Market Street Arts' Creative Hubs Celebrate One Year After Filling Vacant Spaces In Mid-Market
Through the success of The Red Tail, Holy Stitch!, and Roar Shack Live, the Mid-Market Foundation has set a new standard for neighborhood investment.
Holy Stitch founder Julian Prince Dash speaks at the it’s grand opening on May 16, 2024. Photo Credit: Felix Uribe Photography.
SAN FRANCISCO (July 22, 2025) – The Mid-Market Foundation is proud to announce that its three Creative Hubs, created under the Foundation's Market Street Arts initiative, are celebrating one year in Mid-Market, after filling previously vacant spaces. The Red Tail Beer and Wine Bar (992 Market Street), Holy Stitch! (1059 Market Street), and Roar Shack Live! (34–7th Street) have become catalysts for neighborhood transformation. The Foundation launched the Creative Hubs to fill vacant storefronts while attracting new businesses to the neighborhood. The first Creative Hubs are drawing new customers to Mid-Market and fostering community while demonstrating the power of arts-and-entertainment-driven economic revitalization in Mid-Market. Since activating these vacant street-level spaces, the Mid-Market Foundation has reported an increase in new leases on the upper levels, as well as at neighboring addresses.
“Through Market Street Arts, the Mid-Market Foundation set out to transform the neighborhood through strategic investments, focusing on creative entrepreneurs and artists that can put down roots within the community,” said Steve Gibson, Executive Director of the Mid-Market Foundation. “Last year, we launched three Creative Hubs, with the hope that they would become anchors on Mid-Market. Not only have these businesses done just that, but they are thriving.”
“Downtown revitalization efforts have been in full swing for the last two years, and we've seen everything from big events to months-long pop-up activations. With Market Street Arts, we wanted to be more than a stopgap,” said Rob Ready, Business Development Director for Mid-Market Foundation. “The Mid-Market Foundation's goal has been to support businesses that are committed to the neighborhood for the long haul and do so while honoring San Francisco's innovative spirit. The success of these hubs shows that real transformation takes time—and it's absolutely possible.”
The Red Tail Beer and Wine Bar, which celebrated its grand opening in fall 2024, is seeing each month's sales surpass those of the previous month, with record sales and a steady stream of regulars. The Red Tail is a frequent location for Busk It! performances, bringing live music to one of San Francisco's busiest intersections multiple times a week. Its location between the Warfield and Golden Gate Theatre makes it a prime spot for pre-show drinks, and is set to become even busier with the Warfield Commons becoming the new home to KALW and other creative nonprofits and businesses. The Red Tail owners also recently announced they plan to open The Green Heron, a new bar in the former Hobson's Choice location, in fall 2025.
“The response from the community has exceeded all our expectations,” said Wesley Wakeford, co-founder of The Red Tail. "We set out to do more than serve great beer and wine. We wanted to create a space where the community can connect with one another and the neighborhood. Market Street Arts gave us the confidence to invest in Mid-Market, and we're seeing that investment pay off as we get to witness the neighborhood's transformation right in front of us."
Mid-Market Community Members Gather at The Red Tail, one of Market Street Art’s Creative Hubs.
Guests gather and explore Holy Stitch! at it’s grand opening celebration.
Photo Credit: Felix Uribe Photography.
Holy Stitch!, Market Street Arts' inaugural creative hub was launched in May 2024 in a storefront that had been vacant for nearly 10 years. Since opening its headquarters on Market Street, the company has expanded its business, becoming a leader in San Francisco's apparel industry and collaborating with prestigious partners. Founder Julian Prince Dash has recently secured major partnerships for printing and production with local businesses, and Holy Stitch! has been able to expand its retail offerings.
“This neighborhood has always been at the heart of Holy Stitch!, and it is once again contributing to its cultural renaissance,” said Dash.
The Living Earth Show's Roar Shack Live! has breathed new life into 34-7th Street, the former home of renowned cocktail lounge Mr. Smith's, which closed in 2019. Since opening in September 2024, The Living Earth Show has sold out every single one of its monthly experimental chamber music and multidisciplinary performances. They are set to sign a two-year lease to remain in the location.
The Living Earth Show performs at their creative hub venue, Roar Shack Live on 7th Street.
"There's no better place to incubate risky, innovative art than Mid-Market, and The Living Earth Show is honored to call Mid-Market our home,” said Andy Meyerson, co-founder and Artistic Director of The Living Earth Show. “We're looking forward to bringing a diverse range of artists and audiences to our space, creating exactly the kind of cultural synthesis that defines San Francisco at its best."
The Creative Hubs are one of several Market Street Arts programs designed to transform Mid-Market into a world-class arts and entertainment district. Market Street Arts' other programs include Busk It!, which brings live music to the streets; Well-Crafted, offering free DIY workshops at Mid-Market bars and restaurants; and UNSTAGED, a monthly event series that activates the Mid-Market Entertainment Zone with performances and interactive art. Market Street Arts has been transforming San Francisco's Mid-Market since 2023 with programs that leverage the neighborhood's historic role as a theater district. The initiative has been revitalizing the neighborhood through economic support of creative entrepreneurs, arts organizations, businesses, public art, and events of all scales.
ABOUT THE RED TAIL
The Red Tail is a family-owned, San Francisco-based craft beer and wine bar known for its welcoming atmosphere and carefully curated beverage selection. Founded by Wesley Wakeford, Ben Sapone, and Conner Frederick, The Red Tail has become a beloved spot in the Inner Sunset neighborhood, fostering community and connection.
ABOUT HOLY STITCH!
Holy Stitch! stands as a pioneering force in San Francisco's Mid-Market neighborhood under the visionary leadership of its founder, Julian Prince Dash. As a serial social entrepreneur, Dash had long recognized the untapped potential of Mid-Market, so he worked to pave the way for various initiatives, including a collaboration with the Luggage Store Gallery in 2010 and the creation of Holy Stitch! in 2006.
Dash's passion for empowering youth and fostering growth led to the establishment of the Holy Stitch! Factory Fellowship in 2023, a nonprofit organization dedicated to activating and serving the San Francisco community. Holy Stitch! is renowned for its custom garments and its commitment to helping youth secure positions at prestigious companies and universities. Through innovative solutions and a deep understanding of industry challenges, Holy Stitch! aims to transform the lives of San Francisco's youth, one stitch at a time. Over the years, Dash's dedication and foresight have been instrumental in shaping Mid-Market into the dynamic and influential sector it is today while providing the community with the resources, tools, and support needed to thrive.
ABOUT THE LIVING EARTH SHOW
Deemed "outstanding" (San Francisco Chronicle), "transcendent" (Charleston City Paper) and one of the "22 for '22 performers to watch," (Washington Post), The Living Earth Show–guitarist Travis Andrews and percussionist Andy Meyerson–represents the future of American contemporary and experimental chamber music.
Based in San Francisco, The Living Earth Show is simultaneously one of the premier contemporary chamber ensembles in the United States, a groundbreaking performing arts organization, and an uncompromising record label (Earthy Records). The Living Earth Show has presented seasons of commissioned multimedia productions around the world since 2011, working with dance companies, visual artists, sculptors, poets, and other musicians to craft compelling, immersive, progressive new work that reflects and responds to our world.
ABOUT THE MID MARKET FOUNDATION
The Mid Market Foundation (MMF) is a 501c3 established in 2019 to conceive, implement, and manage transformative programs. It launched Market Street Arts in August 2023, creating a uniting vision for the neighborhood. MMF also launched the Tenderloin/Mid-Market Community-Based Safety Program, which is one of the largest alternative community safety programs in the country, providing ambassador services across San Francisco's Mid-Market, Tenderloin, and SOMA neighborhoods.
ABOUT MARKET STREET ARTS
Led by the Mid-Market Foundation, Market Street Arts is a multi-year collaboration between the City, neighborhood stakeholders, businesses, residents, private donors, and corporate sponsors to actualize the true potential of Mid-Market. It capitalizes on Mid-Market's centralized location and creative infrastructure as San Francisco's historic theater district. Implementation strategies specifically leverage the neighborhood's larger cultural venues with a fabric of new and existing creative entrepreneurs, arts organizations, businesses, public art, beautification, and events of various scales, serving as a multipronged platform for creative expression, human connection, and economic investment.
Market Street Arts is funded by the Mid Market Foundation, a 501c3 established in 2019 to conceive, implement, and manage transformative programs, in partnership with the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development.
