In the nine years that they’ve been in business, San Francisco Guitarworks has earned a reputation as one of the best repair shops in the City.  Operating out of a 750 square foot space on Potrero Avenue, SF Guitarworks’ four person team is equipped to take on any type of repair job. Whether they’re fixing a beginner’s first guitar, preparing a professional musician’s instrument for a lengthy tour, or in one recent case, rebuilding the body of an acoustic guitar that a customer’s wife smashed over his head during an argument, SF Guitarworks strives for perfection.

In sexually indulgent San Francisco, many sex workers consider themselves lucky to be free of the harassment, repression, and persecution their profession is subject to elsewhere. But even in the City the sex business is under pressure.  Last fall, Proposition K, a municipal ballot measure to decriminalize sex work, lost to a well-funded anti-trafficking campaign led by Mayor Gavin Newsom and District Attorney (DA) Kamala Harris. Then came the financial crisis, resulting in job-loss and steady cuts to health and welfare services.  Sex workers and their advocates agree:  sex work is not a recession-proof business.

It’s been said that there are more dogs than kids in the City, and there are numbers to back that up. According to the San Francisco Animal Care and Control Department (ACC), there’s an estimated 120,000 dogs, compared to upwards of 113,000 children.  One neighborhood in particular – where the Mission, South-of-Market and Potrero Hill converge, at Harrison and 15th streets – has become a node for catering to pets and their owners.  The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) – and its new Leanne Roberts animal hospital – Petco, PAWS (Pets Are Wonderful Support), ACC, Franklin Square park – a favorite of dog walkers – are all located within a ten minute stroll.