Castro’s newest cannabis store, Flore Store (258 Noe), is now open while Flore’s historic district restaurant (formerly Cafe Flore) has been closed for two years.
Flore store co-owner Terrance Alan told Hoodline that the cannabis store officially opened for business on December 17.
“Four and a half years in the making,” Alan said. “It’s comforting, and it’s weird because he’s coming home from 25 years of cannabis use to Castro.”
Flore store is now open at 258 Noe St. | Photo: Stephen Bracco/Hoodline
Hoodline readers may remember that Alan and co-owner Luke Bruner have been in the business of opening a Flore store since 2018.
Alan had originally planned to open the Flore Store on April 20, the unofficial national marijuana holiday, but those plans were delayed by state and local licensing issues.
While the Flore store is now open, the 48-year-old historic neighborhood restaurant Flore has remained closed since it closed in December 2019.
Active listing of approximately 1,000 square feet of restaurant space, including off-site setup kitchen, for rent at an undisclosed price.
Flower Cafe is currently listed for rent. | Photo: Stephen Bracco/Hoodline
Alan and co-owner Aaron Silverman acquired Café Flower in 2017, and despite reducing the café’s opening hours and menu, “we couldn’t break even,” Allan told us last year. Alan also thought it might do better as a space for private events, but that idea was shattered with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alan told Hoodline that he is currently in discussion with four or five potential operators, and it is currently in the hands of the owner.
“The standards are very high,” Alan said. “We want someone who can breathe some life into their 75-year-old greenhouse, restore the fence, and make the improvements needed to make the place last another 25 years.”
Alan is no stranger to the cannabis industry, having previously chaired the San Francisco Cannabis Legislation Task Force, advising the city on how to regulate the industry under State Proposition 64. In 1996, Alan co-founded CHAMP (Califorians Help Alleviate) problems. medical) had its offices at 194 Church St. (now Churchill) in the former home of Dennis Peron’s San Francisco Buyers Club.
He is currently a board member of Castro Merchants. But despite his qualifications, obtaining the approval of the Flore Store was not easy.
Inside Fleur Store. | Photo: Stephen Bracco/Hoodline
In 2019, the planning department gave the go-ahead on several conditions, among them drawing a mural on the wall. Alan and Brunner have agreed not to use any cannabis or drug related graphics or advertisements on its interface. “It’s not going to be the cannabis-themed mural,” Alan told Hoodline. “It’s going to have to do with this connection between cannabis, AIDS, wasting syndrome, cancer, and chemotherapy.”
Members of the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood (DTNA) set several other conditions for the opening of the Flore Store. Consumption of cannabis is prohibited on site, on-site security will be required during normal business hours, along with 24/7 video surveillance.
Flore Store is Castro’s third cannabis retailer, along with The Apothecarium on Market Street and one-year-old Eureka Sky, which is located next to Jane Warner Plaza. A fourth retailer, Rose Mary Jane, was recently proposed just three doors away from The Apothecarium.
Alan says he supports adding Rosemary Jane to the neighborhood. “We support the competition to offer the best of everything – prices, produce, everything fresh,” said Alan. “If you’re in competition, it keeps your pencil sharp and that’s good for customers.”
Selection of hemp products in the shop Fleur. | Photo: Stephen Bracco/Hoodline
The Flore store offers a variety of CBD-containing drinks. | Photo: Stephen Bracco/Hoodline
Alan Hoodline told Flore Store that it stands out from the rest because of its exterior design by Levy Art + Architecture and interior design by Dav Studio.
Inside, customers will find that the floor is made from organic hemp grown in Kentucky and the cabinets are made of hemp by an LGBTQ+ designer in Oakland.
The Flore Store provides customers with a variety of cannabis products including hemp flowers, foods, prepackaged wraps, vapes, beverages, and concentrates with a focus on family farms.
A mural has already been installed on the north side of the building, facing the small Noe & Beaver Garden, and is tentatively slated for its grand opening on February 14, 2022 (Valentine’s Day).
The mural will be unveiled next year. | Photo: Stephen Bracco/Hoodline
The new mural was designed by artist Dave Van Patten, who was selected after an international competition. Alan says they received 17 offers that were judged by local neighbors and art experts. The 35-foot by 16-foot mural is digitally printed on vinyl and will be lit at night.
“It’s a story of cannabis sympathy,” Alan said. Humboldt farmers typically give 10-20% of their crops to Dennis Peron, CHAMP, or other groups, allowing cannabis sympathy to begin.
“It’s really a brilliantly told story of how Humboldt and San Francisco came together during a crisis,” Alan added. “But there’s no weed in it.”
The Flore store is open seven days a week from 2pm to 9pm