Welcome Castro, a new pop-up gift store and welcome center in San Francisco's LGBTQ neighborhood, had its grand opening party April 27 and shoppers perused plenty of rainbow-themed merchandise. Located at the old Levi's space at 525 Castro Street, gay proprietor Robert Emmons stated that he hopes to be able to offer visitors a "unique and fabulous retail experience while celebrating the LGBTQ history and culture of the area." Mayor London Breed was on hand, and the party featured drag performers and a DJ. The pop-up storefront was made possible with a $50,000 grant from the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development and is part of the city's recovery efforts to activate tourist areas and commercial corridors, a release from the Castro Merchants Association stated. The merchants group allocated the funding to Emmons and will spend the other half of the $100,000 grant on related programming, marketing, and administrative costs, according to the association.
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