Renovation Pushes Black Businesses Out of the Fillmore

The Fillmore District has had a long rocky history. The roughly 70 years of urban renewal is visible in all parts of the neighborhood from the new apartments and stores to the older shops that have been around for years.
Over the past three months I’ve had lots of residents of the district bring up the redevelopment with both supporters and opposers of it.
Tony Taylor used to be a Fillmore District resident and left because he was tired of the neighborhood and he said the neighborhood has been through a “tumultuous renovation” with all the redevelopment in the past. He doesn’t support the redevelopment and speaks out against it. One thing that is noticeable is that African American businesses are decreasing in the neighborhood. Given that this was once a predominately African American neighborhood it is sad. African Americans are getting pushed out because they can’t afford the neighborhood. Most of the African American businesses are now places like hair and nail salons and barbers.
If you spend your time going through all the shops you’ll also find little clothing boutiques that have been there for years. I wrote about Jean Nobles Style in a earlier blog, and Carylon Alexander, a store employee, said the store has been on Fillmore Street for 22 years. The Fillmore St. Café has passed through several owners according to Munir Adem, but now it is entirely African American owned. There are many businesses that have not had the good fortune that the two above have had.
While walking around the neighborhood I can since things are changing as the neighborhood gets more renovation done and more people move into the neighborhood. Only time will tell what impact the decrease of African American owned businesses will have on the future of the Fillmore District.

The Fillmore District Churches

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Eat, Drink, and Relax at the Fillmore St. Cafe

Every time I pass the Fillmore St. Cafe, located in the Fillmore District, it is crowded. Not just people coming and going all the time, but actually sitting and hanging out.
It's one of those neighborhood places that feels like everyone knows each other.
Quite a few people in the neighborhood have mentioned the Fillmore St. Cafe and talked about the delicious food and I figured I have to try this place out.
Tes Sebhatu, a resident in the Fillmore District, was one of the people that recommended the Fillmore St. Café. He said the cafe and Fillmore Street are different from the rest of the neighborhood.
Sebhatu said Fillmore Street had “a different atmosphere, it’s constantly moving.”
When you’re in the Fillmore St. Cafe you can feel this because people are coming and going and the crowd that came into the café while I was there was very diverse.
The café has a sense of history in it and black pride as well. Pictures of famous jazz musicians hang on the walls and some of the walls are painted with pictures of musicians.
While the café was busy it still felt cozy because everyone was very friendly. People would come in and say hi to other customers in the café.
Munir Adem, one of the café owners, said people like the café because they feel comfortable and they feel at home, he and his employees know their customers' names.
The employees at the Fillmore St. Cafe try to accommodate everyone's needs.
Adem said the café has been around for about 10 years, but he and his partner took over in 2003 and have really fixed up the place.
Another important part of the café is the food. I ordered a roast beef sandwich with a Caesar salad on the side and it tasted great because there was so much on it. The portions were large given that the prices weren't high and it felt hardy and left me feeling satisfied.
Some of the things you can get at the café are coffee drinks, bagels, and sandwiches.
Fillmore District resident Goiton Uwal said he comes to the café because it is near his house.
Uwal said he comes to the café “Only to drink, only to pass the time.”
With lower prices then other cafés and it’s location right on a busy part of Fillmore Street, the Fillmore St. Cafe is a convenient place for people to grab a bite to eat or get a coffee.
Other cafes don’t offer the same quality of customer service that you would get at the Fillmore St. Cafe. It feels more personal when you’re dealing with staff.
Adem said people like places that are like mom and pop shops and that is exactly what the Fillmore St. Cafe is.

Getting To Know The Fillmore District

Upon first viewing the Fillmore District in San Francisco I didn’t know what to think of the neighborhood. Going up Fillmore Street on the bus I saw McDonald’s, Starbucks and some other popular chain restaurants. However, after spending the week walking around the Fillmore District and interviewing the locals I realized that the Fillmore District was a very fascinating place.
The residents of the Fillmore and the people who work in the area were very friendly. Everyone I talked to was happy to answer my questions and give me information about his or her neighborhood. The neighborhood is very diverse, which makes the area interesting because of all the different shops.
As I was walking around Fillmore Street I saw that amongst plenty of clothing shops and hair and nail boutiques there were jazz clubs and a Jazz Heritage Center. It was obvious that some of the stores have been around for a long time, such as Jean Nobles Style. Jean Nobles Style is a clothing shop that’s been around for 30 years and has been on Fillmore Street for 22 years, according to Carylon Alexander, an employee at the shop. However, alongside the older establishments were newer ones like Starbucks and Jubili Frozen Yogurt and Cereal.
According to Alexander, the Fillmore District is an important place because of its “ethnic importance as well as the music and arts.”
One doesn’t have to walk far on Fillmore Street to notice that there are a lot of culture and art in the area. I passed one building with painted signs hanging up that said things like “black is being beautiful” and “ Fillmore Great Place To Live.” Visit the Fillmore on a Saturday and you will see the weekly farmers market, where plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and tasty food is available. Across from the farmers market musicians perform and often times there will be people set up supporting some cause or another.
Like any neighborhood the Fillmore District has problems. I saw homeless people and residents talked about the violence in the neighborhood.
When I asked Alexander if there were any issues she was concerned about she said “ The neighborhood in general, safety, police or lack of police safety protection.”
According to Tes Sebhatu, a resident of the Fillmore, there is youth violence, but it generally takes place at night.
There are some residents who feel that the violence in the neighborhood isn’t really a problem. According to Tami Andrade, there is a gunshot occasionally but there are neighborhoods a lot worse than the Fillmore.
I asked Alexa Adams, a resident of Fillmore moving because her lease is up, what she thought of the neighborhood, she said she liked the area and felt that it was safe place to live, and she'd recommend living in the Fillmore.
While a few people told me not to go out at night I felt safe in the Fillmore District during the day.
If people are willing to take the time to visit places like the Jazz Heritage Center and Yoshi’s restaurant and jazz club they will be able to listen to jazz music and learn about the Fillmore Districts jazz history. I also found information on PBS.org about a documentary called The Fillmore. According to the site the documentary premiered in 2001 but there is a website for the documentary still up also called The Fillmore that provides information about the area for anyone interested in learning more about the Fillmore District.