The Tenderloin gets a bookstore and coffee shop — and it’s bilingual, too

Niebla, a new bookstore and café on Golden Gate Avenue near Larkin Street, was packed Thursday morning with public officials and neighborhood boosters browsing the shelves and sipping coffee. It was the grand opening for the shop, whose name means “fog” in Spanish, and appropriately gloomy outside. 

But the inside was softly lit and warm, the air filled with the sound of tropical music records being spun by Tenderloin DJ Discomovil Salazar. Guests pored over the “bilingual table,” a display at the center of the bookselling area where the Spanish and English versions of important literary works are offered side-by-side. Niebla emphasizes Latin American literature, with a special focus on books from independent Mexican publishers.

The business is a project of a couple originally from Mexico whose romance was sparked by their mutual love of reading. María Fernanda Ramírez — she goes by “Marifer” — has a background in translation as well as literature, and used to work at a university publishing house. David García Gómez is a software engineer and author. 

“We want to show that there are many different ways of being Latin American, many different ways of being a Spanish speaker, a San Franciscan,” García told me when I caught the pair between interviews and congratulations. 

Ramírez and García said they’re looking forward to growing their inventory, connecting and partnering with other independent bookstores around the Bay Area, hosting events, and maintaining a space for arts and culture. 

The local leaders chatting and exploring Niebla had more on their minds than caffeine and literature: They made it clear that they have high expectations of the entrepreneurs.

“The reason we’re supporting great small businesses like this one is because this is what drives recovery,” said Mayor Daniel Lurie at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, who represents the Tenderloin, echoed him, saying the new bookstore and gathering space “symbolizes our economic recovery.” Then he told the business owners: “A lot is riding on your shoulders, I’m sorry.”

No pressure or anything.

But Ramírez and García seem ready to face the challenges of entrepreneurship here. 

“When the next bubble bursts, and the next one after that, small businesses will still be here,” García said to a crowd of locals, politicians, and TV news crews. 

I prompted them later about the difficulties of creating an open and inviting space in an environment where people can behave disruptively.  

“We have a tough skin,” Ramírez said. 

“We cannot deny big problems in the city and the neighborhood,” García said. But there is also resilience, and children and families, and “they shouldn’t take the blame for these things.”

They both acknowledged how hard it is to run a small business in San Francisco and the complexities of serving a neighborhood with a huge range of interests and cultures. 

“It is a big responsibility to make this a welcoming space for everyone in the community. We want to support the Tenderloin community the way they deserve,” Ramírez said. 

That means listening to what people want and need, she said. And so far, the relationship has gone both ways — the two expressed gratitude for the support they’ve already gotten from their business neighbors and local organizations and agencies like the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the Tenderloin Community Benefit District, and the San Francisco Public Library, as well as the Tenderloin Housing Clinic’s Pratibha Tekkey.

“Every bookstore deserves a community like this one,” she said.

Niebla operates at 374 Golden Gate Ave.