SF night markets aim to help revitalize city by taking it to the streets

San Francisco's road to recovery following the pandemic has been a bumpy one. But looking to build a better Bay Area and bringing the city back to life, community leaders are eyeing the streets for a solution.

Saturday's Richmond Night Market could serve as a blueprint on how to get it done.

Clemente Street in San Francisco's Richmond District was packed Saturday evening for a second summer night market.

Abril Canul, who grew up on these streets, is happy that her neighborhood is getting some love.

"It is good to see good positive things that support what Clement is, but there is also new things happen here as well," Canul said.

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Thousands turned out for the four-street block party, with merchants selling various cuisine, clothing and jewelry. There was also music, games and cultural dances. But beyond fanfare and food, organizers says there is a strategy at play.

"Our theory, our premise is that the road to San Francisco's recovery is through events and through the streets," said Manny Yekutiel. He is executive director of Civic Joy Fund, a nonprofit working to revitalize San Francisco. He is also owner of the popular Manny's café, which hosts political forums.

The group has put forth a $100,000 toward eight night markets -- an investment that he believes will pay off big.

"The goal is have San Francisco become the night market city," Yekutiel said. "I'd like to make this a part of people's regular schedule, where they think, 'It's Saturday, or it's Friday night. I'm going to go to a night market. Which neighborhood has a night market this week?' And we are going to get there in the next few months."

"What I have heard, time and time again, is people want clean and safe streets. That is what San Francisco needs to deliver, not just sometimes, but really, all the time," said San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan for District 1, which includes the Richmond District.

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Chan says what the night markets show is that San Francisco streets can be safe and clean. She hopes this will encourage small businesses to take more risks.

"Merchants feel more confident opening their shops into the later hours, because they can see that a crowd like this is possible. We can see that month by month, we are making progress and not giving up," Chan said.

California State Assemblymember Phil Ting, who represents San Francisco, was in attendance.

"If you look at our neighborhoods, our neighborhoods are thriving," he said, pushing back on the doom-loop narrative plaguing San Francisco.

Ting has put forth a bill to help convert downtown office space into housing, a move many believe will help to revive downtown San Francisco.

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He is happy to see the strong turnout for the night market.

"This gives people something to be excited about. What could be a quiet summer day -- a lot of people leave town on the weekends. This is a reason to stay in San Francisco and enjoy San Francisco," he said. "This is a way to support the backbone of our economy, which is our small businesses."

Organizers are also trying to be strategic by showcasing businesses in the neighborhood. The Richmond night market is anchored by the 4 Star Theater. Inside, there is a record store, food, and its playing free movie shorts for those who come by.

"People don't know that it's opened. People don't know that movie theaters are opened," said Jaimi Holker, owner of Cinema SF, which operates the theater. "So the night market is fantastic way for people to see how it has been renovated. What we have added to it."

Organizers say the large crowds prove that San Francisco is responding.