When the seasonal gift boutique Terrasol first opened its doors in 2004 on Larkin Street in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood, it quickly drew a loyal customer base among the nearby residents needing holiday decor. The blazing dose of Christmas lights adorning the shop's facade also likely drew in clientele.
"We stuck out like sore thumbs. It caught everyone's attention, especially the people who live on Nob Hill and drove straight up Larkin to get home," recalled Stephen Trimble, 58, who co-owns the store with his husband, Alberto Rojas, who is also in his 50s.
A friend who lived next door to the store gave the couple just five months before they would shutter the business because of the rough-and-tumble nature of the neighborhood. Yet, they not only survived but also thrived.
"One woman who was a regular of ours told us one day, in her Southern accent, that we were the diamond in the coal mine of the Tenderloin," said Trimble.
Eventually, they relocated Terrasol to the city's Polk Gulch neighborhood. Until earlier this year, they had been leasing a storefront on California Street just up from Polk Street. But during last year's busy Christmas holiday shopping season, a flood damaged their space's basement storage area.
With safety issues on the street also leading them to often keep their front door to Terrasol locked, meaning shoppers had to be individually let in, the couple decided to seek a storefront to rent elsewhere in the city. A trip to look at a potential space in Noe Valley led them to discover their new location at 1307 Castro Street.
It had been vacant since pet store The Animal Company moved out in 2020 to take over a corner space down the block at 24th and Castro streets. With the 1,100 square foot storefront perfectly sized to fit the needs of Trimble and Rojas, the couple quickly worked out a lease deal with their new landlord and announced in April their plans to move into it.
"When we saw this one, we thought, 'It is huge.' It also has strong light," said Trimble, as the front windows beam with sunlight in the afternoons.
They reopened in late July, filling the last remaining vacant storefront on their block. It is highly trafficked due to including a Walgreens location with a small parking lot free for customers to use for up to an hour.
Since opening their doors, the couple has had longtime customers of theirs stop by to welcome them to the neighborhood since they live nearby.
"People are very happy we are here," said Rojas.
At the moment, the shop is filled with new and vintage-styled Halloween decor for customers to decorate their homes in all manner of spooky ways. Bats, ghosts, and pumpkins come in various decorative items, with their selection of ornaments to festoon a Halloween tree a particularly big hit with shoppers at their new location.
"People here love Halloween," noted Rojas.
Added Trimble, "We heard this neighborhood goes all out for Halloween, and one street hosts a block party."
Another hit with customers of their new location has been wooden cutouts made to look like pumpkins on one side and snowmen on the other so they can be displayed from Halloween through Christmas. Trimble makes the porch boards ($169) himself in the private back area of the store.
"People here live in homes and have yards they can decorate," noted Trimble, as opposed to most of the people who shopped at their former location and "live in studio apartments."
The couple also stocks myriad ornaments and household items themed to the Day of the Dead. But customers in need of adornments for the Mexican holiday annually observed November 1 and 2 be forewarned, the day after October 31 the shop will close for seven days to switch over to its yuletide stock for Hanukkah and Christmas.
"We close for a full week post Halloween to do our big flip. Once we reopen, it will be all Christmas," said Trimble, noting they don't carry many items specifically themed for Thanksgiving.
A love of Christmas
One reason for their lengthy turnover closure is the couple annually puts up more than a dozen Christmas trees of varying sizes, each with a different theme. Thus, one will feature ornaments celebrating San Francisco and the city's famous icons like the Golden Gate Bridge and cable cars.
Another is adorned with gay-themed ornaments, while a third sports solely food-based ornaments. There are separate trees for cat lovers and dog lovers.
"We have one with a huge sea theme. We make sure to say it is a sea theme and not a sea section," joked Trimble.
They do carry over their Day of the Dead ornaments to affix to one of the holiday trees. Another is dressed in Hanukkah-themed ornaments.
"We call it the Hanukkah bush. It is always right in the middle of everything in the store, just like Hanukkah is," said Trimble.
Rojas and Trimble have been together 22 years after first meeting at a local gay entertainment venue. Rojas, who grew up in Bluefields, Nicaragua, moved to San Francisco in 1990 to pursue a career in graphic design.
Trimble grew up in the San Joaquin Valley town of Madera near Fresno in California's Central Valley one of five siblings, just one of whom is straight. With an older brother living in San Francisco's LGBTQ Castro district with his partner, Trimble moved in with them in 1994 when he relocated to the city.
"My brother told me I could be broke and unemployed in Fresno, or I could be broke and unemployed in San Francisco," joked Trimble, who had worked various jobs in construction and retail.
In San Francisco, he was hired by a friend of his brother's to work on themed installations at various hotels. He then landed a job with a florist downtown, whom he worked for a decade until opening Terrasol with Rojas.
The name incorporates the facets of the earth and the sun, as when they first opened Terrasol, they also sold plants, with Trimble tending to the store's outdoor floral garden. It also harkens to the store's revolving merchandise in tune with seasonal changes brought on by the sun's orbital path.
"With earth and sun, we cover all the bases. We change with the seasons and are all over the board," explained Trimble.
Each January, Trimble and Rojas take the month off. During that time, they enjoy their personal Christmas decor at their studio apartment near Union Square.
"On the Epiphany every January 6 we will take down our tree," said Trimble, referring to the Christian holiday also known as Three Kings' Day for it marks the date when three wise men are believed to have visited the baby Jesus.
Shortly thereafter, the couple will attend the yearly gift show in Las Vegas to scout out merchandise to stock throughout the year. They usually carry such items as candles, greeting cards, puzzles, novelty socks, and cocktail napkins.
In addition to the fall holidays, they re-theme their shop for various celebrations. Thus, shoppers will find items on sale at Terrasol for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, LGBTQ Pride Month in June, and the Burning Man desert bacchanal in late August.
"Most people know of us for Christmas. People always show up in July hoping for Christmas merchandise to already be out," said Trimble, noting they are not solely focused on the yuletide. "We change with the seasons."
With the Christmas season always their busiest time of year, Trimble and Rojas will keep Terrasol open seven days a week when they reopen in November after switching out most of their Halloween merchandise. They will also extend the store hours, which for now are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
For updates about Terrasol, check out its Instagram page.
Correction
Last month's column about the online LGBTQ marketplace Famm should have noted it includes international brands and is aiming to have 25,000 users of its app Famm Connect within six months of its launch. It also should have reported that co-founder Marianna Di Regolo was born in Orange County and graduated from SF State in 2009. The online version has been updated.
Got a tip on LGBTQ business news? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 829-8836 or email [email protected].
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