February 2012 RETURN TO HOME PAGE FEEDBACK |
By Tim Innes
Yes We Have Brooms: At Peekabootique on Castro Street, Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi asked store owner Mike Stanton to recommend a broom—no, not to sweep out House Republicans but as a present for a grandchild. Photo by Beverly Tharp |
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi doesn’t get to go shopping
very often, given her congressional duties and heightened
security concerns since the shooting of colleague Gabrielle
Giffords in Tucson last year.
Thus her 90-minute visit to Noe
Valley on Wednesday, Jan. 11, was a treat for Pelosi, whose 8th
Congressional District includes the neighborhood.
The visit was initiated by
Pelosi’s district office, which worked with Robert Roddick,
president of the Noe Valley Merchants and Professionals
Association, to select some stores where Pelosi could shop for
gifts for her grandchildren while talking to merchants about
their economic challenges. She also was stumping for President
Obama’s American Jobs Act, which would offer tax benefits and
other relief for small business owners.
Roddick and Debra Niemann, head of
the Noe Valley Association, drew up a list for Pelosi aide
Nicole Rivera, who picked 10 shops for her boss to visit. In the
end, Pelosi stopped by seven of them, from Peekabootique on
Castro Street to Just for Fun on 24th. Security sweeps were done
at all the stores, and merchants, as well as Roddick and
Niemann, had to undergo background checks.
Accompanied by a large security
detail, her aides, Supervisor Scott Wiener, Niemann—Roddick was
ill and missed the tour—and several members of the press, Pelosi
quizzed merchants about their businesses as she perused their
wares.
While declaring that business was
generally good, merchants raised issues they hoped Congress and
the president would address. Topping the agenda: leveling the
playing field for small businesses vis-ˆ-vis giant retailers,
such as Walmart and Amazon; spurring lending to small
entrepreneurs; making it easier for mom-and-pop businesses to
comply with accessibility rules; and improving consumer
confidence and purchasing power.
‘Showrooms for Amazon’
The first stop on Pelosi’s stroll
was Peekabootique, where, at his customer’s request, shop
owner Mike Stanton showed off his assortment of toy brooms.
(Pelosi bought one.) In response to more serious
questions, Stanton urged Pelosi to back legislation requiring
Internet retailers to collect state sales tax from customers,
whether or not the retailers have a physical presence in the
state.
“Here in California, online
sellers like Amazon have a nearly 10 percent built-in advantage
over brick-and-mortar stores like this. Maybe that advantage was
justified when online sellers were in their infancy, but that’s
no longer the case,” Stanton said later in an interview.
He also lamented the smart-phone
apps that enable a shopper to compare the price of an item in
his store with that listed by a big-box store or Internet
retailer. “Brick-and-mortar stores like this end up being
showrooms for Amazon.”
Still, Stanton said, “we had a
really good year, though not a stupendous one.” He said
Peekabootique remained competitive by stocking unique, colorful
merchandise and employing “a great staff.”
Where Are the Loans?
Next up was Subs Inc., where owner
Rami Balat implored Pelosi to press for “more access to funding
to help businesses grow” as he scooped chocolate ice cream into
a sugar cone for his guest. The congresswoman later stopped in
at Noe Valley Deli, which is owned by Balat’s parents, Karim and
Saheer Balat. Upon hearing that Karim was from the West Bank city of Ramallah, Pelosi
replied that she’d been there on her many travels.
Pelosi’s third stop was Gallery of
Jewels, where she pored over cases displaying rings, necklaces,
and other items crafted by local artisans with owner Bill
Hoover. While lamenting the difficulty small businesses are
having obtaining credit—”Lending institutions are supposed to
lend money,” Hoover said—he praised Pelosi’s “track record in
working with small businesses.”
Hoover also thanked the
congresswoman for pushing for an extension of payroll tax cuts
and unemployment benefits. “Anything that puts more money in
people’s pockets is good for business,” he said later in an
interview.
Despite pleas from her staff to
stay on schedule, Pelosi lingered an extra 15 minutes in the
store. “I don’t get to go shopping very often,” she told Hoover.
Pelosi continued down 24th Street
to Chocolate Covered, where she sampled chocolate. “She prefers
dark,” noted proprietor Jack Epstein.
Asked about his business needs,
Epstein replied, “More customers,” whereupon Pelosi purchased
several chocolate bars and two of his signature street-sign
tins. “I had to use a ladder to get the Presidio Terrace tins,”
he recalled. “They were high up on the wall. We don’t sell a lot
of those.”
Bowling for Customers
Next, the entourage stopped at
When Modern Was, a vintage furniture store. Owner Dona Taylor
said she told Pelosi that the secret to her success—”my business
is doing fabulous”—is cultivating and championing local artists.
The last stop on the tour was Just
for Fun, where co-owner David Eiland helped Pelosi pick out
books and stickers for her grandchildren. In an interview
following the visit, Eiland said he told the congresswoman that
what 24th Street needs most is a growing economy.
“Last year was better than the
previous year. We had a nice bump and it feels nice to finally
be moving in the right direction,” he said. “But the last few
years have left us all with a great deal of debt. My partner and
I are in a quandary. We need a new computer system and would
like to re-carpet and repaint the store. But that would mean
taking on new debt when we should be paying down debt.
“What we need most are people
spending money,” he continued. “But it’s dead right now [a sunny
day in mid-January]. I could go outside and roll a bowling ball
down the sidewalk and not hit anyone.”
A ‘Vibrant’ Neighborhood
After leaving the store, Pelosi
told reporters gathered outside that she came to talk with
merchants in Noe Valley because of its “national reputation” as
“a very vibrant, dynamic neighborhood.
“I have said all day that there is
nothing more optimistic than starting a business,” she
continued. “It takes real courage and optimism about the
future.… That kind of entrepreneurial spirit is…central to the
growth of our economy.”
Merchants were atwitter after
Pelosi left, describing her as “gracious,” “attentive,” and
“sincerely interested” in their concerns. “She’s a very easy
person to talk to,” said Stanton. “We had a blast.”
Added Rami Balat: “It was the
highlight of 2012.”
Still, despite her political
connections, merchants said they knew Pelosi couldn’t address
all of their issues, such as the city’s payroll tax, which they
claim is a disincentive to hiring, and costly parking tickets,
which they believe discourage people from coming to Noe Valley
to shop or have a meal.
“City Hall thinks it can just
squeeze more money out of small business,” said Rami Balat.
“Instead, they should be encouraging us. We’re the biggest
creator of jobs.”
Beverly Tharp and Sally Smith
contributed to this story.