MI COCINA CELEBRATES GRAND OPENING OF CAFE AND CONCEPT SHOP AT WARFIELD COMMONS IN MID-MARKET
San Francisco-based denim housewares brand opens at 992 Market Street with a new retail concept based on hand-crafted products, emerging technology and community partnerships.
Ribbon-cutting Wednesday, October 21 at 3 p.m.
SAN FRANCISCO (October 19, 2026) — Mi Cocina, the San Francisco lifestyle brand known for handcrafted denim aprons and kitchen goods, will celebrate the grand opening of Mi Cocina Cafe Con Leche, its cafe and shop in Mid-Market, on Wednesday, October 21 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Located on the ground floor of Warfield Commons (992 Market Street), Mi Cocina combines a cafe serving Red Bay Coffee with Mi Cocina's denim goods for the kitchen and home, including its Ruth Asawa BMC Collection. Mi Cocina means "my kitchen," and founder Ulrich "Ubi" Conrad Simpson designed the space as a place where art, music, culture, and technology collide.
The event includes a ribbon-cutting at 3 p.m. and live music from the five-piece Cuban and vintage jazz band Guajiron from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Attendance is free; attendees are encouraged to register on Eventbrite.
"The origin of the name “Mi Cocina” comes from a place where, in most cultures, the kitchen is the epicenter for the family. The kitchen is where everything happens and everyone comes together. The concept for us is “Mi Cocina Cafe con leche” is where coffee, culture, and technology blends into a new retail category,” said Simpson. “While you’re here, you’ll see different artists represented on our walls and elements of our denim kitchen collection on our staff and for sale in the shop. You might hear Steely Dan or Fishbone or Nina Simone. Nobody needs an invitation. You come in, someone hands you a coffee, and you stay. Mid-Market already has artists, engineers, and young people building things all on the same block. We wanted to give them a table."
“Mid-Market is coming back as a place to shop, dine, and enjoy great entertainment, and Mi Cocina is just the latest part of that momentum,” said Mayor Daniel Lurie. “We're proud to be making it easier for businesses to open their doors here and across San Francisco, with Storefront Opportunity Grants and faster, simpler permitting. Mi Cocina will bring new energy to the neighborhood and give workers, artists, families, and neighbors another great place to gather.”
Mi Cocina previously operated its flagship store and headquarters at San Francisco Centre. When Simpson looked for a new home, he chose Mid-Market for the opportunity and the people already there. Within a few blocks, artists, journalists, technologists, and nonprofits work side by side, and the store was built with them. Frontier Tower, across Market Street, developed the technology customers use to purchase items in the store. The coffee comes from Red Bay Coffee, the Oakland roaster, and interns from Enterprise for Youth work in the shop. Mi Cocina's neighbors at Warfield Commons, the historic building that Community Arts Stabilization Trust (CAST) and KALW Public Media purchased in 2025, including Psyched Radio. The opening is supported by a Storefront Opportunity Grant from Mayor Daniel Lurie and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD), and the Mid-Market Business Association and Foundation (MMBAF) helped Mi Cocina find its space and secure City support.
“Mi Cocina’s opening reflects renewed confidence in Mid-Market as local businesses fill vacant storefronts and bring activity back to the neighborhood,” said Anne Taupier, Executive Director of the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development. “Through the Storefront Opportunity Grant, we’re helping entrepreneurs like Ubi establish a presence on Market Street, giving people more reasons to shop and spend time in the neighborhood.”
Simpson spent over 30 years designing denim for brands including Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Diane Von Furstenberg, and Coach before starting Mi Cocina, which turns selvedge denim into aprons, oven mitts, pot holders, and table linens. The brand makes its products exclusively in California and has been featured on Oprah's Favorite Things, ABC World News Tonight's "Made in America" series, Wall Street Journal, and 99% Invisible.
The shop also carries Mi Cocina's Ruth Asawa BMC Collection, developed over two years with the Ruth Asawa estate. The collection is built on a print Asawa created while working in the laundry at Black Mountain College, where she turned the school's "BMC" laundry stamp into a repeating pattern. The signature piece, the BMC Frame Bag, is handcrafted, hand-stitched, and hammered in California and sells for $205. Mi Cocina introduced the collection on September 26 with a day of service at the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts community farm, where volunteers earned a limited red edition of the bag with three hours of work. The collection will be available to preview and order at the shop.
Through its partnership with Enterprise for Youth, a longtime San Francisco nonprofit that connects local high school and college students with paid internships, job readiness training, and career networking, Mi Cocina hosts paid interns who gain hands-on experience in business management and retail.
"Sit at the counter, and you'll meet a neighbor. Stay a little while, and you'll end up collaborating on something creative," said Fernando Pujals, Executive Director of the Mid-Market Business Association and Foundation. "Ubi is building the kind of place every neighborhood needs: a third space where people can come to be inspired, find each other, and start something. That's what Mid-Market is becoming, and Mi Cocina is proof of it."
Mi Cocina is located at 992 Market Street, steps from Powell Street Station. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with extended hours for special events. More information is available at micocinaus.com.
