(Hello again to Susie who is trying out for the SF team. Her first post is here.)
Interior designer Dawn LaMontagne has always been drawn to all things small. Even in home design, she prefers small-scale to large, and cozy spaces to sprawling ones. So when she learned that the tiny beauty salon in her Inner Sunset neighborhood was vacating its hovel, she inquired about the rent. That’s how Hollow was born, Dawn’s brand new café and shop, where you can sip Ritual coffee while browsing a charming selection of curios for the home.
Stepping into Hollow, we can’t help but think of The Secret Garden, or even Alice in Wonderland, except that there’s nothing precious or trippy about this place. The carefully curated items are whimsical, but not annoyingly so; instead, they seem to represent a uniquely appealing style, based in earthy colors and textures and punctuated with vintage-y humor. Bottle openers shaped like sideshow mermaids mingle with candle holders woven from wire and twigs. Hand-forged brass animal heads with surprised expressions adorn the tops of salt shakers and drawer pulls to match.
Despite how tiny the place is, we wanted to huddle in there for hours just looking at everything. Fortunately, the coffee’s delicious, and the tables and chairs in the window are as comfortable as they are pretty.
Hollow
1435 Irving Street (between 15th and 16th Avenues)
San Francisco, CA 94122
415.242.4119
-Susie
cool place, will have to drop in.
view chris_94131's profile
Are those slug candles?
Looks like a great little shop and I love the salt & pepper shakers.
view dearmisha's profile
Oh what a wonderful SF place.
view Pixie's profile
I think the writer needs an editor. Was this place really "a hovel"? What is "Ritual coffee"? Why the royal we? What is "vintage-y humor"?
Etc.
view Henrietta the Terrible's profile
What a great find Susie! I like this post much more than your first, great job. I would have liked some Q&A with the owner though, and I wonder what her home looks like.
Henritetta, Ritual coffee is a San Francisco-based bean company: http://ritualroasters.com/index.html
view allijean's profile
I love seeing quaint little places like these, wish there were more of them out there.
view designpirate's profile
I like Susie's writing and perspective in this post. I appreciate people who are able to narrow in on the intent of designer or shop--"whimsical, but not annoyingly so" and "vintage-y humor." I'd like to see more from her!
view sarahisaghost's profile
I liked this post too. Will have to stop by!
view SFali's profile
This looks like such a wonderful/quirky place. I like the writing too. The "vintage-y humor" term made perfect sense to me, and I had no problem figuring out that Ritual coffee was a brand sold in SF, even though I don't live there.
view jooly's profile
vintage-y humor = those quirky old things you find in antique or thrift stores and chuckle at because they're so odd, like animal head s p shakers. And it may have been a hovel before she got to it, though that may have been a slip and she meant small instead. I like this writer - feels fresh but still in line with AT style. Clear and imaginative, but concise.
view emilykristin's profile
oh, and the store looks great. i wish i'd known about it when i was in SF a couple weeks ago!
view emilykristin's profile
Well if it all makes perfect sense to "jooly", well then, case closed!
view Henrietta the Terrible's profile
you people are brutal.
that being said... i didn't particularly warm to susie's writing.
view SFmk's profile
I can't wait to find an excuse to stop by this place! And I really appreciate the cross streets being given with the address.
view jesster's profile
Thanks for the heads-up! Always looking for a new cafe and, most important, new curios.
Your references made perfect sense to me, and I don't even drink Ritual coffee. I do, however, dig vintage-y humor.
view rosenatti's profile
Second the interview/house tour with Dawn.
view Seanvik's profile
I am so thankful that this place opened around the corner from my house especially because the coffee tastes better than it smells. The place is adorable and comfortable and Dawn herself is a gem of a person.
view desertflower's profile
Wow... this place seems perfectly in line with my taste in interior aesthetic. Thanks for sharing, Susie, and good luck with the journalism route, looks like you've already got some harsh critics. ;)
view Jesse Lu's profile