Beloved Ice Cream Shop Under Threat of Eviction
So, as I was melting from this week’s heatwave, I learned that my favorite San Francisco ice cream shop, Joe’s, is under threat of eviction.
Here’s the scoop. Back in February, the building went on the market. Then, more recently, the owners of Joe’s (Sean and Alice Kim) had a property surveyor come into their shop. Curious, they Googled their address only to find that it was actually in escrow! We’ve all heard horror stories about landlords pushing out small businesses after a sale. What they learned shortly thereafter was even scarier than their initial findings.
The Iconic Joe’s Ice Cream shop in The Richmond District – photo from the Joe’s Facebook Page
According to an article written by the neighborhood newspaper The Richmond Review, “The San Francisco Planning Department confirms that a meeting was held between them and architects for the buyer to discuss future development, although no formal proposal has been submitted yet.”
While speaking to me about the issue, Sean Kim gave me a succinct synopsis of the issue they are having right now, “The landlord is trying to sell the building and it is still in escrow. The buyer somehow submitted a redevelopment plan to city in June. The City said it is not a formal plan. However, the buyer is an experienced builder. We are pretty sure they will redevelop the building sooner or later. Then Joe’s need to move out or close.”
Sean and Alice Kim, owners of Joe’s Ice Cream – photo from Sean Kim
Lucky for the Joe’s, there have been no official actions taken to remove them from their space. They currently also have a lease that has 7 more years left on it. This gives The Kim’s some hope. However, in anticipation of the worst-case scenario, they did contact their local Small Business Administration (SBA). They are doing what they can to think of solutions that might give them more stability in the future. They are planning to have an attorney review the lease.
“Joe’s and our neighbor, the comic book store Cards And Comics Central, hope to partner and purchase the building with SBA loan. We are working with our local SBA office and they are reviewing our qualifications. Once we receive the pre-qualification letter, then we can ask the landlord to sell the building to us instead of the developer. We know the building is in escrow. So we need lots of support from locals for convincing the landlord and change their mind,” says Sean Kim.
The City’s Office of Small Business released this statement about Joe’s Ice Cream:
“Our office is working with the owner of Joe’s Ice Cream to understand the possibilities under a variety of scenarios and hope for a positive outcome so that the community can continue to benefit from this legacy business.”
“Everybody knows Joe’s,” Rob Ross said. “Everybody loves Joe’s. I think there would be a huge uproar. There will be a huge outcry, a lot of people would be really upset.
“Joe’s is great because it’s a neighborhood ice cream shop. It’s not kind of fancy tech; it’s where you feel at home. It’s where everybody feels at home.”
Owner Alice Kim stands next to buckets and buckets of delicious handmade ice cream – photo from Joe’s
What makes Joe’s so special?
You really can’t replace the neighborhood ice cream bar. Especially a shop that has been in the neighborhood since 1959. While the current owners have been running the business since 2012, there have been families from several generations who have come back to Joe’s time and time again. In fact, it’s the oldest independent ice cream shop in San Francisco’s Richmond District which makes their ice cream from scratch.
Joe’s is the kind of place you meet up with friends to grab your favorite flavor (mine is the classic Raspberry Cheesecake), and genuinely feel happy there no matter what type of stress you might have in your life. My favorite is when you see that little kiddo with the bubble gum ice cream mustache diving into a gone while it drips off their hand. It’s a picture you can imagine in your head because almost all of us have had core memories at a place like Joe’s.
I have my own special memories there. Years ago, I lived in The Richmond District in a studio off Geary. My boyfriend at the time lived about 15 blocks down the way off Geary also and we’d often meet in the middle for a quick ice cream date at the neighborhood’s most beloved family-owned ice cream shop, Joe’s.
Even cute pups love Joe’s milkshakes – photo from the Joe’s Ice Cream Facebook Page
So how can we help out Joe’s Ice Cream?
We’re early in this ongoing story. The owners of Joe’s are asking people to keep coming to the shop to support them as they sort through their next steps. Nothing official has happened yet, thankfully. The best thing we can do is to continue to visit Joe’s and support their events and shop by eating loads of delicious food.
The City’s Office of Small Business confirmed that Joe’s is considered a legacy business. This will help them in many ways. However, if the building is demolished, they aren’t protected.
Support Joe’s online here:
Facebook: @joesicecreamsf
Instagram: @joesicecreamsf
Website: joesicecream.com/
Help support Joe’s by attending an upcoming event! Saturday, September 10 @thesweettong Moon Festival Themed baos are back
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