{"id":350476,"date":"2026-06-07T11:37:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T11:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/350476\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T11:37:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T11:37:11","slug":"inside-the-informal-economy-of-san-franciscos-dolores-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/350476\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the informal economy of San Francisco’s Dolores Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a clear Sunday afternoon in Dolores Park<\/a>, but Matt, 26, is on alert. He just sold a cold drink to a picnicker, something mixed and alcoholic, in a tall plastic cup. To pay him, she scans a QR code on the laminated sheet of paper.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Now, while she lies back and enjoys her first sips, Matt cranes his neck and peers over the hill. A park ranger is making the rounds. If she catches him, he could be asked to leave the park. Without peeling his eyes away from the hill, he makes a phone call. \u201cIs she coming in my direction?\u201d he asks.<\/p>\n

For Matt, this game of cat and mouse is an ordinary part of a day\u2019s work at Dolores Park.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe park rangers, they like to harass us,\u201d he tells me, as he drags his wagon over the hill. \u201cWe\u2019re just trying to make a living out here in SF.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Alberto<\/p>\n

Alberto Sanchez pushes his ice cream cart through San Francisco\u2019s Dolores Park on May 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Theo LaBrusciano-Carris\/For SFGATE\"A<\/p>\n

A food and drink vendor makes a sale in San Francisco\u2019s Dolores Park on May 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Theo LaBrusciano-Carris\/For SFGATE\"Kool<\/p>\n

Kool Cat, AKA Bolston Jones, poses for a portrait next to a community art project in San Francisco\u2019s Dolores Park on May 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Theo LaBrusciano-Carris\/For SFGATE<\/p>\n

\u2018We\u2019re a really tight-knit community out here\u2019<\/p>\n

The stress is worth it. Selling drinks in public is Matt\u2019s full-time job, and Dolores Park is one of his steadiest streams of income. While he declines to talk numbers, he says he makes \u201cenough to live off of. It\u2019s solid.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Golden Gate Park<\/a>, in its sprawl, may get more foot traffic, and Lands End<\/a> may be more beautiful. But on a sunny weekend day, Dolores Park is San Francisco\u2019s unofficial town square. By 1 p.m., the lawns overlooking the downtown skyscrapers are packed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Amid the clusters of picnic blankets, you\u2019ll find a cast of regular characters: Men who sit between the trees, crushing cases of Modelos. Speedo-clad sunbathers at the park\u2019s unofficial \u201cgay beach.\u201d A ponytailed man near the benches, smoking a cigarette with one hand and twirling a staff with the other. Near the playground, the bucket hat-wearing owner of a giant, sticker-covered speaker, nodding contentedly to his loud house music. (He respectfully declined an interview.) Women juggling a soccer ball, men throwing a football, a child flying a kite. Couples lounging, reading, drinking, talking, blowing bubbles, kissing. Fixed-speed bikes lying in the grass.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A psychedelic mushroom vendor showcases their offerings.<\/p>\n

Theo LaBrusciano-Carris\/For SFGATE\"One<\/p>\n

One vendor offers \u201cDolosnax”-branded mushroom chocolate bars.<\/p>\n

Theo LaBrusciano-Carris\/For SFGATE<\/p>\n

This everyday buzz attracts a second, smaller group: vendors like Matt. Despite the park rangers\u2019 best efforts, Dolores Park is where enterprising locals go to sell things. A magician walks the fields, collecting donations for card tricks, and men toting drink carts exchange Micheladas for Venmo payments. So ingrained is Dolores Park\u2019s informal economy that one mushroom vendor sells psilocybin-infused chocolate bars called \u201cDolosnax,\u201d with an illustration of the park on the label.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re a really tight-knit community out here,\u201d says Nes, 33, who has been selling magic mushrooms for five years.<\/p>\n

On this particular Sunday, Nes is one of a handful of mushroom vendors. One of their chocolate bars costs $50. (Nes and Matt were granted anonymity in accordance with\u00a0Hearst\u2019s ethics policy<\/a>.) They don\u2019t think of the other mushroom vendors as competition, they explain.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s one of the most beautiful things about mushrooms, is that it helps you release the idea of competition,\u201d Nes says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nes, who vends on the weekends only, considers these sales to serve a greater purpose than moneymaking. In our brief conversation, they refer to mushrooms as \u201cmedicine\u201d and name-drop Mar\u00eda Sabina, an Indigenous Oaxacan healer who used psilocybin mushrooms in ceremonies.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe have to continue to use these medicines in the most decolonized way possible,\u201d they explain. \u201cAnd the best ways to use them are to use them for introspection, to use them for reflection, use them for meditation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Alberto<\/p>\n

Alberto Sanchez makes change after a sale in San Francisco\u2019s Dolores Park on May 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Theo LaBrusciano-Carris\/For SFGATE<\/p>\n

For others, selling in Dolores Park is a necessity. One of those vendors is 80-year-old Alberto Sanchez, who trudges across the park\u2019s lower lawn with his ice cream cart. Among his offerings is a mango ice\u00a0pop, which he sells for three dollars. For 20 years, he\u2019s made his living selling ice cream in Dolores Park and on Mission Street. Winters are especially rough for business, he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m an old man,\u201d he tells me. \u201cNobody gives me a job.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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After a short interview, a child approaches Sanchez with a few bills and buys an ice pop.<\/p>\n

Mewtwo, Michael Jordan and massage therapy<\/p>\n

In Dolores Park, a bottle of water costs $3, and a Dolosnax-branded chocolate bar with three grams of mushrooms costs $40. A holographic trading card of the Pokemon Mewtwo, meanwhile, costs $10,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn mint condition, it\u2019s worth 20 grand,\u201d says 9-year-old Arlo Harney.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Alongside the professional class of vendors, Dolores Park attracts a second, more casual group. These vendors do not make sales for a living. They vend because it\u2019s fun, or for some extra cash on the side. Or because the weather\u2019s nice.<\/p>\n

\"Arlo\u2019s<\/p>\n

Arlo\u2019s backpack sports a cardboard sign advertising \u201cpokemon, football, baseball, and basketball cards.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Theo LaBrusciano-Carris\/For SFGATE\"A<\/p>\n

A table of assorted playing and collectible cards being sold by Arlo Harney, age 9, at San Francisco\u2019s\u00a0Dolores Park on May 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Theo LaBrusciano-Carris\/For SFGATE<\/p>\n

Arlo is one of these vendors. He and his father, Brendan, stopped by Dolores Park to sell off his collection of rare trading cards. Arlo priced the cards himself: A card featuring the Pokemon Regigigas goes for $10, and a vintage Michael Jordan card costs $40,000. They\u2019re laid out in a neat grid on a black folding table, housed in plastic protective sleeves. The holographic cards glint in the sun. The family dog, Montez, lazes on the grass underneath.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI don\u2019t really look at these or use these anymore, so I figured I\u2019d just sell them,\u201d Arlo explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The day before, the father-son duo tried walking around Cole Valley and making sales out of Arlo\u2019s backpack, Brendan says. That didn\u2019t work, so they headed to Dolores Park. On this particular Sunday, Arlo makes no big deals. After around an hour, he and Brendan peel off to play soccer.<\/p>\n

Asked about the practice of illegal vending in Dolores Park, San Francisco Recreation and Park Department spokesperson Daniel Montes told SFGATE that park rangers typically issue citations only if there is a safety issue or if a vendor \u201crefuses compliance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve put a lot into keeping the park safe and clean,\u201d Montes wrote in an email to SFGATE. \u201cOur rangers and Love Dolores community ambassadors do a lot of outreach and education, including talking to illegal vendors.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Entrepreneurs like Arlo \u201cwouldn\u2019t be priorities\u201d for rangers, Montes added.<\/p>\n

As Arlo and Brendan pack up their picnic table, Michaela Donovan, 38, sets up shop in the corner of the park. She offers 15-minute massages for $30, with a table set up in the shade of a frame canopy.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that the weather is turning more sunny, more people are out,\u201d Donovan says. \u201cSo I\u2019m trying to just get seen by more people, so I can promote my business.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Left<\/p>\n

Left to right: Massage therapist\u00a0Michaela Donovan poses for a portrait; SFGATE reporter Timothy\u00a0Karoff as seen through Michaela Donovan\u2019s massage table.<\/p>\n

Theo LaBrusciano-Carris\/For SFGATE<\/p>\n

This is Donovan\u2019s second weekend afternoon in the park.The first time, she made \u201ca couple hundred bucks.\u201d Offering massages helps her boost her business, Massage by Michaela, which she runs out of an office on Van Ness Aveue. Alongside massages, Donovan offers free tarot and horoscope readings.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI love being outside and connecting with people on this level,\u201d she says, shuffling her deck of oracle cards. \u201cI\u2019m not the best at small talk, but I love doing stuff like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

About an hour after we speak, I spot a park ranger speaking with Donovan. When the ranger leaves, Donovan folds up her shade structure, which is large enough to require a permit. Her massage table stays.<\/p>\n

Matt, meanwhile, manages to dodge any trouble, even as he around lugs a wagon loaded with alcohol, soda and water. As he crests over the hill, a man comes running after him. He\u2019s slightly out of breath, wearing running shorts and\u00a0Birkenstocks.<\/p>\n

\"Matt,<\/p>\n

Matt, a drink and snack vendor, pulls his cart through San Francisco\u2019s Dolores Park on May 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Theo LaBrusciano-Carris\/For SFGATE\"The<\/p>\n

The drink cart of a vendor in San Francisco\u2019s Dolores Park on May 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

Theo LaBrusciano-Carris\/For SFGATE<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so happy to see you, bro,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve been looking for you for like 10 minutes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"image\"<\/p>\n

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By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use<\/a> and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This particular customer needs a bottle of water, so Matt goes through the familiar routine. He hands the man the bottle and then holds up his laminated QR code sheet. The man scans it obligingly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Then, Matt keeps moving. He has four more hours of daylight and a cart full of cold drinks to sell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a clear Sunday afternoon in Dolores Park, but Matt, 26, is on alert. He just sold a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":350477,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[101,103,102,104,106,105,143390,1693],"class_list":["post-350476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news","tag-sfculture","tag-sfglocal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=350476"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350476\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/350477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=350476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=350476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=350476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}