Passersby in SF’s Russian Hill neighborhood still have a reminder of last year’s “Brat” monoculture thanks to a surprising source: a themed corner store.
Corner stores are nothing unique nor novel for urban areas. (Though you’d be hard-pressed to shake New York City of its maligned bodega-spun chronic uniqueness.) Old ones, some decades old, continue thriving in SF. Others, freshly opened, have taken over spaces that were historically vacant for years.
Each one, too, has its own unique charm; if they have a resident feline — a bodega cat mascot – they immediately exist as an elevated pantheon.
These mostly family-owned shops aren’t trendy, nor do they need to cling to trends for relevance. That said, when they do, it’s notable and, ostensibly, newsworthy (albeit for hollow, feel-good fluff).
Corner stores are undeniably brat. And there’s one in San Francisco that remains in an evergreen state of Brat Summer.
Located at 2901 Van Ness, Amro Market, the once run-of-the-mill convenience store went through a major overhaul in 2024. The revamp, which began in the summer of 2024, has been well received by residents of Russian Hill where the shop is perched.
While the widened selection of non-perishable goods and liquor is refreshing, the first thing anyone notices before entering the space is the Brat-green-themed facade. Contrasted by a sea of utilitarian grays, browns, and soft pastels, the deep green outside walls of Amro Market offer “365” nods.
The space has, indeed, been a year-round party girl (read: painted in the said Brat-themed green) since its revamp. Even some of the typefaces, especially the “THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING HERE” stenciling, used on the outside walls have an uncanny likeness to those used for Brat promotion, sans its lowercase lettering.
It’s unclear if Amro Market’s outside facade will be updated anytime soon … now months after Brat summer came to its seasonal end. Nevertheless, it’s lovely strolling past the nostalgic green and fonts that remind us of the collective hope we all shared then — a time that’s already felt like one or two lifetimes ago.
Feature and body images: Courtesy of author
