CALIFORNIA—A party store located in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco, which has been around for over two decades, is being forced to close its doors permanently just days after Halloween.
SF Party is known as the one-stop shop for buying everything from balloons, costumes, decorations and tableware to cotton candy or popcorn machines. The coronavirus pandemic hit the store’s profit as well as customer traffic, forcing the owner Dan Cerf to close up shop.
After taking over in 1982 at 28, Cerf is now in his mid-60s, but has to reluctantly leave for good, knowing the health effects, and riskiness of having to keep open a store that allows customers, who would be at risk of catching something. Cerf, a third-generation San Francisco native, plans to leave the city after the store is finally closed.
SF Party has been around since 1901, back when it was a door-to-door sales business for novelty items. Eventually, after having through two owners, it transitioned into becoming a shop for toys and carnival supplies.
Cerf states that he is getting everything ready for customers that will want to do their shopping for Halloween night, which includes selling almost all of his products from his inventory at a massive discount price.
A lot of those products that will be on sale have always been known as expensive big name items, which are typically more expensive than anything else at the store.
Initially, SF Party managed to qualify for the federal Payroll Protection Program, which covered 12 of the employees working there. However, after eight weeks, the funds dwindled down to the point that it now covers only two employees, who are staying through closing.
