Fire burns family-run hardware store in SF’s Inner Sunset

SAN FRANCISCO ( KRON ) – A community is rallying behind a decades-old family business in San Francisco after a fire tore through it over the weekend. The overnight fire seriously damaged Great Wall Hardware in the city’s Sunset District and sent one person to the hospital.

The store’s owner, Albert Chow, has been through a mix of emotions since the fire. First worrying about his mom, who was taken to the hospital and has since been deemed to be okay, and second, dealing with what’s left of his hardware store.

“The front third of the store is toast for sure. Total loss for sure at the front,” he said.

Just before 4 a.m., Chow says he got a call from his security company about a possible burglary at the store on Taraval Street. He rushed over and found the building up in flames.

“I got here, there were like six fire trucks desperately putting out the fire with 20-something firefighters,” he said.

Amid the chaos, Chow frantically searched for his 81-year-old mother, who lives above the store. A firefighter recognized the situation and told him that his mother had been located.

“I was like, ‘Thank God.’ I was really worried for 3-4 minutes there. I was thinking the worst in my head,” he said.

His mother was taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, but she’s now recovering. Chow says his parents opened the hardware store in the Inner Sunset in 1983.

“I’ve been here all 41 years of this store since I was a teenager. I love this town,” he said.

The good news is that he has support from the community, which has raised thousands of dollars in just 24 hours to help them reopen.

“I’ve had everybody from the mayor on down calling me, reaching out, offering support. They set up a GoFundMe for me. It’s just been amazing, people driving by honking their horn and giving me a heart sign,” he said.

The GoFundMe has already raised more than $30,000. The supervisor for this district, Joel Engardio, says not only is this store vital, but Chow also plays a major role in the community with the area’s merchant’s association.

“It’s called the People of Parkside and Sunset. The people, right? He runs a group where people and the community come to get information and learn how to create our best Sunset, so that’s why you see so many people rallying around Albert and his store. He’s the fabric of our community,” Engardio said.

Chow says all the support inspires him even more to reopen, and he and his mom are touched by all the love.

Chow is also a contractor, so he’ll be doing a lot of the rebuilding himself. The fire department is still investigating the cause of the fire.

KRON4 reached out to the police department to see if they are investigating a possible burglary that happened right before the fire. We are awaiting a response.

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