Mayor Lurie Celebrates Zebki Shoe Repair Expansion, Highlights New Businesses Opening Across San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today joined local leaders and community members to celebrate the expansion of Zebki Shoe Repair, a longtime neighborhood business opening its second storefront at 1250 Fillmore Street with support from the Storefront Opportunity Grant. The new location builds on owner Azeb Demeyesus’s decade operating Zebki’s original storefront at 1426 Fillmore Street and nearly three decades of experience in the shoe repair trade. Zebki is one of seven new businesses opening this month that received grant and technical support from the Office of Economic and Workforce Development.

Our homegrown restaurants and small businesses are the pride of our neighborhoods and the engine of our city’s recovery,” said Mayor Lurie. “That’s why we are making it easier for businesses to open, grow, and thrive through simpler permitting and programs like our Storefront Opportunity Grant. The businesses we’re celebrating this month are part of a growing wave of openings that are creating jobs and energizing our commercial corridors.

Zebki is one of several businesses opening across San Francisco in October with support from the Storefront Opportunity Grant, which is administered by the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD). The program helps established businesses and organizations expand into new commercial spaces, bringing vacant storefronts back into use and adding new destinations to neighborhood commercial corridors.

Azeb Demeyesus began working in shoe repair at age 18 in Ethiopia and has more than 28 years of experience in the trade. She purchased Zebki Shoe Repair 10 years ago after the business had already served the Fillmore community for nearly two decades. As sole owner, she manages the business’s daily operations and has built lasting relationships with customers through her craftsmanship and personalized service.

“Zebki’s growth shows what can happen when an experienced entrepreneur has access to the resources to turn years of hard work into a new opportunity,” said Anne Taupier, Executive Director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. “Through the Storefront Opportunity Grant, we’re helping entrepreneurs like Azeb take that next step, expand their businesses, and bring more storefronts back into active use.”

The new storefront will allow Zebki to expand its repair services and offer a wider selection of shoe-care products and accessories. The business specializes in repairing shoes, purses, and belts and sells products including insoles, laces, shoe stretchers, and other accessories. Azeb will continue operating Zebki’s existing location at 1426 Fillmore Street while overseeing the new storefront.

“This new storefront is a meaningful milestone for our family and for Zebki Shoe Repair,” said Azeb Demeyesus, owner of Zebki. “We’ve been proud to serve the Fillmore community, and opening our second location on the heart of Fillmore Street allows us to expand our presence while continuing to bring our family’s craftsmanship and tradition to the neighborhood we call home. It’s exciting to grow alongside the community, create new connections, and share our passion for quality craftsmanship with even more of our customers.”

“I’ve gotten to know Azeb through her deep commitment to the Fillmore, and her story is San Francisco at its best: decades of hard work, a loyal community of customers, and now a second storefront on one of our most storied corridors,” said District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood. “Zebki’s expansion is part of a real renaissance on Fillmore Street, and we’re excited to see longtime businesses like hers grow with it.”

Zebki’s grand opening comes during another wave of new storefronts opening across San Francisco with support from the Storefront Opportunity Grant and Vacant to Vibrant programs. The Office of Small Business, a division of OEWD, further supports participating businesses by providing business counseling, leasing and permitting assistance, and access to other resources. In September alone, the office assisted more than 300 small businesses.

October openings include a range of locally owned retail, food, service, and cultural businesses:

Storefront Opportunity Grant:

Mi Cocina: A design brand creating durable denim products for the kitchen, table, garden, and outdoor entertaining, opening at 992 Market Street on October 1

Mission: Comics and Art: A bookstore that sells graphic novels and periodical comic books, along with toys and other items, opening at 5196 Mission Street on October 10

Small Change Arcade: A shop specializing in the rental, repair, restoration, and operation of arcade and pinball machines, opening at 4740 Mission Street on October 16

Bayview Oyster Bar: A modern seafood and oyster bar rooted in Bayview-Hunters Point culture, Black culinary influence, and Bay Area seafood traditions, opening at 5114 3rd Street on October 29

Nori Mori: A healthy grab-and-go restaurant offering freshly made smoothies, nutritious beverages, and premium Japanese-inspired sushi hand rolls, opening at 1 California Street on October 29

Vacant to Vibrant:

Elsie Green: A Northern California-based home and lifestyle brand opening a new downtown pop-up at One Embarcadero Center R1106 on Saturday, October 10

The Wild Fox: While not new, this Vacant to Vibrant pop-up coffee concept from the acclaimed Bay Area-based SPRO Coffee Lab has officially signed a long-term lease at their 123 Battery Street space

“We wouldn't have been able to open a second location in the Excelsior without the Storefront Opportunity Grant and the support from our partners,” said Leef Smith, owner of Mission: Comics & Art. “So many neighbors are already appreciative of something new and different in the neighborhood! We'd love to have even more people come and check out what we have to offer.”

“The Storefront Opportunity Grant helped me bring a taste of Fisherman’s Wharf to the hood,” said April Spears-Mays, owner of Bayview Oyster Bar. For as long as I can remember, we had to go to Fisherman’s Wharf or all the way to Ocean Beach to get good crab and fresh seafood. Now, with support from the Storefront Opportunity Grant, I’m bringing those same flavors right here to Third Street. Bayview Oyster Bar is about more than seafood; it’s about creating local jobs, bringing life to an empty storefront, and giving our community a place to gather and enjoy something we’ve deserved close to home for a long time.”

“The Storefront Opportunity Grant helped make it possible to bring Small Change Arcade to a permanent home in the Excelsior,” said Matthew Sengbusch, owner of Small Change Arcade. “The funding, along with the guidance and resources that came with it, helped me navigate the process of opening a storefront and turn years of work with arcade games and pinball into a neighborhood gathering place.”

"I spent more than 30 years in American sportswear before I started designing for the kitchen, and craftsmanship has always been at the center of my work,” said Ulrich Conrad Simpson, owner of Mi Concina. “Mid-Market is full of creatives, from merchants to artists, who are building with that same mindset. The Storefront Opportunity Grant helped us put down roots as more and more doors open on Market Street. Mi Cocina is a place to see the work up close, grab a coffee, and stay a while."

“At NORI MORI, we believe eating well is an act of self-care. We’re excited to bring fresh, Japanese-inspired grab-and-go favorites including hand rolls, green bowls, sandos, smoothies, and other beverages to the Financial District,” said Atthapon Inkhong, owner of Nori Mori. “We’re grateful to the City of San Francisco for supporting our small business, and we can’t wait to welcome our neighbors, local office workers, and visitors to enjoy food and drinks made for life on the go.”