Williams-Sonoma, the San Francisco-based parent company of Pottery Barn , has announced that it is searching for a business to sublease the space at 2390 Market Street.  The marquee location sits at the corner of Market and Castro streets.

Retail West Inc. is handling the search for a new tenant. Representatives from the firm appeared before the February 4 meeting of the Merchants of Upper Market and Castro to discuss Pottery Barn's plans to close and the current prospects for a replacement tenant.

Matt Holmes from Retail West stated that Williams-Sonoma has decided that the two-story, 13,000 square-foot Pottery Barn was not "sustainable." Because any new tenant is likely to be formula retail, Williams-Sonoma wanted to ensure that the community was aware of the sublease plans early, in order to smooth out the eventual permit process.

While no concrete progress has been made on a new sublease, Retail West has received inquiries from national chains Beverages and More and Urban Outfitters , as well as an unnamed national gym chain, and a local beer and wine store.

Community Partner Award for Orphan Andy's

The Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District has awarded Orphan Andy's (3991 17^th Street) its inaugural "Castro CBD Community Partner Award" in recognition of the diner's help with the new pedestrian plaza at 17th and Castro streets.

According to CBD Executive Director Andrea Aiello , Orphan Andy's – owned by Dennis Ziebell and Bill Pung – is being recognized because the staff sets up the tables and chairs in the plaza and locks the furniture up at night. Throughout the day staff monitors and redistributes the seating, as well as provides general maintenance and clean-up on a volunteer basis.

Aiello notes that the purpose of this award is to recognize "people or organizations/businesses who through their exemplary actions or exceptional service have made a positive impact on the Castro/Upper Market community."

Tentative plans are to present Orphan Andy's with a certificate at the CBD's monthly meeting on March 11. The CBD will continue to recognize more individuals and organizations throughout the year.

Get your soup

Orphan Andy's Restaurant owners Dennis Ziebell and Bill Pung stand in front of their restaurant. Photo: Rick Gerharter

Soup Freaks (90 New Montgomery at Mission Street), purveyor of organic soups and salads, is finalizing plans to open its newest location at 499 Castro Street. The storefront at the corner of Castro and 18th streets previously housed Ritz Camera, and most recently was home to the GLBT Historical Society exhibit on queer history.

The Castro location will be the third store for Soup Freaks. Co-founders Moez Rafieetary and Shirley Rafieetary bill their line of organic soups, salads, and breakfasts as "100 percent guilt-free" and they boast that the local chain has always used completely compostable packaging.

Because the site cannot support a full kitchen, all cooking will be performed at the Mission location, and transported over to the Castro for final preparation and service. Moez says that they are about to begin renovations with the goal of opening "within the next couple months."

Walgreens renews offer

The GLBT Historical Society has received a new offer from Walgreens to lease the storefront at 4127 18th Street to serve as the home for the society's queer history exhibit. The offer, announced in the society's most recent newsletter, would allow the nonprofit to sublease the space at below-market rates for five years. The new location would double the size of the previous exhibit, which closed last fall.

The historical society is targeting early summer for the opening of the expanded exhibit.

Students help sell the Castro

Students from the Art Institute of California, San Francisco, under the direction of Professor Mouwafac Sidaoui, are working with MUMC to develop marketing strategies for the Castro merchants group. 

Sidaoui, who is also an assistant professor at University of San Francisco's School of Business and Professional Studies, has partnered a group of his students with the MUMC board to work on advertising strategies, competitive market analysis, and brand image for the merchants group. The current crop of students will present their final projects at the end of March, but Sidaoui intends to use MUMC as an ongoing case study for upcoming classes as well.

Last quarter, Sidaoui's students worked with Body (450 Castro Street) and Cliff's Variety (479 Castro Street) to develop marketing strategies for the two retailers.

Body to the rescue

Petyr Kane, owner of Body men's clothing shop, has pledged that 100 percent of the proceeds from a selection of merchandise will go to benefit Rocket Dog Rescue (www.rocketdogrescue.org). The merchandise includes T-shirts, dog collars, leashes, and tote bags from the Obey clothing line. Obey was founded by Shepard Fairey, the artist who produced the iconic "Hope" poster supporting then-candidate Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

Atlantis sweepstakes

Atlantis Events, producer of gay cruises and resort events, is offering three ocean-view staterooms as prizes in its "Sail Into the Sunshine" sweepstakes. The rooms are on the upcoming seven-night Caribbean cruise departing Ft. Lauderdale on March 7.

Entry deadline is February 15. To enter and for more details, visit http://atlantisevents.com/winter-sweepstakes-entry.aspx.

Out & Equal names new board members

San Francisco-based Out and Equal Workplace Advocates has announced three new members of its board of directors. The new directors are retired Ambassador Michael Guest ; Julie Hogan, regional vice president at Xerox Corporation; and Megan Wallent, a general manager at Microsoft . Out and Equal is a national nonprofit advocating for LGBT safety and equality in the workplace. For more information, visit www.outandequal.org.

Small businesses, mega mixer

The San Francisco Small Business Network is hosting a "Mega-Mixer" for its member organizations on Monday, February 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. The event will be held at First Bank (500 Montgomery Street) on the 10th floor.

Tickets run $10 in advance, or $20 at the door, with a $10 discount for members. For further information see www.sfsbn.org.

Contact Raymond Flournoy at castroshopper@yahoo.com.