Here’s a quick rundown of recent changes to businesses in the Castro area. In this edition, the hot chicken and ramen restaurant is reimagined, transforming into a sushi restaurant and custom his couch store and medical spa that opens in Castro.
Nash Hot Chicken (3970 17th St.)
Castro’s Nash Hot Chicken & Ramen (3970 17th St.) closed after just five months, and its owners are looking to turn it into a sushi restaurant.
Owner Arron Lai told Hoodline that the space will reopen as a sushi restaurant on September 1.
After running Nash Hot Chicken & Ramen for five months, Lai told Hoodline that he decided customers wanted healthier food options.
Nash Hot Chicken & Ramen is currently closed and a new sushi restaurant is in the works. | | Photo: Nash Hot Chicken & Ramen / Instagram
Rai told Hoodline that he has not yet decided on a name for the new restaurant, adding that the menu will include omakase sushi rolls.
Nash Hot Chicken and Ramen opened in February of this year in the space of Thai restaurant Me & Tasty.
Since the restaurant was added in 2009 when the second-floor nightclub The Cafe was expanded, the space has seen substantial turnover. Former resident Pica Pica Maize Kitchen he opened in 2013 and lasted only nine months. His successor, Manos Nouveau, closed in 2016 after less than two years. It was taken over by Me & Tasty, a Thai restaurant that opened in 2017 and closed less than five years later.
Custom Sofa Company (2195-2199 Market Street)
Auckland-based Custom Sofa Company will open retail space previously occupied by Barber’s Men’s Image (2195 Market) and Verizon Authorized Retailer (2199 Market) on the corner of Market and Sanchez.
During a recent visit by a Hoodline reporter, two retail spaces were merged into one, with renovation work underway.
Custom Sofa Co. is now open at 2195-2199 Market Street. | | Photo: Stephen Bracco/Foodline
Foodline readers will recall that Male Image closed in 2020 after 40 years in business. The store briefly reopened under new management as Castro Barbers, but was soon closed.
Verizon closed stores in 2020 after working for Castro for seven years.
Custom Sofa Co. now has a showroom near Lake Merritt. The family-owned company was founded by twin brothers Diego and Damien.
Hoodline did not respond to a request for comment from Custom Sofa Co. No opening date has been announced.
Custom Sofa Co. is currently undergoing renovations. | | Photo: Stephen Bracco/Foodline
Elena Med Spa (4035 18th St.)
The Elena Med Spa will take over the space previously occupied by the Unionmade Women’s store at 4035 18th St. (between Noe and Hartford streets).
Unionmade closed both its women’s and men’s stores in 2019.
Elena Med Spa will open in the former Union Maid women’s store. | | Photo: Stephen Bracco/Foodline
During a recent Hoodline reporter’s visit, construction workers were framing a new business on the storefront.
According to public records, two permits were issued for space modifications. Work includes removing non-bearing walls and relocating fire sprinklers to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Construction costs are estimated at $170,000.
Elena Med Spa is currently undergoing construction work. | | Photo: Stephen Bracco/Foodline
