RIP Thrift Town

[Drunk Monk]

The Resdents turned me on to this SF institution. It was a mandatory stop on every mission book crawl.

Rumors confirmed: 45-year-old Mission Thrift Town closed today

Thrift Town, an institution in San Francisco's Mission District since 1972, closed Wednesday evening to the surprise of many local residents.
"We have proudly been a part of the San Francisco community since 1972, and are grateful for each and every customer who has shopped our fabulous two-story, iconic Thrift Town store located in the heart of The Mission District," read a notice by store owners Norquist Salvage Corp., posted on the 2101 Mission St. storefront.
Local blog MissionMission first reported rumors of Thrift Town's closing on Tuesday night, which were confirmed the following day.
Norquist cited a "drastically" changing retail landscape as the reason for closure, adding that despite a rent reduction from the building owners, "insufficient sales and increasing external costs made Thrift Town's situation unsustainable."
Longtime Mission resident Gerard Koskovich happened to be shopping for books upstairs when the closing announcement came at 4:15 p.m. from Jeff Norquist, the store founder's son.
Norquist, flanked by his sister Wendy, made a heartfelt statement about the store's history and its reasons for closing. He then asked customers to bring their items to the checkout immediately. 
Fewer than 20 people were in the store at the time, but many came forward to share stories of what Thrift Town meant to them. 
Koskovich, an LGBTQ historian and rare book dealer, said Thrift Town acted as a meeting place for the diverse community of the Mission. The closing of Thrift Town, he said, is "a terrible, terrible loss."
"It's been a nonstop parade of funerals for these kinds of businesses here," he said. "Twenty years ago, we came here to make culture, not money. The culture is still living in some places, but it's on life support."
Thrift Town, he stressed, plays an important, if unsung, role in San Francisco's history, especially for marginalized communities. 
Marc Huestis, an award-winning filmmaker and  former member of historic theater group Angels of Light, said the loss of Thrift Town left him "heartbroken."
"Thrift Town was our go-to place for everything," he said. "It was really an important place for drag queens to get their drag and even clothes for day-to-day life."
Huestis, who co-founded the SF Frameline LGBT Film Festival, featured Thrift Town in a scene in his 1982 film "Whatever Happened to Susan Jane?" He explained that the store closing is emblematic of the "constant fighting we must do just to stay alive."
Thrift Town owns an additional five locations in California, including two stores in the East Bay, all of which will remain open. Current employees will be encouraged to apply for positions at other locations.
Read Michelle Robertson’s latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.