SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — For more than 30 years, the Castro Coffee Company and the Castro Nail Salon in San Francisco have welcomed thousands through their doors. But any day now, that could be coming to an end.
“Right now, we have no place to go,” said Riyad Khoury.
Khoury owns the nail salon, while his brother Ken owns the coffee shop.
Over the years, both businesses have been staples in the iconic San Francisco neighborhood. But a few months ago, Khoury says he and his brother were told their leases would not be renewed.
Instead, their landlord decided to sublease their two storefronts as well as the Castro Theatre that they flank on either side to Another Planet Entertainment.
“We are too old to start over again. We don’t have the money to spend again on something that will not finish. So it’s not fair. It’s an injustice,” said Khoury.
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The brothers’ leases ended on June 30 but as of Tuesday, both their shops remained open for business.
Khoury says he doesn’t plan on leaving and neither he nor his brother have yet to receive an eviction notice.
I asked him, even if he did, would he actually leave.
“I don’t know how to answer that. But I would be opposed to it, and I don’t know how but I would have to ask a lawyer about it,” said Khoury.
Since being told they had to leave in March, many in the neighborhood have come out in support of the Khoury brothers.
That includes Scott Heape-Custock, who says he’s been coming to Khoury’s nail salon for over 20 years.
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“Very respectful, very caring. Always asking questions about me personally. They know me, they know what I did for a living and we’ve had a relationship over the years,” he said.
The community support also present at a rally that was held for the Khourys back in June.
Seven-thousand people have even signed a recently created petition demanding that the brothers be allowed to stay in business.
Khoury tells ABC7 News both the mayor and the supervisor for the Castro have been receptive to he and his brother’s situation.
Now, he’s wishing one of them can help save their stores he loves.
“Now our hope is that the mayor will support small business. That they can come up with some solution that we can live with,” Khoury said.
Both Khoury’s landlord and Another Planet Entertainment didn’t return our request for comment Tuesday night.
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