By Steven T. Jones
When Mission residents mounted an opposition campaign to an American Apparel opening a store on Valencia Street, the chain didn’t respond very well and ended up being denied by the Planning Commission last week. But it has now chosen to respond to that defeat in a way that’s smart, classy, and respectful of the Mission hipsters that are its core demographic.
As reported on the blog Mission Mission, American Apparel has posted a conciliatory note on the vacant storefront it’s leasing, saying it has learned an important lesson about how to properly approach neighborhoods like the Mission and offering all Mission residents a 25 percent discount at its other San Francisco stores.
In the righteous battle against corporate homogenization, the case against American Apparel was always what attorneys call “a wobbler.” Opponents raised valid concerns, but this company was never the devil. And now that it followed up in stand-up fashion, we can all still wear our AA undies with pride.
[Ed Note: and fear?]