If yet another Valentine's Day has renewed your resolve to find a partner this year, a new San Francisco-based Internet dating site called http://www.PartnerForLife.com may be just what your social life needs.

For the past few weeks, the Castro Muni station has been blanketed with ads showing male couples in domestic scenes, doing laundry, and jostling for space in front of the bathroom mirror. The ads bear cheeky messages such as, "One hot night is great. One warm heart is better," and are PartnerForLife's way of differentiating itself from other dating sites out there.

Co-founder Dale Bullock's goal was to create a site dedicated to helping gay men find and maintain long-term relationships. "Sex is great, of course," Dale explains, "but PartnerForLife is the only site out there which is primarily focused on long-term relationships, and is also exclusively designed for gay men."

Bullock drew on his 12-year history as a professional matchmaker for gay men to create a membership profile survey that delves deeply into 17 aspects of a man's views on life and love. The entire survey requires about three-and-a-half hours to complete, and afterwards the potential dater should have a better understanding of himself and what he is looking for in a relationship. As a PartnerForLife member peruses another member's profile, their survey results are automatically lined-up to create an instantaneous "relationship dashboard" showing the compatibility (or lack thereof) between the two.

In addition to facilitating connections, PartnerForLife delves deeper by offering seminars and counseling. Chong Kee Tan , vice president, notes that the site will eventually include services to help gay men through the entire life of their relationships, from inception to maturity. However, currently the site is focusing on the early stages of dating and relationship formation.

The site's official launch is today (Thursday, February 14), and although the initial emphasis has been on the gay communities in Northern California, Bullock reports that they have already received membership inquiries from across the country and overseas. After the Northern California launch, PartnerForLife plans to spread to Southern California and eventually worldwide.

Additionally, Bullock and co-founder Robert Hofer are currently working on the launch of a sibling site focused on dating and relationships in the lesbian community. They realize that simply changing the pronouns from "he" to "she" will not create a membership profile that truly answers the needs of the lesbian population, so they have enlisted lesbian relationship experts to ensure that the new site will truly serve gay women's needs.

For information about membership as well as upcoming seminars in Sacramento on February 23 and San Jose on February 29, visit www.PartnerForLife.com.

It's a gay city, after all

Whether Valentine's Day planning includes a romantic getaway or a manhunting mission, gay and lesbian travelers often have a difficult time finding information about travel destinations that addresses their specific concerns.

This frustration was the inspiration for http://www.GayCities.com founder Scott Gatz, who has created a Web site for gay travelers with comprehensive, up-to-date information about gay and gay-friendly bars, hotels, restaurants, and resorts. Started out of his Castro neighborhood home in 2005, GayCities has grown to cover 64 cities across the United States and Canada. The site allows users to post reviews of businesses and submit information on new (or newly-closed) businesses. Visitors to the site can also filter businesses based on neighborhoods, clientele, ambiance, and other features, to help plan a trip matching their particular interests.

In addition to the reviews, GayCities also features a travel blog that includes interviews with gay celebrities discussing their favorite cities. Recent interviewees have included director Q. Allan Brocka talking about the LA gay scene, blogger Andy Towle extolling Provincetown, and porn personality Chi Chi Larue giving his own take on New Orleans.

GayCities launched an iPhone-compatible version in January during the MacWorld conference. Gatz compares the mobile version of the site to "having thousands of gay bars in your pocket."

Coming this spring are new features to facilitate social networking between users, plus a slate of new cities, including international destinations.

Under a new roof

After the success of the Under One Roof holiday store in the Market Street space formerly occupied by Tower Records, many people speculated that the store would move there permanently. Instead, general manager Mark Burns has announced that Under One Roof will be moving across the street from its current location, to 518 Castro Street, the spot currently housing Planetweavers.

Under One Roof will take possession of the space in March with the intention of opening the doors for business April 1. After the move, the store will have almost triple the sales floor space, and the offices and warehouse will occupy the rear of the building behind movable partitions. These walls will allow the store to expand for special sales events, such as the gourmet food sale and holiday store. Currently, Under One Roof has to find an empty storefront in the neighborhood for these seasonal events.

Under One Roof is seeking volunteers to help with all aspects of the move, from contracting and design to the physical labor of moving inventory across the street. For information on volunteering, contact the store at (415) 503-2300.

Weaving a legacy

The Under One Roof move was triggered by the sad announcement that Planetweavers was going out of business, after 17 years operating at its Castro Street location. Owner Andreas Blachian saw his business decline 30 percent after the attacks of September 11, 2001, and his sales never recovered. Almost two years ago he closed his second store in the Haight in the hopes that some of his customers would come to the Castro store, making at least the one storefront viable. Unfortunately, the Haight traffic never moved over to the Castro location, leaving Blachian with losses of $5,000 to $10,000 each month.

Planetweavers' product mix reflected Blachain's interest in spirituality and world philosophies, and his personal quest for peace both at a personal and global level. The store's signature was its large, glass window that featured whimsical, eye-catching displays incorporating artisan pieces, usually with an East-Asian flair.

Planetweavers will begin closing shop February 25 with its final shopping day February 29.

Harvey, is that you?

Harvey's bar and restaurant (500 Castro Street) is undergoing some changes, thanks to its new manager, Steve Porter. Porter, a Castro resident, took the helm at the end of last year and began by lowering drink prices and adding a separate dinner menu. But his ultimate goal for Harvey's is to make it better reflect and cater to the LGBT community in San Francisco.

The new weekly calendar of entertainment will include "Margo's Funny Tuesdays," a night of gay comedy hosted by Marga Gomez, as well as live jazz on Wednesdays and cabaret piano on Thursdays. Porter sees the live music – especially the piano bar entertainment – as a tribute to the Elephant bar, which once occupied the corner.

Margo's Funny Tuesdays will kick off February 26, with the live music debuting the following two nights. Additionally, Harvey's is adding extra TV screens for an Oscar viewing party February 24.

Restaurant updates

An update on two restaurants that were mentioned in previous Business Briefs columns:

North Beach Chinese eatery Brandy Ho Hunan Food opened its Castro location at 4068 18th Street Saturday, February 9. The massive renovation delayed the opening for almost half-a-year.

The restaurant attached to the bar Lookout (3600 16th Street) has now opened for table service. Named Thick & Thin Pizza, the restaurant also offers food for take-out.

Check out Raymond Flournoy's Castro Shopper blog at http://www.castroshopper.vox.com. Contact him at mailto:castroshopper@yahoo.com.