legacy Business Registry are below.
Adventure Cat Sailing Charters
Pier 39, Dock J
Nominated by Supervisor Aaron Peskin
Adventure Cat Sailing Charters takes roughly 40,000 guests per year sailing on the San Francisco Bay and under the Golden Gate Bridge. They sail around Alcatraz Island, directly underneath the Golden Gate Bridge, and head back among the city’s famed skyline on their two custom-built sailing catamarans. Adventure Cat Sailing was founded in 1991.
Delano Nursery
San Francisco Flower Market, 686 Brannan St., SoMa
Nominated by Supervisor Matt Dorsey
Delano Nursery is a wholesale indoor plant grower and supplier serving the San Francisco Bay Area and the West Coast since 1922. They operate out of the San Francisco Flower Market and at their nursery in Daly City. Delano specializes in unique indoor plants that are sourced by propagating “mother plants” without harvesting them from their native environments.
The Dubliner
3838 24th St., Noe Valley
Nominated by Supervisor Rafael Mandelman
The Dubliner, a Noe Valley neighborhood sports bar, is a local favorite with a history lasting more than 25 years. It sells beers and cocktails and provides a place where people can get together to socialize and/or watch sports. The Dubliner serves as a gathering place for locals and neighbors as well as the frequent tourist visiting the area.
Ellie and Eva Company
709 Jackson St., Chinatown
Nominated by Supervisor Aaron Peskin
Established in 1970 and located in the middle of Chinatown, Ellie and Eva Company is the neighborhood music store. They are well known for their extensive collection of Chinese classical instruments; vintage, one-of-a-kind American and Japanese electric guitars; music memorabilia; and traditional Chinese pinwheels that symbolize good fortune.
Enclosures International
1160 Illinois St., Dogpatch
Nominated by Supervisor Shamann Walton
Enclosures International is a full-service custom crating, packing, shipping, and storage specialist. Since 1977, antique dealers, collectors, curators, interior designers, private owners, and auction houses have trusted their highly-trained transport team to handle antiques, fine art, pianos, furniture, and heirlooms.
Frascati Restaurant
1901 Hyde St., Russian Hill
Nominated by Supervisor Aaron Peskin
Frascati is an Italian-style bistro located in Russian Hill since 1986. Their friendly and comfortable tri-level restaurant features warm colors, high ceilings, antique light fixtures, and street views of cable cars clanging up and down Hyde Street. Their cuisine is inspired from Italian roots with strong French, Spanish, and Californian influences.
The Irish Bank Bar and Restaurant
10 Mark Ln., Union Square
Nominated by Supervisor Aaron Peskin
The Irish Bank Bar and Restaurant opened in 1996 as an authentic Irish pub. The outdoor patio is one of the only dining experiences in the city that graces an entire alleyway, filling it with people and fun. It is recognized by locals and – being located on the edge of the Financial District, Chinatown, and Union Square – is a destination for tourists visiting the city and looking for a specific San Francisco experience.
Mario’s Bohemian Cigar Store Café
566 Columbus Ave., North Beach
Nominated by Supervisor Aaron Peskin
Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store Cafe was founded in 1971 when Italian immigrants Mario and Liliana Crismani bought a smoke shop called “Bohemian Cigar Store.” Today, they are a third-generation establishment. Their oven-baked sandwiches are served on focaccia bread from nearby Liguria Bakery, and their espresso is made from beans from Graffeo Coffee down the street.
Mitchell’s Ice Cream
688 San Jose Ave., Noe Valley
Nominated by Supervisor Rafael Mandelman
Mitchell’s Ice Cream, owned and operated by the Mitchell family, serves award-winning ice cream in 40 flavors, vegan ice cream, sorbets, sundaes, milkshakes, ice cream sandwiches, and ice cream cakes. Their ice cream is made fresh in the shop every day using 16% butterfat from milk that comes from hormone-free cows that graze in open pastures. They have been open in the same location since 1953.
San Francisco Go Club
22 Peace Plaza, Japantown
Nominated by Supervisor Dean Preston
The San Francisco Go Club is a thriving and inclusive social club dedicated to the ancient game of Go. With a rich history dating back to the 1930s, they are the oldest Go club in America and remain one of the largest and most active Go clubs in the country today. Their mission is to be an inspirational center for Go by building a community based on the game’s rich history and culture.
Underglass Custom Framing
2239 Market St., Castro
Nominated by Supervisor Rafael Mandelman
Underglass Custom Framing is a custom picture framing shop providing museum conservation quality framing for all art mediums. It also provides a gallery space for art shows featuring emerging artists. Underglass was founded in 1985.
About the Legacy Business Registry
A Legacy Business is a for-profit or nonprofit business that has operated in San Francisco for 30 or more years. The business must contribute to the neighborhood's history and/or the identity of a particular neighborhood or community, and it must commit to maintaining the physical features or traditions that define the business, including craft, culinary or art forms. If a business has operated in San Francisco for more than 20 years but less than 30 years, it may still be included in the Registry if the business otherwise faces a significant risk of displacement.
The registration process for the Legacy Business Program includes nomination by Mayor London N. Breed or a member of the Board of Supervisors, a written application, an advisory recommendation from the Historic Preservation Commission, and approval of the Small Business Commission.
Inclusion on the Registry provides Legacy Businesses with recognition and support as an incentive for them to stay in the community. The program also provides educational and promotional assistance to encourage their continued viability and success in San Francisco.
The Legacy Business Program is managed through the Office of Small Business. For more information about the Legacy Business Program, including a list and map of businesses on the Legacy Business Registry, visit www.legacybusiness.org.