Business Briefs: Gay-Owned Consignment Shop Sui Generis Marks 10 Years

Knowing when to change course and catering to its customers' tastes is what has kept the gay-owned Sui Generis clothing consignment store successful since first opening its doors in 2006.

Co-owned by Miguel Lopez and his husband, Gabriel Ya?ez , who are both in their mid-40s, Sui Generis' men's shop is located in the Castro at 2231 Market Street and its women's shop is in Cow Hollow at 2147 Union Street, which has seen sales increase since relocating two years ago from the Castro.

"In Paris and London, all the best women's boutiques are in the gay neighborhoods," said Lopez, who worked for years as a senior women's seller for Ralph Lauren. "But in the Castro there was a little problem with shoplifting and not enough women."

In late September, Lopez and Ya?ez shuttered their third location, a pop-up shop at 2265 Market Street, in order to cut their losses and focus on the main men's shop.

"We broke the lease because we were not making a profit," said Lopez.

Knowing when to pivot their business focus over the last decade has been key to their survival. While the business was able to weather the Great Recession of 2008, Sui Generis began to see its sales decline when the local economy started to improve.

As housing prices in San Francisco began spiking, Lopez said they noticed changes in their customers' shopping patterns.

"Instead of buying a $150 shirt, they were buying a $50 shirt," said Lopez. "We also lost 20 to 30 percent of our customer base. Many moved out of the city, so we had to reinvent the wheel."

Counter intuitively, rather than lower prices and carry clothes of lesser quality, Sui Generis raised its price point to cater to customers willing to spend more on items that would last.

"Now our customer base has been a little different. They do not shop as frequently, but when they do, they will spend more for quality clothing," said Lopez.

And while the store has a loyal gay following, Lopez said they are seeing more straight couples coming in to shop, with "the women bringing in their husbands" after having lunch in the Castro.

They also focused on improving their website offerings, which now account for 15 percent of sales, which they hope to see double over the next two years. As for the brick-and-mortar business, they just renewed the Castro store's lease for five years with an option to renew for another five.

"We hope to be here the next 20, 30 years. It is all about demographics," said Lopez. "Whatever changes happen in the city, everyone always wants great quality products."

The men's store is always looking for more clothing to stock and focuses on items that are in shades of white, brown, black, or gray.

"This is a reflection of all San Franciscans' tastes. The style is very dark, gray and moody," said Lopez.

Those looking to sell their clothing on consignment through Sui Generis, which returns 40 percent of the selling price to the owner, can call (415) 437-2231 to make an appointment.

P.O. Plus Owner Retires

P.O. Plus owner Paul Moffatt, 58, has decided to retire and is in the process of selling the mail service store, located at 584 Castro Street, to longtime customer Steve Martel.

First opened in 1982, P.O. Plus is one of the oldest gay-owned and -operated businesses on Castro Street. Moffatt purchased it in 1994 with his former business partner, John Downy, whom he bought out in 2001.

"Had we not bought it, it would have closed. We built it into a prosperous business," said Moffatt, who expanded to a second location in Laurel Heights that he sold to a customer five years later.

In a long-distance relationship with Brent Smith , the chief medical officer of a hospital outside Chicago, Moffatt earlier this year decided it was time the two lived in the same city and put P.O. Plus up for sale this spring. Martel, 46, who is gay and has been a customer of the store for 12 years, submitted the winning bid.

"I wanted it to be a gay-owned business and stay in the community," said Moffatt. "When we sat down for our first meeting, it was like the stars had aligned and it was meant to be. I knew I could pass the torch to someone who will continue to lead and serve the community with the reputation that has been built."

Martel, who has worked the past 15 years in medical supplies sales, was taken by the store serving as a local gathering place and wanted to see it continue to play that role in the gayborhood.

"Every time I come in here, it is such a breath of fresh air," he said. "It is just a real community spot, like a touchstone for many people."

Moffatt, who is on vacation with Smith in the Mediterranean, is unsure how soon he will be able to relocate to Illinois. He plans to remain in San Francisco for the time being to ensure there is a smooth transition of the business.

They are still waiting for the sale to be finalized, which both men hope will come any day now. Martel said customers should expect few changes.

"If it ain't broke, why fix it?" he said.

Developer Offering Free Pop-Up Storefronts

Greystar Development, which is building the 87-unit mixed-use development at 2198 Market Street, where Market, 15th and Sanchez all intersect, has so far had no luck in leasing out the three ground floor retail spaces. They range in size from 2,700 square feet, 1,400 square feet, and 1,000 square feet.

So it is looking for local retailers or business owners interested in opening pop-up stores in the upper Market Street building in the Castro district. Greystar is willing to offer free leases for at least six months.

"It's been tough finding tenants, so we would like to offer the spaces to pop-ups for a minimum of six months," said class=st>Victor Gonzalez, the company's development director.

The one drawback is that construction of the building won't be finished until the end of the year, so any leases for the retail spaces would begin in January, at the earliest.

"So you will miss Christmas," noted Gonzalez.

Any business interested in the offer should email Gonzalez at mailto:[email protected]

Honor Roll

Congratulations to Rainbow Grocery , named the San Francisco winner of the inaugural Ad POP (Pride in Online and Print) Awards from the National Gay Media Association.

The Bay Area Reporter, one of 12 regional LGBT news outlets in the group, selected the 41-year-old worker-owned grocery store to be its regional awardee. Goodman Marketing Partners designed the ads.

The AD POPs honor the best representations of LGBT individuals in online and print advertising in regional LGBT media for ads placed in 2015.

To see the full list of winners, visit www.nationalgaymediaassociation.com.

Got a tip on LGBT business news? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 829-8836 or e-mail [email protected]