One sign of hope for Union Square
Britex makes a statement with replica of historic nameplate
Union Square, boarded up and all but abandoned in San Francisco’s COVIDdecimated downtown, had something to cheer about Wednesday morning.
Just after 8 a. m., a flatbed truck arrived at 117 Post St. The truck from Arrow Sign Co. in Oakland delivered a new, replica blade sign for the historic Britex Fabrics store, one of Union Square’s marquee businesses and one of the few shops open on a stretch of Post Street that over the past eight months has gone from posh to plywood.
A smattering of Britex workers gathered to watch as a crane hoisted the aluminum sign, which is 20 feet tall and weighs 1,200 pounds. As it twisted in the wind, the bright red sign was slowly eased toward its new home, anchored against the twostory glass storefront. Like the original sign, this new one, which cost $ 50,000, is lit by both doubletube neon letters and bulbs — the neon outlining the letters and small LEDs lighting up the “B” of Britex and the “F” of Fabric.
Watching the sign being installed, Britex General Manager Dina Fayer was pleased and slightly relieved that Britex’s signature color was on the money.
“We got the red right — the Britex red is very important,” Fayer said.
“It’s one shade off from Louboutin red.”
In 2017 Britex moved to Post Street from its old home at 146 Geary St., in part because of gentrification and rising rents at its former building. Now the narrative is no longer that of an independent store being squeezed out by international luxury brands. Instead, it’s that all of Union Square is in the same situation, riddled with empty storefronts and “for rent” signs. Next door, the former Gump’s space is dark, and across the street, three storefronts are seeking tenants.
Like the rest of Union Square’s stores and restaurants, Britex has
had a tough time amid the coronavirus pandemic — sales have been down more than 50%. The store has been scraping by, selling makeyourown mask kits and materials for face coverings. Home decor has been big — couch coverings, curtains, linens.
“They are sewing more. They are designing more. They are dreaming more,” Fayer said of her customers. “There is a lot of daydreaming you can do in between Zoom meetings.”
But that hasn’t begun to make up for the fact that there is nobody wandering in off the street, no more wellheeled tourists or daytrippers who make a Britex splurge a part of regular San Francisco visits.
“I shouldn’t be negative, but downtown could really use a shot in the arm,” said secondgeneration store owner Sharman Spector. “I am hoping this will be a beacon of light of some sort. This is something that is happening that is good right now. It’s really hard down here right now. What can I say? Unfortunately I’m a realist.”
Spector’s father, Martin, founded Britex in
New York in 1939, and he and his wife, Lucy, moved the business to San Francisco and Union Square in 1952.
The original Britex sign, 33 feet tall, was erected in 1964 and was designed to be big enough that it could be seen from Union Square itself, half a block to the west. Britex’s owners explored the possibility of moving that sign over to Post Street but determined that it it was too tall to fit on the Post
Street building without blocking the windows of the office above the Britex space. Installing the original sign also would have required the historic facade to be altered, which the city prohibited. It’s still attached to the old store.
“Moving the tremendous legacy sign was not going to be possible because of the scale of the building and because of the landmark facade of this building,” project architect Gilly Youner said.
At 117 Post St., contractor Garrett O’Donoghue cut holes in the windows’ glass because the building’s ornate facade couldn’t be altered.
Spector’s husband, attorney Gary Angel, said that he initially questioned the wisdom of installing the sign while coronavirus is rising and a new wave of lockdowns in beginning.
“I said, we have the whole street boarded up. The pandemic is ranging. I’m not sure it was the time to put the sign up,” he said.
But Spector argued that the timing was ideal.
“Sharman said, ‘ You know what? There has to be some positive sign for downtown, something that shows there is hope, that we can get back to where we were before,’ ” Angel said.
Lou Carrillo, who runs the store’s shipping and receiving department, said the sign’s arrival showed employees that Britex is serious about outlasting the pandemic.
“When I came around the corner and saw the sign on the truck, I felt really good,” Carrillo said. “That sign gave me comfort and showed us, the employees, that my boss is committed to us and the community. It’s a sign of hope for the city because times are hard right now.”