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Commission recommends three legacy businesses for registry, flags technical assistance for one
Summary
The commission voted unanimously to recommend Flax Art & Design, Rolo San Francisco, and Real Foods Company for the city's Legacy Business Registry; staff noted Real Foods may benefit from program assistance because of recent ownership changes and customer-service concerns.
Desiree Smith of the planning department presented three legacy-business applications: Flax Art & Design (Fort Mason presence and a long-standing family history since 1938), Rolo San Francisco, Inc. (men's and unisex fashion retailer since 1986), and Real Foods Company (neighborhood grocery with long regional history but recent ownership and service concerns at the Polk Street location). Staff found Flax and Rolo met the legacy criteria and found Real Foods met basic eligibility but had outstanding questions under the community-significance criterion and recommended technical assistance where appropriate.
Howard Flax (Flax Art & Design) and Richard Carillo (Legacy Business Program) described community involvement and the business's continued local role; Carillo recommended approval for all three. Commissioners discussed how the program treats businesses that have relocated and concluded the ordinance allows recognition based on traditions and practices rather than a fixed physical location. The commission moved and unanimously approved staff recommendations to register all three businesses, with a note that Real Foods should be offered programmatic assistance to address community-service concerns.
