SF Castro CALA 3746a

Though this may not look like an exciting picture, its the image of the passing of an important part of gay history.

When I was in San Francisco in December, 2010, I heard that the grocery store in the Castro was closing. The store had been a part of the Castro for decades, a place not only where you could get your groceries but also where you could glimpse the various stages of life in the Castro. When I lived in SF (1983-96), you could count on running into people that you knew in the store. It also wasn't unusual to see people in the store in full leather, grabbing something to eat after coming home from the bars, a trick, or an event.

I've always thought of the stores as CALA Foods and would still call it that, but it became a Delano's IGA sometime after I moved away from SF. I don't know the reason for its closing. It would be tempting to blame it on the Safeway that's just under a mile away, but that doesn't seem right. SF has a history of mid-size grocery stories that are scattered throughout the city, so I suspect some other cause. In any case, it's sad to see the end of an institution that had been integral to the community.