Earlier this year, when it was announced the Red Vic Movie House was (sadly) closing, the San Francisco Bay Guardian revealed ~THE ALEMBIC~ was potentially going to be expanding into the space. I got a chance to catch up with Betsy Rix, one of the original four founders of the Red Vic, who owns the building with her husband, Jack Rix. She said part of the plan is for The Alembic—which is just to the left of the movie house—to expand their bar into the lobby, but she also mentioned wanting to do something similar to 331 Cortland Marketplace: rent space to four-six food-related, start-up entrepreneurs and retail businesses that aren’t ready to have their own brick-and-mortar location yet. For now, the project’s working title is 1727 HAIGHT. She said they want to have a nice mix of businesses, ones that align with the Rixs’ social mission, which is to change the current food system. This all won’t be happening until well into 2012, but interested parties should watch the Red Vic website in a few weeks for details on how to apply for a space.
Betsy mentioned she wants to have the location be a CSA drop-off spot, and they will also have a small 49-seat event space in the back for rentals to musicians, filmmakers, and other artists. They are currently cleaning the space (there are 31 years of memorabilia and furnishings to sort through), and they look forward to the project taking shape in coming months. 1727 Haight St. at Cole.
Yelp photo by Robert P.
