Cliff's Variety will celebrate its 90th year in business with a June 6 event in the Castro. The celebration will include live music, drag performances, raffles, and other entertainment. The family-owned store opened in 1936 selling magazines and used greeting cards, later expanding into hardware and household goods. As the Castro became a hub for LGBTQ culture in the 1970s, the store added wigs, heels, eyelashes, and party supplies. The business credits customer service and constantly evolving inventory for its longevity despite the rise of online shopping. The event will also raise funds for the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy and Castro Country Club, with raffle tickets starting at $5.
"Cliff's Variety is marking 90 years in the Castro with a June 6 celebration featuring live music, drag performances, raffles, and other entertainment, as KTVU reports. The longtime Castro business first opened in 1936 as a small shop selling magazines and used greeting cards San Francisco's first reuse, recycle, as co-owner Terry Asten Bennett put it."
"The shop later expanded into hardware and other household goods. Over the decades, the Cliff's adapted alongside the neighborhood, eventually adding wigs, heels, eyelashes, and party supplies as the Castro became a hub for LGBTQ culture in the 1970s. According to KTVU, the family-owned business says its focus on customer service and constantly evolving inventory has helped keep the store going as online shopping reshaped the retail industry."
""It's exciting to see a younger generation that actually wants to shop and touch and feel merchandise versus just buying it online," said Bennett. "And so that's the thing that gives me hope for the future." The June 6 extravaganza will also include a fundraiser benefiting the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy and Castro Country Club, with raffle tickets starting at $5 each."
Read at sfist.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]