One of San Francisco’s Oldest Candy Stores Has Closed

A candy store that’s been serving San Francisco’s sweet teeth since 1931 has closed.

West Portal candy store Shaw’s opened at 122 West Portal Avenue in 1931, founded by Douglas Shaw under the name Karamel Corn, a spot for homemade ice cream and chocolates. But after 89 years in business, the candy party has ended, as Hoodline reports that Shaw’s has quietly shut its doors.

As time went on, Shaw’s expanded from its initial SF spot into 50 locations as well as a Millbrae manufacturing facility. Those locations have all closed in recent years, leaving the original Shaw’s the last store standing.

SFist commenters say that in recent years, that Shaw’s has “been experiencing a slow and painful demise,” with empty shelves and stock that was less than fresh. But now, the shop is nearly empty, its phone number is disconnected, and a “for rent” sign is on the door. Efforts to reach its owners were unsuccessful as of publication time.

And in other news...

• New York Times food critic Tejal Rao visited SF’s prettiest new restaurant, Nari, and raved about Pim Techamuanvivit’s “unflinching cooking” and “modern, luxurious, exuberant vision of Thai cuisine.” [NYT]
• “More Than 20 ‘Ghost Kitchens’ Are Operating Out Of This Dump In South Of Market,” proclaims reporter Joe Kukura after visiting ousted Uber CEO Travis Kalanick’s food delivery operation on Morris Street. [Broke-Ass Stuart]
• Shuttered Inner Sunset diner Howard’s Cafe has been replaced by Dumpling Park, which boasts hand cut noodles, Chinese standards, and a “huge selection” of, as expected, dumplings. [Hoodline]
• Five more restaurants are coming to Silicon Valley’s Santa Clara Square, including popular SoCal ramen chain Silverlake Ramen and Santa Clara’s first Halal Guys location. [East Bay Times]
• A fundraiser has been launched for Russian Hill wine bar Robberbaron, which is struggling to survive after it was forced to close for five months for seismic retrofitting. [GoFundMe]
• Mission dive bar Rite Spot Cafe is in trouble after city officials realized that the spot — which for decades has features live music and performances — has never had an entertainment license. [Mission Local]
• Rob Lam, who co-owned shuttered spots like Embarcadero spot The Butterfly and Fillmore Street’s Eastside West (and currently owns Oakland wine bar Perle) will soon open a Vietnamese spot called Lily at 225 Clement Street. [Tablehopper]