My Favorite Corner of SF
This article is part of My Favorite Corner of SF, a feature series that pays homage to a special place in the city.
Every time I’m near the southwest corner of Market and Octavia Streets, I can’t help but grin. Not merely over the coolness factor this particular corner exudes, but for my personal deep ties to it.
Directly across from the 101 freeway’s busy on- and off-ramps, where Elgin Park — the slim, oddly named alley — curves into Market, there’s an eye-catching set of businesses: Grooves, a vinyl-only record store, and It’s Tops Coffee Shop, a classic diner. This slice of San Francisco looks as if time has stood still while “progress” (read: rows of condos) has infected the blocks in all directions. With a city that’s vastly changed in every way, it’s comforting to see an area seemingly untouched.
It’s Tops Coffee Shop, opened in 1935, is nestled in a small spot on the ground floor of a three-story apartment building. The diner has a striking retro exterior, boasting red shutters and a faux picket fence in contrast to its white facade. The original neon sign stating that it is a “Fountain Coffee Shop” is on display alongside a Coca-Cola sponsored marquee declaring “Awesome Hot Cakes.” The plastic lettered sign charmingly uses a sideways “Z” instead of an “E” in “Awesome,” a quirky touch that seems more out of necessity than intention, almost as if a hooligan stole their “E” and they had to come up with this clever solution.
Their “Awesome Hot Cakes” statement is 100% true. For years, I routinely ordered a stack of the fluffy pancakes, until recently, when I switched to waffles — thin, crisp, and delicious.
It’s not just their comfort food, dining at It’s Tops is itself an experience. The original wood paneling and mini jukeboxes playing oldies at the tables give It’s Tops a distinct old-school vibe in a far more authentic way than a Mel’s Diner ever could. While others attempt to bottle up the past and serve it alongside burgers and fries, It’s Tops is the real deal from their classic diner fair to their Naugahyde booths.
While I love It’s Tops, the business on this corner most near and dear to me is Grooves. Over the course of more than 20 years, this vinyl-only record store has been selling music to avid collectors (and millennials now embracing the vintage music source). It also happens to be my parents’ store that I inherited after they passed away.
My dad opened Grooves after years and years of my mom begging him to get rid of the thousands of LPs that had taken over their home. He didn’t have to go out and buy stock for his store; he had plenty boxed up in their living room, dining room, and hallways—in addition to several storage units.
He sifted through his collection for dozens of colored vinyl records, which he applied randomly onto the windows of the store. Above the front door, he had a local artist paint the Grooves logo in a bold black surrounded by swirls. My dad designed the storefront to be eye-catching, and eye-catching it is. Grooves has been used as the backdrop in a wide variety of advertisements — in print and on TV — for automobiles, fashion labels, and mobile phones. While people may not remember its name, if I say “the store with all the colored records in the windows on Market,” they immediately know what I’m talking about. It has, along with It’s Tops, become iconic to San Francisco culture — now even a popular backdrop on Instagram.
This particular corner is so striking that Bob Dylan (yes, that Bob Dylan) did a large painting of Grooves and It’s Tops. This portrait is part of his ongoing series of iconic storefronts and businesses found across the country. Dylan’s piece beautifully captures the corner’s retro vibe in vibrant hues. The painting is, for now, part of his touring art show and, most recently, was on display at the Museum of Modern Art in Shanghai.
It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one who finds this corner irresistible. Bob Dylan apparently does too.
Do you have a favorite corner of SF and want to write about it? Submit your idea to info@thebolditalic.com.
