This month, Hayes Valley will lose one of its most cherished small businesses. After 20 years at the corner of Hayes and Octavia, Miette is relocating to the Fillmore. While their story continues elsewhere, Hayes Valley is losing a piece of its heart. For many, Miette was more than a candy shop — it was a place of celebration, of family traditions, of birthday cakes and wedding desserts made by hand. Its departure is not just about one store; it is a reflection of deeper problems in our neighborhood.
We have known about Miette’s departure for some time. The owner has been part of our small business coalition, advocating to restore Hayes Street. Her decision to leave is not about “business acumen,” as some including our Supervisor have dismissively suggested. The reality is plain: her Ferry Building location is thriving, with sales up more than 35% over last year. In Hayes Valley, by contrast, foot traffic has collapsed since the permanent closure of Octavia, and the Hayes Street closure has only compounded the issues. Public safety concerns, the loss of parking and delivery access, and the City’s refusal to listen to retailers have left shops struggling.
For years, Miette joined with other merchants in sounding the alarm writing letters, filing complaints, showing up at City Hall only to be ignored. When help was needed most, the neighborhood institutions that claim to represent us, HVNA/HVMC, were silent. Worse, their leaders now tell us not to “let one merchant mislead you.” That kind of dismissal is exactly why our neighborhood is divided, and why small businesses feel abandoned. The current president’s eagerness to celebrate an incoming tenant, rather than honor the one who built Hayes Valley for two decades, says it all.
Losing Miette is not just losing a candy shop. It is losing a piece of Hayes Valley’s soul. If 20 years of loyalty, craft, and community can be brushed aside so casually, what hope is there for the next generation of merchants? Hayes Valley deserves city leadership that listens to all voices not just the insiders aligned with the closure agenda. We stand with Miette, and with every small business owner who has been pushed to the margins by failed policy and selective representation. This is a wake-up call: the closure is not sustainable, and neither is the culture of dismissal that surrounds it.