Mission Neighbors Tell Jack Spade to 'Jack Off'

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Jack Spade is gunning for Adobe Books' former spot on 16th Street in the Mission, after the latter was ousted from the location following giant rent hikes. Despite a community effort to keep the bookshop in the spot it called home for 25 years, the business moved to 24th Street in June.

Jack Spade signed a lease to pony up $12,000 per month, according to the SF Bay Guardian. But the community effort has not given up, and the men's clothing store may not be the new tenant after all.

Jack Spade falls outside of the Mission's formula retail law, which prohibits chains with 11 or more visually similar stores under the same brand from moving into certain neighborhoods. Jack Spade has just 10 stores in the United States. But it's parent company is Liz Claiborne, which isn't sitting well with some neighbors. The Stop Jack Spade Commission held an impromptu "Jack Off" fund raiser on Wednesday to raise money in advance of a public hearing next week.

In Hayes Valley, a recent effort to expand the reach of the formula retail, failed. But efforts to strengthen the law will likely continue, and Jack Spade's presence in the Mission remains uncertain. A similar effort stopped American Apparel from moving into the neighborhood on Valencia in 2009, but that chain has more than 200 locations nationally, while Jack Spade has significantly fewer at 10.

In the meantime, Jack Spade has halted construction on the space, and a public hearing is set for this week at 5pm on August 14 at City Hall in room 416.
· Jack Spade May Replace 25-Year Mainstay in the Mission [Racked SF]
· Jack Spade Ready to Pounce on Adobe Books Space [Racked SF]
· Five Things to Know about SF's Formula Retail Policy [Racked SF]