On Thursday morning, San Francisco's Vacant to Vibrant—which aims to transform empty downtown retail spaces with dynamic pop-up installations—announced its second lineup of activators set to open mid-June.
Guess what? 7x7 is excited to be part of it!
This summer, we're bringing 7x7 Social Club to you IRL, to a space in Jackson Square near the lovely Transamerica Redwood Park. The location and timing are fitting: Our iconic Transamerica Pyramid, like San Francisco itself, is currently experiencing a refresh: Its renovation is designed to help revitalize the city with new amenities intended to lure workers back to the office and locals back to downtown. Developer Michael Shvo says his goal for Transamerica is to "be the heart of San Francisco."
That works for us.
Since launching in 2001, 7x7 has always hung its hat in the heart of SF. For over 20 years our editors have mixed with the city's brightest creators and entrepreneurs, sharing their stories with you in our print magazine, online, and across our social channels. In this post-pandemic world, we are working to be part of the solution to sleepy streets and small business downturn.
7x7 Social Club takes aim at incentivizing you all to leave your hang-at-home ways and get back out in the world to support all things local. Our members are already taking advantage of great deals at local restaurants, bars, music and arts venues. Now with a brick-and-mortar space, we look forward to welcoming you all in to forge new connections and celebrate everything we all love about the SF Bay Area.
7x7's Social Club pop-up will be our magazine come to life, filled with curated art, books, and objects by the many local talents we love. By day, you can stop in to peruse goods by local makers, read a new release by a Bay Area author, or enjoy a cup of coffee while you get a bit of work done.
In the evenings, you can expect an array of parties and events such as tastings and cooking classes with local celebrity chefs, creative workshops with insanely talented makers, live talks and readings with local luminaries, fashion shows with beloved Bay Area brands, and so much more. The space will be dynamically designed by SF interiors star Jon de la Cruz, with custom wall art by Caroline Lizarraga. Look out for more details and invitations in the coming weeks!
7x7 is joined by a host of terrific, small local businesses in this second cohort of Vacant to Vibrant:
- Alimentari Centro (East Cut): A petite San Francisco deli with a curious kitchen, offering eclectic cheeses, charcuterie, and more
- Hungry Crumbs (East Cut): SF's premier cookie bakery serving luscious cookies across the Bay Area
- Juma Ventures; Steep Boba (East Cut): Youth-run boba & ice cream shop focused on leadership training for underserved youth
- Koolfi Creamery (East Cut): Small-batch ice cream shop offering flavors made with the best local and imported ingredients
- Paper Son Coffee (East Cut): Quintessential SF coffee shop offering locally roasted coffee & adventurous new flavors
- Saint Flora (FiDi): Full-service floral shop specializing in unconventional flower experiences
- Public Glass (SoMa): Nonprofit arts org with SF's only public-access glass studio and school
Thank you to SF New Deal which produces Vacant to Vibrant in partnership with Mayor London Breed and the SF Office of Economic and Workforce Development. A special shoutout to presenting sponsor Wells Fargo for their $1 million contribution towards the economic revitalization of SF. Their support will provide transformational funding to help many of these pop-ups transition to long-term leases in downtown SF.
// Read more about 7x7 Social Club. Support local businesses and the arts, and keep up with our pop-up news when you join the club.
Vacant to Vibrant's 2024 activators. That's us—7x7 co-owners, editor Chloé Hennen and publisher Natalie Wages, at bottom third from left.(@sfnewdeal, @vacanttovibrant)
