Mission Buzz is a regular update on changes, tidbits and other news from the Mission’s commercial corridors. Got news? Send to tips@missionlocal.com.
Six years after Revolution Cafe closed its doors at 3248 22nd St., taking its frequent concerts and lively cafe culture with it, the corner of 22nd and Bartlett streets still remains quiet.
That may not be for long, though. A new business called “Ember Cafe” was registered with the city on Aug. 1. The cafe lists its owner as Ember Cafe LLC, and Ajay Vellayapan as the limited liability company’s agent.
In an X post from nearly a year ago, Vellayapan, a software engineer who’s worked at Modern Treasury and Dataherald, announced his intentions to open a cafe at the northeastern corner of 20th and Mission streets.
That location, seemingly, did not work out. Vellayapan did not respond to a request for comment before the publishing of this story.
In the same post, Vellayapan sought individuals willing to invest a minimum of $1,000 for his cafe, with a return of “1.4x via a revenue share of 10 percent.” He also described his vision for the space as a community hub with trivia nights, comedy shows, salads, sandwiches, beer and wine. It is unclear if the same vision will hold for the Revolution Cafe spot.
On a recent Wednesday evening, this reporter biked past the empty storefront and noticed that the lights were on. Inside, two men were chatting, sitting across from each other. The previous “For lease sign” was nowhere to be found.
“Are you reopening anything here?” your reporter asked.
“Yes,” one of the men replied.
“Remember Revolution Cafe?” he continued. “Kind of similar. I’m thinking I’ll open this fall.” The man declined to be identified.
The exterior of The Women’s Building is covered in colorful murals. Photo by Mariana Garcia.
The Mission Children’s Hub, a new resource center for children and their caregivers, opened inside the Women’s Building at 3543 18th Street on Aug. 10.
Mark Ryle, executive director for Wu Yee Children’s Services, the local nonprofit running the space, says that the organization, which started in the 1970s specifically to help immigrant families, has been dreaming about opening a Mission center for the last six years. The program is funded by Head Start, Ryle added. It won’t operate a preschool like the one run by Mission Neighborhood Centers (also inside the Women’s Building) but will offer other services for children and their caregivers, including:
A workforce development program that helps people get licensed in early childhood education.
Drop-in support for caregivers looking for help connecting with child care options and community resources
A toy library for children with special needs, and classes for parents on how to best use these toys.
Parenting classes and play groups.
Wu Yee Children’s Services is also running its home visit program for pregnant and new families from the site.
“We have hundreds of children and families that we serve who are in the Mission and we try every single chance we get to go to where the families are,” said Ryle.
Boogaloos at 22nd and Valencia streets suffered an attack on Tuesday that left $20,000 in losses. Photo by Oscar Palma.
An attack on Boogaloos, at the corner of 22nd and Valencia streets, early on Tuesday morning left nearly every window of the restaurant smashed.
The restaurant’s co-owner, Antonio Luna, said he received a call from the police department around 4:20 a.m. that morning informing him of the attack.
Luna said he has no idea why the business was targeted, but that three months earlier, burglars forced their way in through the front door and managed to steal a safe with $5,000 in it. A week and a half ago, Luna added, a single window was smashed in what might have been an attempted burglary — perpetrators got into the building and caused about $1,500 worth of damage, but didn’t manage steal anything valuable. This time, said Luna, the vandals did not make it into the space, but he estimates that the cost to repair the windows at around $20,000.
Luna said that after a call with his insurance company on Wednesday, he felt positive his policy will reimburse them for the window repair. In the meantime, however, the Lunas have to come up with the money to pay for repairs upfront — and deal with losses from having to be closed for two days.
The business’ cameras do not cover the sidewalk; hence, they did not capture footage of the attack.
Boogaloos will reopen starting tomorrow, said Luna. As for when the windows will be fixed, he said he’ll start contacting companies soon.
Boogaloos has been at the same corner since 1994 aside from a two-year hiatus from 2016-2018, after the building’s property manager nearly quadrupled the rent for the space before relenting and merely doubling it. Luna and his wife, Karla, took over the business in 2025.
A rendering of The Village. The Friendship House’s project is expected to break ground in September. Image courtesy of Peter Bratt.
Friendship House, a social services nonprofit specializing in American Indian issues, has a new chief executive officer.
Clayton Dumont, who is an enrolled member of the Klamath Tribes, became Friendship House’s CEO on Aug. 1, a decade after he graduated from Friendship House’s treatment and recovery program in 2016.
Dumont worked as a substance use counselor and as Friendship House’s chief operating officer before embarking in this new role.
Raymunda Ramirez poses for a photo inside of her restaurant El Faro on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. Photo by Oscar Palma.
A community gathering in support of Taqueria El Faro, one of many taquerias that claim to be the home of the original Mission burrito, is taking place on Saturday, Aug. 21.
El Faro at 2399 Folsom St. at 20th Street, has been in the Mission District since 1961, and became a legacy business in 2024. Its lease expired in April, causing its rent to nearly double.
The Gatherground: Still Here – An evening at El Faro is organized by Gatherground co-founder, Taylor Lee, and Patricia Kocourek, daughter of El Faro’s owner, Raymunda Ramirez, asks those eager for one of El Faro’s famous burritos to “Come say hi, meet your neighbors or frequent Mission goer, and help keep a Mission institution full for a night.”.
Though not yet confirmed, Lee said a mariachi band may make an appearance.
MEDA’s 2061 Mission St. has 21 low-income housing units available for rent. Photo by Oscar Palma.
One commercial space, 17 studios and four one-bedrooms units are currently for rent at below-market rates at 2061 Mission St., near 16th Street, after months of renovations came to an end earlier this month.Those interested can visit propadelantesf.org or contact Propiedades Adelante at 844-534-9700, or leasing@propodelantesf.org.