After nearly a decade of service to the community, San Francisco’s Silver Sprocket storefront will close its doors for good on Monday.
The comic shop’s owner and founder Avi Ehrlich said on Instagram that the storefront located at 1018 Valencia Street will close due to economic challenges brought by low foot traffic, lower sales and rising expenses.
Ehrlich added those challenges began to get worse in 2023.
“The drop in foot-traffic, lower sales at all businesses on our part of Valencia Street, fewer tourists, rising expenses, and the general economic uncertainty impacting people’s spending made it impossible for the retail store to sustain itself,” they wrote.
Ehrlich said they plan to keep the store’s spirit alive through pop-ups events and collaborations in the future, but for now, Ehrlich said they will take some time to recover from the financial stress the shop generated.
They also thanked the community for all their support over the years.
“The past 9 years of a Silver Sprocket storefront has truly been the dream. We’ve been able to champion our favorite indie comics, worked with hundreds of creators, hosted countless community events, provided space, resources, and a platform for artists within this loving and creative Bay Area community and far beyond,” Ehrlich wrote.
During its last day, Ehrlich said the store will have a 30% discount for all of the inventory, and online orders will be 15% with code 15sale.