Blog
Sfgate article on our new store in todays paper.
March 16th, 2014When Jamie Alexander and Derek Song opened the first Park Life store on Clement Street nearly a decade ago, they knew they were taking a risk by moving into a neighborhood better known for its cheap eats than its appetite for left-field art and design. The boutique flourished in the Inner Richmond, ushering in like-minded retail spaces such as the clothing retailer Seedstore and eco gift shop Foggy Notion. Now the Park Life partners are hoping to repeat the formula with their second outlet of the same name, which opened this month at the corner of 22nd and Shotwell streets – a tree-lined residential neighborhood in a formerly rough patch of the Mission District. “We like the idea of not going into places with an established aesthetic or feel,” says Alexander. “That would be kind of boring.” The new store carries a similar assortment of urbane home goods, books, stationery, art and T-shirts, with a slightly different slant. With its smaller footprint there’s no room for a gallery, but collaborations are already under way with nearby studio spaces like Southern Exposure and We Are Will Brown. “There’s so much going on here we don’t have to depend on a retail corridor,” Alexander says. For its official opening party on Friday, Park Life will hand out exclusive prints by celebrated locals Tucker Nichols, Luca Antonucci and Francesco Deiana. “People are really embracing us down there,” Alexander says. “I feel like it’s going to work.”
3049 22nd St., San Francisco; (415) 757-0107. Noon-7 p.m., Monday and Wednesday – Saturday; 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday. Closed Tuesdays. www.parklifestore.com.