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Owner of Iconic San Francisco Store Says City is ‘Unlivable,’ May Close Doors After 160 Years
Daily Fetched ^ | August 21, 2023 | Jason Walsh

Posted on 08/21/2023 12:16:12 PM PDT by Red Badger

An iconic retail store in San Francisco may close its doors after 160 years after its CEO warned the deteriorating conditions are making the city “unlivable.”

San Francisco retailer Gumps CEO John Chachas told the host of the Fox program “The Story with Martha MacCallum” that high crime and rampant public drug is out of hand.

“It’s a sad state of affairs,” Mr. Challas told MacCallum.

“I spoke to a customer today who’s come to us for 50 consecutive Christmases and who won’t come back because the city is in a difficult and awfully dirty condition.”

Gumps’ CEO said conditions on the streets of the city deter potential tourists.

“[I]f you can’t get around and when you’re trying to walk the streets, you step over needles and human waste and often bodies on the streets, it makes it an unworkable business environment,” Challas continued.

“[E]mpty offices on the one hand, and that element on the other makes for an unworkable business center,” he added.

“I think it can be fixed. I hope it can be fixed. I do. I do have ideas of how to fix it, but unless politicians change their point of view about this, it’s a very, very tough thing.”

MacCallum appeared shocked that Mayor London Breed and Governor Gavin Newsome, D-Calif., were not taking action to keep businesses in the city.

“I’ve heard by email from a couple of the members of the Board of Supervisors who I think are really chagrined at this kind of news,” responded the CEO.

“I have in the past spoken to representatives of Mayor Breed’s office.

“I hope because this is not unique to us,” Challas said.

“This is every small or medium-sized business in the city of San Francisco cannot survive. These kinds of things are incompatible with successful business.”

Chachas said businesses may have no choice but to leave the city.

Challas confirmed said he is seriously considering closing the store

“I don’t think we know yet,” the Gumps CEO said about possible relocation locations if the store where to close in San Francisco.

“First, I hope we don’t have to,” Challas continued.

“I would really like to see some things corrected, but if we had to, we sell in all 50 states, we have dedicated people in all the places that you would want to be: Florida, Texas.”

“There are lots of great places to be, you know, but our heart is in San Francisco,” he added. “We want to be in a healthy city.”


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; Local News; Politics
KEYWORDS: anarchotyranny; california; chachas; challas; crime; dystopia; gavinnewsom; gumps; johnchacha; newsom; newsomfornia; retail; sanfrancisco
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1 posted on 08/21/2023 12:16:12 PM PDT by Red Badger
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To: Red Badger

You’d think he’d have retired by now.


2 posted on 08/21/2023 12:17:45 PM PDT by fruser1
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To: Red Badger

City and State officials don’t care. They’re using woke politics as stepping stones to higher offices. This according to San Francisco Insider interviews.


3 posted on 08/21/2023 12:20:46 PM PDT by Huskrrrr (Alinsky, you magnificent Bastard, I read your book!)
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To: fruser1
You can't have a healthy city if you have mentally unhealthy people in charge. And Liberalism is a mental disorder.

Quiz: Which San Franciscan wrote a book with that title?

4 posted on 08/21/2023 12:21:44 PM PDT by Vigilanteman (The politicized state destroys aspects of civil society, human kindness and private charity.)
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To: Red Badger

After 160 years....

The young people and BLM types today think the next 1,000 years will be a woke Dem CCP style workers’ paradise. Like the 1,000 years the Nazis ruled the world.

Let’s stop them.


5 posted on 08/21/2023 12:22:33 PM PDT by frank ballenger (You have summoned up a thundercloud. You're gonna hear from me. Anthem by Leonard Cohen)
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To: Red Badger

Well, there’s one city that Bidenskyyy, Gruesom Newsom and Nanzi Pelosi can take credit for totally destroying.


6 posted on 08/21/2023 12:24:42 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Welcome to Amerika! Have you filed a lawsuit today?)
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To: frank ballenger

They will be the Mensheviks..................


7 posted on 08/21/2023 12:25:01 PM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: Red Badger

Lease the city to China for ten years.

They will do the work Americans refuse to do.


8 posted on 08/21/2023 12:28:54 PM PDT by cgbg (Claiming that laws and regs that limit “hate speech” stop freedom of speech is “hate speech”.)
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To: Red Badger

9 posted on 08/21/2023 12:32:23 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd (A truth that’s told with bad intent, Beats all the lies you can invent ~ Wm. Blake)
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To: Vigilanteman

I thought that quote originated with Ann Coulter.


10 posted on 08/21/2023 12:33:37 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd (A truth that’s told with bad intent, Beats all the lies you can invent ~ Wm. Blake)
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To: Red Badger

The plan is working...

* Bankrupt existing small businesses
* Buy premium property for a pittance
* Tear down decaying structure & rebuild smart cities
* Enslave citizens/illegal immigrants in their ‘community’
* Elites live in their mansions


11 posted on 08/21/2023 12:34:58 PM PDT by stars & stripes forever (Blessed is the nation whose GOD is the LORD. (Psalm 33:12))
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To: Red Badger

He probably voted for a lot of this insanity.


12 posted on 08/21/2023 12:35:31 PM PDT by Starboard
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To: Vigilanteman

Michael Savage


13 posted on 08/21/2023 12:35:39 PM PDT by beef (The pendulum will not swing back. It will snap back. Hard.)
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To: Red Badger

Wish I could buy puts on liberal cities.

Since the mayor and governor don’t care about a formerly world class city becoming a turd world shithole I think it’s obvious there are ulterior motives.


14 posted on 08/21/2023 12:37:10 PM PDT by Aria
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To: Vigilanteman

I know! I know! 👋

My dad had that book and read it.

I didn’t read it from cover to cover, but I read good chunks of it when I visited him.


15 posted on 08/21/2023 12:37:38 PM PDT by Allegra (Stop the Zeepers from Censoring FReepers)
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To: Aria

Drive down property values.

Drive out conservative business people.

Drive up cost of doing business.....................


16 posted on 08/21/2023 12:38:33 PM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: Red Badger

I thought the place was nuts back in the days of Feinstein and Harvey Milk. Never understood all the reverence for it.


17 posted on 08/21/2023 12:41:26 PM PDT by Luke21
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To: stars & stripes forever

* Elites live in their mansions

*************

People should be asking themselves why the elites live so much better than they do. Its not because they are smarter or more productive than the rest of us; most of them cannot perform the simplest of life’s basic tasks.


18 posted on 08/21/2023 12:43:02 PM PDT by Starboard
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To: Red Badger

I think cheap real estate is a goal here....cheap for billionaires.


19 posted on 08/21/2023 12:43:38 PM PDT by Aria
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To: Vigilanteman

The author of that book would be Michael Savage.


20 posted on 08/21/2023 12:49:32 PM PDT by No name given (Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
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