Issue 188, Summer 2009 - Telegraph Hill Dwellers

NORTH BEACH UNIQUEby Art PetersonMost photos by Julie JaycoxWhen the guidebooks speak of NorthBeach as being San Francisco’s specialneighborhood, they are usually referringto the cafes, the absence of chain stores, the one- ofa-kindcharacters who populate its streets. But wealso know that our neighborhood is dotted withunique businesses. We asked proprietors of someof these establishments to put us in touch the mostspecial item in their special stores.Enchanted HouseThis is one of ashrinking number of KingfisherBird Imperial Hair Ornaments that Peggy Ling hasfor sale at her Grant Street establishment. Her collectionof about 100 of these pieces is perhaps thelargest in the United States outside of a museum.(She once had 10,000!)This 19 th Century piece, like the others in hercollection, is coated with the glowing blue feathersof the kingfisher bird. In historic China these pieceswere available only to the wealthiest classes. They arenow fast disappearing, not only in the United State,but also in China.1114 Grant Ave, 981-5850AriaIf there is a single shop in North Beach thatdeserves the label “unique,” it would have to be BillHaskell’s Aria. Finding the special object amidstthis collection of glass eyes, doll hands, old letters,and keys that don’t fit doors presents a challengefor the most devoted urban archeologist. However,this “growler,” as he was known to kids in early 20 thcentury France, rises to an unchallenged level of specialness.Acquired by Bill on one of his many tripsto the Paris Flea Market and Parisian environs, thisextravagant pull toy must have delighted the garçonwho had everything. Anatomically correct, the muttis capable of emitting a rather feeble and incongruousbark, given the animal’s pit bull- scary demeanor.1522 Grant Ave, 433-0219A Kingfisher Original18 Issue #188 • Summer 2009