A little over a year after In The Black first opened to the public in the Fillmore District, leaders of the marketplace for Black-owned businesses say it's thriving, both at its brick-and-mortar location and online.

Why it matters: The Fillmore was once known as the "Harlem of the West" with its bustling jazz scene and nightlife, but the city's 1960s redevelopment of the district decimated the Black population, displacing over 4,700 households and shuttering 883 businesses.

How it happened: A group of Black entrepreneurs conceived of the idea to create a Black-led marketplace during the pandemic, which dealt blows to small businesses across the city.

• Partnering with the city's economic development office, the San Francisco Housing Development Corporation (SFHDC) and the Dream Keeper Initiative, they established In The Black to reclaim physical space for their community and ensure Black businesses get the opportunity they deserve, marketplace manager Joshua Farr said.
• "Our vision is to bring the energy and spirit of Black entrepreneurship back to the Fillmore," Farr told Axios.

State of play: Since its launch, the marketplace has supported over 22 businesses, hosted events to showcase products from local Black vendors, and collaborated with the California Academy of Sciences and the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.

• It's also working with SFHDC to train entrepreneurs through a 12-week business development program called Minding My Black-Owned Business.
• The marketplace is exploring ways to connect vendors directly to customers through QR codes and in-store kiosks.

What they're saying: In The Black enables customers to interact one-on-one with Black vendors in person, which can be a rarity these days, said Shawna Sherman, manager of the African American Center at San Francisco Public Library.

• Supporting San Francisco residents "to create more culture and social life for African Americans is only a good thing," she told Axios.
• The founders' goal is to narrow the gap between dreaming about starting a business and making it a reality, Farr noted.
• It's a critical role to fill in the Fillmore, which represents a "vibrant community that was lost," Farr added.

Share this story

Many San Franciscans are living the "damp" or "dry" lifestyle, as sales of non-alcoholic beer are on the rise.

Why it matters: This year, huge interest in the annual booze-free challenge Dry January marked a change in the way American adults think about alcohol, Axios' Carly Mallenbaum reports.

By the numbers: In San Francisco, non-alcoholic beer sales came in at $1.2 million in the first four weeks of January, up from $329,000 in January 2020, according to NIQ, which tracks buying behavior.

• Over the same period nationally, sales of NA beers hit $42.7 million in January, up from just $13.5 million.
• Although alcoholic beer sales are fairly flat, non-alcoholic beer sales are on the rise in the U.S.

Zoom in: A major California-based non-alcoholic beer brand is driving the trend: Athletic Brewing Company.

• Whole Foods Market now sells more non-alcoholic Athletic beer nationally than any other brand of beer — with or without alcohol, The Wall Street Journal reports.

What's next: If you're curious about exploring non-alcoholic drinks, consider checking out sober social lounge Ocean Beach Cafe in the Outer Richmond or alcohol-free retailer Boisson in Hayes Valley.

Go deeper

🛍️ Macy's plans to shutter its Union Square location along with 150 other "underproductive" stores, though the SF location is not slated to close before 2025. (SF Chronicle)

🏠 Bay Area Chinatowns are facing a steep decline in home values. (SF Chronicle)

San Francisco's crime rate in 2023 was the city's lowest in 10 years, according to Mayor London Breed. (CBS News Bay Area)

🏆 SFGATE has unveiled its first ever Best of Bay Area contest. You can submit nominations for over 150 categories, including "Best Dive Bar Bathroom" and "Best Place to Cry in Public." (SFGATE)

It's about that time to get your groove on at Golden Gate Park as part of the Illuminate LIVE concert series, the city's parks department announced this week.

State of play: The free concert series begins today and runs through mid-November, featuring shows every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at the Golden Gate Bandshell in Golden Gate Park.

• During March, Women's History Month, the shows will feature women or women-led musical groups.
• Attendees will be able to hear artists perform many genres, including R&B, jazz, soul, big band, classical and even electronic music.

Fun fact: The Golden Gate Bandshell, at 122 years old, is the oldest structure in the park's music concourse.

• It was built for the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition.

Tell a friend

Jessica "Jess" Chong, a 37-year-old software engineer based in San Francisco, will be competing on Season 46 of "Survivor," which premieres tonight.

Fun facts: Chong moved to San Francisco by way of Hong Kong and Canada in 2015 for a coding boot camp, Parade reports, and one of her favorite things to do is bike around the city, according to Entertainment Weekly.

• And in a very "only in SF" way, Chong prepared for "Survivor" puzzles with the help of her husband's 3D printer.

Context: "Survivor" is one of the longest-running reality TV shows. Contestants have limited access to food, compete in physical challenges, and rely on their social skills to try to become "Sole Survivor" by a jury of the same people they booted off the island.

Tune in: "Survivor" Season 46 premieres on CBS tonight at 8pm.

Share this story