Posts in Economic Growth
Saving Broadway With Brunch and Swashbuckle

By Joel P. Engardio -- It’s easy to romanticize the Barbary Coast because that was historic debauchery. But what about today’s sin and sizzle on Broadway? Consider the dive bar with a porn shop next door and an illegal brothel upstairs. An 88-year-old woman living in Hawaii currently holds the title, which made it easy for tenants to trash the property. When her grandson Jordan Angle found out, the 34-year-old made it his mission to save his family's building -- and Broadway along with it.

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Where Mayberry Becomes "Gayberry"

By Joel P. Engardio -- Gays are discovering the historically conservative San Francisco Westside as a nice place to settle down. “A traditional neighborhood is blending into a 21st Century version of Mayberry,” said Mark Norrell, a business owner on West Portal Avenue. “We haven’t lost our small town feel. We’re just updating it. You could call it Gayberry.” But there’s some resistance to Norrell’s push to modernize the area's shopping experience. "Our meetings can be soap opera dramatic," said Maryo Mogannam, president of the West Portal Merchants Association. "Get the popcorn."

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