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Earlier this week I heard rumblings that the lovely Lower Haight spot, Cafe Du Soleil, was in danger of closing. My buddy Josh Gelfand told me there was a post on Nextdoor saying the landlord was refusing to sign a new lease, and then Sarah Lund sent me this screenshot via Instagram:

While I was waiting to get further confirmation about the possible closure, I got a message this morning from the next-door neighbor of the cafe, John Murray. It seems the rumors were true. Cafe Du Soleil closed on March 31st after 15 years in the Lower Haight. John’s message said that “They were moving out their stuff yesterday. Remains were left on sidewalk and storefront was empty when I left for work earlier this morning.”

I reached out to the owner to get his take on it and I’m waiting to hear back.

In the meantime I just want to say how much of a bummer this is for the Lower Haight and San Francisco. It’s yet another longtime business and neighborhood staple leaving a community sized hole in our city. Cafe Du Soleil was a perfect place to have coffee and croissant while reading a book or catching up with a friend. Spending a sunny day at their outdoor tables, watching people go by, was glorious.

People are obviously bummed out about this, and they’ve been expressing it by commenting on the Cafe Du Soleil Facebook page.

It’s been a hard few years to be a San Franciscan. So many of the places we love have been closed due to greed. And with the destruction being wrought on businesses by the coronavirus pandemic, I fear we are going to see a lot more of this in the near future. Buckle up friends, it’s gonna be a very bumpy ride.