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Legacy specialty shop to close after 46 years in San Francisco's Chinatown

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Legacy specialty shop to close after 46 years in San Francisco's Chinatown


A one-of-a-kind legacy shop in San Francisco’s Chinatown is on the verge of closing for good.

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Dragon Seed, located on Clay Street across Portsmouth Square, is one of the last remaining traditional Chinese dressmakers in the region.  

For 46 years, owner Henrietta Tam has been creating handmade embellished Chinese gowns, each sewn with great care.

Her dresses, also known as chi pao, are usually worn for weddings, formal events, and Miss Chinatown USA pageants.

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Mayor London Breed, former Mayor Willie Brown, and late Mayor Ed Lee’s wife Anita have all worn Dragon Seed’s custom creations.

Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco has also featured their dresses in its window displays during Chinese New Year.  

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Today, a sign outside the shop marks its 45th anniversary. But soon, there won’t be any occasions to celebrate.

“Because it’s a little bit too tired to have this store by myself and the economy is not that good,” said Tam. “And I don’t feel very, very safe, so that’s why I think I want to close by the end of November.”

Plywood that Dragon Seed first put up when the pandemic started, fearing vandalism and break-ins, still remains on its storefront.

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Tam’s husband, Thomas, who was a co-owner and tailor, suddenly passed away three months ago. The two immigrated to San Francisco from Hong Kong in 1974. They opened their first location in 1978. 

Dragon Seed imports fabrics from all around the world, and dresses are sewn in San Francisco.

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“I love my store, I don’t want to lose it,” said Tam. 

She takes great pride in dressing generations of customers. One of Tam’s favorite memories is seeing Miss Chinatown USA winners blossom on stage in her gowns. 

An average custom gown costs $500 to $800 and takes about two weeks to make.

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On Wednesday, she helped bride-to-be Nancy Cai, who lives nearby.

“It is kind of sad. I think for Chinatown, the stores have just been around for so long that when it closes, it’s like a piece of history closing,” said Cai. 

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Tam said business rebounded a bit after the pandemic, but sales are still down 20 to 30 percent compared to 2019, and costs are up. 

Tam, who is in her 70s, said running the business alone isn’t sustainable, especially at her age. 

Still, she’s hoping someone can help her preserve Dragon Seed’s history and craft.  

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“Very sad, but if I see anybody want to take care of this store, I just really appreciate [it],” she said.  “If they can buy, or they can own the store, I can help them.”

Tam added that if there is a new owner, she’s happy to stay on as a worker for a few more years or mentor young designers to help preserve the traditional art. 

Dragon Seed’s last day is set for Nov. 30. 

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San Francisco, CA

Former San Francisco Giants Slugger Signs Deal With Chicago White Sox

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Former San Francisco Giants Slugger Signs Deal With Chicago White Sox


When former top prospect Heliot Ramos finally emerged for the San Francisco Giants this year, their outfield became fairly crowded during the season and when looking ahead towards the future.

Despite Jung Hoo Lee being sidelined with a shoulder injury that ended his rookie campaign, the everyday addition of Ramos alongside Michael Conforto, Mike Yastrzemski, Austin Slater and a rotating cast of minor leaguers because of injuries created a logjam.

Because of that, the Giants decided to ship Slater out to the Cincinnati Reds on July 7 in exchange for pitcher Alex Young.

That ended his eight-and-a-half-year tenure in San Francisco after he was taken in the eighth round of the 2014 MLB draft before becoming a top prospect ahead of his Major League debut in 2017.

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But despite a few good seasons during his time with the Giants, namely in 2020 with a 151 OPS+ and in 2022 with a 121 OPS+ across his 125 games, they viewed him as expendable and shipped him out of town.

Slater’s tenure with the Reds was short, only playing in eight games before they sent him to the Baltimore Orioles ahead of the trade deadline.

Upon the season ending, the veteran outfielder elected to hit free agency, and according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, he has now signed a Major League deal with the Chicago White Sox, although the terms have not been revealed.

The White Sox are coming off a historically poor campaign last year, so with them looking to turn the corner by getting established MLB talent into the mix, there’s a chance Slater gets a good amount of playing time.



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SF Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie's new transition team includes OpenAI co-founder, former fire chief

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SF Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie's new transition team includes OpenAI co-founder, former fire chief


SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie announced his new transition team on Monday nearly two weeks after he was elected as mayor.

The team consists of co-chairs and advisors. Some include Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO OpenAI, and former San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White.

MORE: Daniel Lurie delivers first remarks as San Francisco Mayor-elect, shares vision for city

“I’m excited to introduce this talented and diverse team who will help guide our transition and lay the groundwork for the change San Franciscans demand,” Lurie said in a press release to ABC7.

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“Every one of these incredible leaders brings a track record of shaking up the status quo to deliver results. My transition co-chairs share my commitment to building an accountable, effective government to tackle the many challenges confronting our great city.”

Lurie says the co-chairs will be providing counsel to him and his advisors.

Daniel Lurie’s transition team, co-chairs:

  • Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI
  • Joanne Hayes-White, former SFFD Fire Chief
  • José A. Quiñonez, founding CEO of Mission Asset Fund
  • Ned Sega, Co-Chair of the Daniel Lurie for Mayor campaign
  • Michael Tubbs, former Mayor of Stockton
  • Nancy Tung, Chief of the Vulnerable Victims Unit and Community Partnerships at the SF DA’s Office
  • Paul Yep, SFPD Commander in the Chief of Staff’s Office

Daniel Lurie delivers first remarks as San Francisco Mayor-elect, shares vision for city

Daniel Lurie made his first public announcement since becoming San Francisco’s mayor-elect after Mayor London Breed conceded the race.

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Advisors

  • Sara Fenske Bahat– Transition Director
  • Ann O’Leary – Transition Counsel
  • Ben Rosenfield – Senior Advisor

Lurie is succeeding incumbent Mayor London Breed, who conceded to Lurie on Nov. 7, after election results showed Lurie receiving more first-place ranked-choice votes than Breed.

It is the first time since 1991 that an incumbent mayor has been unseated.

VIDEO: SF Mayor London Breed gives concession speech for mayoral race

San Francisco Mayor London Breed conceded to challenger Daniel Lurie on Thursday and said she called to congratulate the Levi Strauss heir.

Lurie said he would declare a fentanyl state of emergency on his first day in office, without offering further details about what that would entail.

Lurie is an heir to the Levi Strauss estate, a father of two and a San Francisco native.

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He founded and served as the CEO of the nonprofit organization Tipping Point Community in 2005 to focus on anti-poverty initiatives such as housing, education and job training.

Lurie will be sworn in as San Francisco’s 46th mayor on Jan. 8.

Bay City News contributed to this report

Copyright © 2024 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco remembers traffic victims 10 years into 'Vision Zero' commitment

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San Francisco remembers traffic victims 10 years into 'Vision Zero' commitment


SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — It was a powerful symbol in San Francisco Sunday of the dangerous toll of our roads.

A vigil honored the hundreds of people killed on San Francisco streets as the city pushes to make them safer. This comes as San Francisco marks 10 years of “Vision Zero” efforts meant to stop traffic deaths.

Three hundred and seventeen pairs of white-painted “ghost shoes” lined up on the steps of San Francisco City Hall Sunday.

Each was with a name, every one of them representing someone killed on city streets–on bikes and scooters, in cars and on foot.

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It was the total of victims since 2014, when the city committed to Vision Zero and efforts to reduce and eventually eliminate traffic deaths by making roads safer.

MORE: SF eliminating 14,000 parking spaces as CA’s new Daylighting Law takes effect: Here’s what it means

“We never want to contribute more ghost shoes to this memorial. It’s the hardest part to see this number grow,” said Jodie Medeiros, executive director of Walk San Francisco. Medeiros noted noted that while the overall number of victims is down so far this year, the number of pedestrians killed remains the same.

“The same number of pedestrians since the policy was passed in 2014. And Walk San Francisco being the pedestrian advocacy organization trying to make San Francisco the most pedestrian-friendly city, this does hit us the hardest, and this is why we do push on our city to make sure that our streets are safe for people walk,” Medeiros said.

Among the safety measures they’ve pushed for are speed cameras.

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“We worked really hard. Walks in Francisco and families receive streets and getting the speed camera pilot to come to San Francisco,” Medeiros said.

MORE: SF divided over ‘Slow Streets’ program: Here’s what residents are saying

Those efforts mean a lot to families like Jenny Yu’s. Her mom was hit by a speeding driver in 2011.

“A speeding driver turning left struck her with an SUV and threw her body to the other side of the road, where she needed to have surgery to remove her brain cap, because it was too much pressure, but they saved her,” Yu said, explaining her mom hasn’t been the same since. “She now needs 24/7 cae. She’s physically here, but she can’t be by herself.”

And, that’s why advocates are calling for another commitment from the city.

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“San Francisco learned a lot in 10 years. So, how do we build on those learnings to make a really smart policy for the next decade?” Medeiros said.

Copyright © 2024 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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