The Outer Sunset district of San Francisco has always attracted resilient types. While its seemingly endless rows of two-storey stucco homes flowing down to Ocean Beach may not have escaped the influence of San Francisco’s tech boom, the area retains its independent character – there’s something of the frontier spirit, untamed and imperfect and free, that still defines the miles-long stretch of sand that forms the edge of the city. “This is where the poets live, this is where the artists live, this is where the surfers live. They just kind of keep it quiet,” says resident artist Eric Rewitzer.
In the 19th century, the Outer Sunset was miles from the edge of town. Few ventured this far out of the city, to an area then known simply as the “Outside Lands” – a treeless landscape of rolling sand dunes and fog. Those who did took up residence in abandoned horse-drawn cars dumped in the sand, and it became known as Carville-by-the-Sea, only renamed Sunset by a property developer who built some houses there in 1887 and wanted to overwrite its reputation as a wasteland.
Now, this small community on the edge of the city is slowly being transformed into a pricey beach town, but the surfers, artists and poets who were here before the dotcoms and Silicon Valley moved in are making the most of the changes. Rewitzer and his artist wife, Annie Galvin, run printmaking classes from their base, 3 Fish Studios.
Head over to Noriega and 46th, and you’ll come across Indosole, a company founded by Kyle Parsons that uses recycled materials to create hand-crafted shoes. It shares a building with San Franpsycho, run by Andy Olive and Christian Routzen, a lifestyle and clothing brand that is popular with the surf community from which it arose. Its premises are decorated with a mural by local artist Zio Ziegler.
And none of this is an accident. Parsons and Routzen met when both were starting their businesses – their friendship grew as they supported each other’s brands at local events like the Union Street Festival and the North Beach Festival. Eventually, it was only natural that the two companies share a space. Thanks to Ziegler, that space is now an iconic facade known locally as “The Church of Surf”.
They’re joined by other independents, like Mollusk Surf Shop on Irving Street, which consistently exhibits the work of local artists. A block away on Judah Street is Trouble Coffee & Coconut Club, a hole in the wall that serves up inch-thick slices of toast, strong coffee and, true to its name, fresh coconuts. A few doors up, you’ll find Outerlands, a restaurant that has a delicious and seasonal menu based on fresh, local ingredients – it collaborates with nearby farms and ranches to source its produce. Outerlands offers a warm respite after an afternoon surfing the waves.
Further south, on Taraval at 47th Avenue, is the Riptide. Just two blocks from the beach, this is a honky-tonk bar that offers stiff cocktails, live music and a living-room feel, complete with a moose head on the wall. The bar is a meeting place for locals, as well as a cosy spot to curl up next to a fire on a foggy evening.
Like the rest of the neighbourhood, the Riptide may not be fancy, but it’s unashamedly true to itself. Things aren’t always perfect on the edge.
