60-year-old S.F. bottle shop evicted
The 60-year-old business was sued by its landlord at 1648 Pacific Ave. over more than $170,000 in allegedly unpaid rent. It now appears vacant, its shelves barren of the upscale wine and spirits for which it was known.
The Jug Shop had moved to this interim location, an old firehouse building, in 2021, within earshot of its longtime address 1590 Pacific Ave., on the corner of Polk Street and Pacific Avenue. But there, business dried up, second generation owner Mike Priolo told the Chronicle in December.
At the time, Priolo was seeking funds to help the Jug Shop complete its long-planned move back to 1590 Pacific Ave., joining a new mixed-use development, named Maison Pacific, where an empty retail space was waiting. Of the $500,000 it sought, the Jug Shop raised just $22,000; the fate of those funds wasn't immediately clear.
Priolo did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The developer of Maison Pacific did not respond to request for comment on the future of the planned Jug Shop retail space.
In 2024, a major distributor, Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, sued the Jug Shop for alleged breach of contract and what it claimed were more than $30,000 in unpaid invoices. The case was referred to arbitration in February, court records show.
The Jug Shop could be the latest Legacy Business to close despite the assistance program from the city. The program provides help with permits and incentives for landlords of businesses which have operated for more than 30 years. This fiscal year the city devoted $1 million from the budget, according to the city's Office of Economic and Workforce Development.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Ronn Owens' financial troubles deepen with $2.3M in debt, court records show
Former Bay Area radio personalities Ronn Owens and Jan Black have filed for chapter 13 bankruptcy despite spending the past eight months promoting a $140,000 fundraising campaign to support their mounting financial troubles. Owens, who worked as a KGO radio host for more than 40 years, and his wife, a former KCBS host, submitted the paperwork in Arizona Federal court on Thursday, Aug. 14, according to public legal documents reviewed by the Chronicle. Owens and Black moved to Scottsdale, where they purchased a $1.5 million home, after he retired from the San Francisco station during the pandemic. Their daughter Laura Owens, who is currently involved in an unrelated high-profile paternity case, lives with them. They now have $2.3 million in liabilities and owe $511,327 to more than 40 banks, credit card companies and other creditors, according to the documents. Black is referred to by her legal name, Elizabeth Ann Naylor, in the bankruptcy petition. More than $400,00 of their debt was incurred this year, despite Owens' friends and family launching a GoFundMe campaign for him on New Year's Eve, intended to support his 'overwhelming' financial strain amid an ongoing struggle with Parkinson's disease and other 'health battles.' As of Monday, Aug. 18, he has raised more than $131,000 of the $140,000 goal. He and his wife's bankruptcy paperwork notes that they pay $150 a month for medical and dental care, plus $225 for another type of health insurance and $1,500 for life insurance. Owens previously revealed that Medicare and his supplemental health insurance doesn't cover 'residual' medical expenses that sprung from his several ailments. Owens and Black report a combined monthly income of $21,083, which comes from their pensions and unemployment compensations, and a total of $6,640 in monthly expenses — not including $14,188 mortgage payments. Chapter 13 bankruptcy allows individuals with regular income to keep their assets and develop a plan to pay back their debts over a period of three to five years. In June, Owens shut down speculation that some of the funds have been supporting their daughter, who is facing several felony charges, including fraud and perjury. 'Let me make it clear that I stand with Laura 100% and am disheartened by the online efforts to discredit us both,' Owens posted to Facebook earlier this summer. Laura claimed in 2023 that she had become pregnant with twins after meeting Clayton Echard from Season 26 of 'The Bachelor.' Echard denied the allegations, stating that their sexual interactions didn't involve intercourse. Though Laura later said that she had a miscarriage, officials learned that she had fabricated evidence, including altering an ultrasound image.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
A massive office tower could replace this struggling downtown S.F. university campus
A massive skyscraper could rise at the downtown San Francisco site of the financially troubled Golden Gate University, according to an application filed with the city's Planning Department last week. The application proposes two redevelopment options for the 236,000-square-foot law school's flagship campus, which sits in the heart of the Financial District at 536 Mission St.: either a 700-foot tower featuring roughly 1.3 million square feet of office space or a slightly smaller, 650-foot tower that would provide just over 550,000 square feet of new offices alongside 370 new homes. The Chronicle reported previously that Texas-based developer Lincoln Properties has an option to purchase the downtown campus, and also provided a $21.9 million loan to the university, helping to pay off existing debt on the property. Public records show that the campus' sale has yet to close. The application for the property's redevelopment was filed by an attorney representing Royal MP Transbay LLC, a limited liability company registered to Lincoln Property. The developer told the Chronicle previously that it has partnered with New York-based real estate firm McCourt Partners on the pending bid to buy the campus. McCourt Partners has experience in office, hotel and residential construction. San Francisco-based architecture firm SOM is listed as the architect for plans filed with the city for the redevelopment project. A university spokesperson did not respond to an inquiry from the Chronicle about the redevelopment application on Monday. Lincoln Property and McCourt Partners could not immediately be reached for comment. The San Francisco Business Times first reported on the proposal Monday. Should the developers win approval for the mixed-use project proposed at the campus property, the plan would be to construct 160 one-bedroom units, 100 two-bedroom units and 110 studios, per the application. Both the office and the mixed-use tower variants would feature 46 stories. Both plans would require the demolition of the existing, seven-story campus. The university redevelopment plan is the second proposal for a massive downtown skyscraper to land before city planners in recent months: Last month, developer Hines filed plans for a slender 1,225-foot tower to replace an office building at 77 Beale St. That tower would be more than 150 feet taller than Salesforce Tower, which at 1,070 feet is San Francisco's tallest building and was co-developed by Hines. The university campus poised for redevelopment by Lincoln Property sits a block from Salesforce Tower and the Transbay transit center — a regional transportation center and mixed-use development that is also managed by the developer. The new office development proposals come as the city's beleaguered office market is starting to show signs of life, primarily due to artificial intelligence startups driving new leasing demand. And yet, San Francisco continues to wrangle with significant commercial vacancy in its downtown core, where roughly one-third of the city's office space sits vacant, and many large redevelopment efforts that have been approved in downtown and other parts of the city remain on hold. Whether Golden Gate University's future will include the 536 Mission property is not clear — real estate insiders have told the Chronicle that the school could remain involved in the redevelopment through a lease back deal. The university is currently in the midst of searching for a new president, and expects to announce its selection in the fall. In the past, the school's leadership has stated that Golden Gate University will maintain a presence in downtown San Francisco — a sentiment that acting president Bruce Magid repeated in a statement to the Chronicle on Monday
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
California parents have a new option to save for K-12 private school — but there's a catch
The GOP tax megabill signed into law in July had a provision tucked into it that could help parents who send their kids to private school. As students head back to school this month, a disproportionate number in the Bay Area will be at private schools: In several counties, rates of attendance are more than double the 8% statewide average. Nearly one-third of K-12 students in San Francisco attend a private school, according to data website Private School Review. That attendance comes with a hefty price tag. The average amount a family would spend to send their child to private school in San Francisco from kindergarten through high school graduation is about $520,000, according to a Chronicle data analysis. To help cover those costs, parents will soon be able to leverage an increased amount from 529 education savings plans. What are 529 plans and how are they changing? Created by Congress in 1996 and named for a section of IRS code, 529 plans are tax-advantaged investment accounts operated by states or educational institutions designed to help save for a child's education. They were originally intended to cover college or trade school costs, but since 2018, the law has allowed families to withdraw up to $10,000 annually from 529 plans for K-12 tuition without paying a penalty or federal taxes on the growth. Starting next year, under the tax and spending bill signed by President Donald Trump on July 4, the K-12 withdrawal limit increases to $20,000. The bill also expanded what K-12 expenses could be covered. Under previous law, only tuition for K-12 was eligible for federal penalty-free 529 withdrawals; under the new law, expenses like books, tutoring, standardized and AP test fees, and educational therapies for students with disabilities are all considered qualified expenses. Some states have changed their laws so parents don't pay a state penalty or tax on those K-12 withdrawals either. But not in California. K-12 expenses are still considered nonqualified expenses, so you'll pay a 2.5% penalty plus state income taxes (as high as 13.3%, depending on your household income) on the taxable growth when you withdraw 529 funds for those purposes. Given that, does it ever make sense in this state to use your kid's 529 funds to pay for their private school tuition or other pre-college educational costs in California? It could. Here's what experts say. The case against using a 529 for K-12 expenses Richard Pon, a certified public accountant and certified financial planner, has a son who's enrolled in private school in San Francisco. He said he doesn't use 529 money to pay for it. The first reason is the state income taxes and the 2.5% penalty. The other reason is the flexibility of 529 funds: Even if your child gets a free ride to college with room and board paid for, those funds could be used to pay for graduate school, professional certifications like a CPA license or nursing license, or get rolled into an IRA. You could also roll the 529 funds into an account for another child or relative, or a friend. And if you're using 529 funds to pay for elementary school, that means they don't have time to grow in the market before your child goes to college — though, of course, there's always a chance they could drop between now and then, too. If you're really in a financial bind and paying for your kid's private school tuition from their 529 means the difference between paying your mortgage or not, then yes, it could make sense to tap those funds — though many 529 accounts are protected by federal law in bankruptcies, so if you're truly at the edge of financial peril, you may want to leave the money in that account alone. In general, Pon said, 'I would think about holding this (money) as long as possible instead of saying, 'Hey, I'll use it for K-12.'' The case for using a 529 to pay K-12 expenses For some families in California, it might make sense to pay K-12 educational costs from a 529, said Sean Pyles, a certified financial planner and the host of NerdWallet's 'Smart Money' podcast. He said to think of 529s less as college savings accounts and more like flexible education savings accounts. When it comes to the tax question, parents can do the math and see if using the funds for K-12 expenses pencils out. 'What it's going to come down to for each person is figuring out whether they are going to be coming out ahead by actually reaping tax benefits from this account, or if, given the amount (of taxes and penalties) that California imposes, it's just not going to be financially beneficial to them at this point,' he said. For parents making the investment in private schools for their kids, it's probably worth checking with an accountant, financial planner or other tax pro to see if the math makes sense.
