Dear Members, Merchants, and Neighbors;

Thank you to all of the kids, parents, neighbors, and pets who came out on Saturday afternoon, October 29 for the Pumpkin Festival & Parade along Upper Polk Street. We were thrilled with the attendance and the more than 20 merchants who participated by giving out spooky treats. Special appreciation to Julia Strzesieski and Shanead Mueller of Cole Hardware who worked incredibly hard to pull the event together and to Jena Hartman of Glammic who generously hosted the pumpkin decorating inside her children’s clothing and gift store. Check out fun photos from the event in the Gallery section of RHN’s website. We are already looking forward to next year’s festivities!

We are also excited about business openings along Upper Polk. Dakshin launched at the end of September to great reviews. We are lucky to have Pradeep Paniyadi and his team serving delicious South Indian dishes in our area. Split Bread will open soon in the old La Boulange space at Green and Polk. Split will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner using artisan breads and locally-sourced produce from 8am-9pm. We can’t wait! Finally, a new coffee shop called the Fueling Station is opening at 2346 Polk Street. Lillian Wong, the owner, grew up in Russian Hill, attended Sherman Elementary School, and spent summers working at the Russian Hill Bookstore. Lillian has invited the community to come by her Open House Party on Saturday, November 5 from 12:30 – 2:30pm. I hope to see all of you there.

On this note, Russian Hill Neighbors is thrilled to welcome Dakshin, Frame-o-Rama, and ChitChat Therapy as new Merchant Members. See the profile of ChitChat Therapy, a private speech-language pathology practice serving Bay Area children, their families, and individuals of all ages, further down in this e-blast. The diversity of businesses in and around Russian Hill help to make our area such a great place to live. We welcome these new Merchant Members and encourage you to visit their businesses! See a list of all of Russian Hill Neighbors’ Merchant Members here.

Please mark your calendars for Small Business Saturday on November 26. The Polk District Merchants Association and Russian Hill Neighbors are teaming up on a Merchant Wine Walk and Shopping event along Polk Street. This is the first Saturday after Thanksgiving, so you can kick off your holiday shopping with some great deals from our local merchants, as well as wine and snacks. Watch our Events page for more details to come.

Finally, we are hosting a Happy Hour at House Rules restaurant and bar (2227 Polk Street) on Wednesday, November 2 from 6-8pm. Come mingle with your neighbors, learn more about RHN, and enjoy complimentary light appetizers with the no host bar. Hope to see you there!

Contact me with an questions on Russian Hill Neighbors or to get involved. We always welcome new members.

See you around our beautiful neighborhood!

Best,

Emily Harrold
President
president@rhns.org