Mayor Lurie Celebrates New Businesses Opening in Eight Neighborhoods Thanks to Storefront Opportunity Grant Program

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today celebrated new businesses opening across eight neighborhoods with support from the Storefront Opportunity Grant program. One business, SPRO Coffee Lab’s new location at 201 Spear Street in downtown, opened today after receiving its grant through the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) alongside free business setup and permitting assistance from the Office of Small Business (OSB).  
These new homegrown small businesses reflect Mayor Lurie’s continued work to accelerate permitting and support small businesses citywide. The city has passed 20 ordinances through PermitSF, including common-sense reforms that allow businesses to place café tables on sidewalks, and launched a fully digital permitting portal earlier this year. Since the portal launched, 27% of PermitSF applications have been submitted outside weekday business hours, showing real customer demand for the convenience an online system provides. Under the mayor’s leadership, the city continues to help entrepreneurs take bold steps into brick-and-mortar spaces through a suite of grant programs, including Vacant to Vibrant, the Downtown Vibrancy Loan Fund, and Storefront Opportunity Grant, which have supported more than 200 businesses citywide.  

“We are building a City Hall that is a partner to small businesses like SPRO, because those small businesses are driving our recovery and bringing life to our neighborhoods. I am proud that Rich and Liza got this shop started thanks to this city support and the permitting reforms we’ve made,” said Mayor Lurie. “Over the last year and a half, PermitSF has been helping businesses spend less time navigating bureaucracy and more time working on their store, hiring workers, and serving customers. Because when we make it easier for small businesses to thrive, we create a more vibrant downtown and a stronger future for our entire city.”

“Thanks to the mayor and the permit reform he is leading, what normally would have taken upwards of seven months for a permit, we got our permit for this location in only 2.5 weeks,” said Rich Lee, SPRO Co-Founder and CEO. “Permit and policy reforms along with investments like the Storefront Opportunity Grant are showing the world that this is a new San Francisco, and it is the place to build a business.”

Rich Lee and Liza Otanes launched their business in 2017 with a mobile coffee cart at Spark Social in the East Cut neighborhood before opening SPRO Coffee Lab’s first brick‑and‑mortar location in Mission Dolores later that year. Since then, SPRO has grown into a multi‑location San Francisco café business with locations at 500 Church Street in Mission Dolores, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission headquarters at 525 Golden Gate Avenue, and UC Law San Francisco. Lee also recently opened The Wild Fox at 123 Battery Street through the city’s Vacant to Vibrant program.

“SPRO is exactly the kind of homegrown San Francisco success story we should be celebrating—a business that started with a coffee cart and has grown into a thriving institution,” said District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey. “Rich and Liza have continued to bet on San Francisco, and I'm proud our city has bet on them, too. Their new location at 201 Spear Street is another sign of the energy and optimism we're seeing downtown, and I couldn't be more excited to welcome them to the neighborhood.”

The city has supported SPRO’s growth at several stages, with OSB providing ongoing guidance on business permitting, registration, and other key needs. A division of OEWD, the Office of Small Business offers free, citywide services for anyone opening or operating a small business in San Francisco, including:

• Business counseling, including assistance with registration and navigating local, state, and federal requirements for 3,608 unique businesses last fiscal year
• Leasing support to 377 businesses last fiscal year, resulting in 78 new leases and dozens of extensions
• Permitting help for 1,221 businesses last fiscal year to open, improve, or expand their operations

“Rich and Liza are inspiring business owners, and we are thrilled to celebrate their ongoing success in San Francisco,” said Katy Tang, OSB Director. “Running and growing a business is a huge achievement at any scale, and we will continue to pursue changes that make city processes smoother and more transparent.”

In addition to OSB’s free services, SPRO received First-Year Free permit fee waivers and $75,000 through the Storefront Opportunity Grant program, which provides grants of $50,000 to $100,000 to established businesses opening new locations in commercial corridors where recovery disparities persist. Funding helps businesses offset a portion of first-year startup expenses such as permits, licenses, equipment, furniture, tenant improvements, deposits, and inventory.

“SPRO’s growth is exactly what we want to see more of across San Francisco: local businesses choosing to invest, expand, and grow here,” said Anne Taupier, OEWD Executive Director. “OEWD's Storefront Opportunity Grant helps businesses take that next step—bringing energy and lasting impact to our commercial corridors.”

“The East Cut is thrilled to welcome SPRO to 201 Spear Street,” said Andrew Robinson, Executive Director of The East Cut Community Benefit District. “We congratulate Rich and his team on this milestone and look forward to seeing SPRO become a gathering spot for residents, workers, and visitors alike. It’s independent small businesses like this that are essential to building a vibrant, mixed-use downtown neighborhood like ours."

Alongside SPRO, City Made Quilts in the Excelsior is another business opening this week with support from the Storefront Opportunity Grant program, with a grand opening scheduled for August 15. Other Storefront Opportunity Grant recipients preparing to open include:

• Bayview: District 10 Community Pharmacy, Phatwood Smokehouse Deli, Bayview Makers District Makeshop and Market, Moya, Third House, Properly Seasoned Kitchen, Bayview Oyster Bar, Chapter 3, and Bayside Cafe
• Chinatown: Fanoos Grills and Church California
• Downtown: Custom Fit, McMullen, SPRO, Compton’s Coffee House, Sur Cafe Mediterranean, Coffee Bar, Amidulce Mexican Bakery, Nori Mori, and Hayati
• Excelsior: Small Change Arcade
• Fillmore: Zebki Shoe Repair and NCLF Commissary Kitchen
• Mid-Market: Soundcheck, Mi Cocina, and Roar Shack Live!
• Mission: Comics and Art, Downtime, Formr, and Mission Lotería
• Tenderloin: Tender Noodle, Reggie and Maude’s, Ruru Kitchen, and Tender Heart Thrift