Vol. XLIX, No. 6
June 2025
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THE NOE VALLEY VOICE Twins on a Mission to Save Soles
Residents Still Reeling From May Fire
Noe Brothers Find a Green Way To ReLace Shoes
Two Dogs Die in 26th Street Blaze
By Matthew S. Bajko
By Corrie M. Anders
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rothers Roshan and Niam Jain have played various sports growing up, like tennis, soccer, and flag football. Over the years, the fraternal twins, now 15, have routinely worn out or grown out of the shoes their athletic pursuits required. And as they got older, the ecoconscious siblings wondered: what can we do with our still-good-to-use sneakers and cleats so the shoes don’t end up rotting in a landfill? They knew the city’s recycling program didn’t allow that kind of footwear to be placed in the blue bins. Instead, it advised residents to donate them. However, the teens saw that donating wasn’t so easy for students in middle or high school, who often have packed class schedules and a ton of extracurricular activities. Most kids are not old enough to drive themselves to a place that accepts donated shoes, like Goodwill or the Salvation Army. “Every year, we play a lot of sports and get a lot of shoes, and throw away
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By Emily Hayes
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here is no “book shame” at Noe Valley Books, says owner Katerina Argyres. From the most literary tome to the silliest romance, what matters most, she says, is that a book makes you happy. “Reading is supposed to bring you joy in whatever that is for you,” Argyres says. “We don't do a lot of ‘pretentious’ here. We just like to be your friendly neighborhood bookstore.” Asked to give her top picks for summer, Argyres recommends Ocean Vuong’s new book The Emperor of Gladness, the story of a young Vietnamese immigrant who develops a relationship with
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The Shoes Brothers: Niam and Roshan Jain pick up a barrel of old Nikes at the California Tennis Club, one of their ReLace collection sites. In May the twins were looking for a Noe Valley spot for local residents to recycle their old athletic shoes. Photo by Art Bodner
a lot of shoes,” notes Roshan. “We thought there must be a better way to give away the shoes rather than throw them out.” Living in a city with a sizable homeless population, including many families with children who find themselves unhoused, the Jains felt it would be a better fit to see their discarded shoes and that of their teammates and fellow students, as well as their family CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
What’s on Noe Valley Books’ Summer Reading List? Reincarnated Store Sells Books, Hosts Events at Bernie’s Coffee
he Noe Valley Night Market will be taking over a block of 24th Street in addition to its home base of the Noe Valley Town Square when it returns the evening of Tuesday, June 24, with expanded hours. The event will allow for more vendors and be the first of three markets planned to have larger footprints this year. The block of 24th Street between Sanchez and Vicksburg streets will be closed to vehicle traffic from 3 to 10 p.m. to allow for the setup and later takedown of the market booths and other infrastructure. Due to the special nature of the June
t was more than a week after a fire destroyed his home and took the lives of his pets. But Pitchaw Thongkom was still lost. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” said Thongkom, 50, barely speaking above a whisper as he stood on the sidewalk outside his home at 4213 26th St. Thongkom was sorting through a field of soggy and burnt debris, trying to salvage whatever he could. There wasn’t much. A fire in the predawn hours of Monday, May 19, had raced through the dwelling, sending up a tower of flames seen miles away. First to respond were firefighters from Noe Valley’s Station 11 three blocks down the hill, at 26th and Church streets. They put out the blaze in less than a half hour. Sadly, they were unable to save two dogs found in the home. The fire was a devastating blow to Thongkom, who had lived in the house since 2016. Thongkom said the loss of his pets, chihuahuas named Eggy and Monster, was extremely hard. The dogs were the much-loved companions of Thongkom and his husband, William Wellman, who died in 2023, he said. “They were the only things my husband left me,” he said. “They were my world.” At the time of the fire, the twobedroom, two-story house was home to three people: Thongkom, whose deceased husband was a co-owner of the property, and Thongkom’s two
an elderly widow. In May, the bookstore was offering signed copies. She also suggests Fredrik Backman’s humorous and touching My Friends, or Susanna Kwan’s Awake in the Floating City, a dystopian tale told through the eyes of the last people living in an underwater San Francisco. Argyres’ favorite new books for kids this summer include Ella Josephine: Resident in Charge, by local author Nina LaCour, featuring a 9-year-old who is the queen of her apartment house, and Neil Sharpson’s Don’t Trust Fish, a comedic nature guide aimed at children aged 3 to 5 years. Another book she’s recommending is A Hero’s Guide to Summer Vacation, the fantasy-laced saga of a young boy and his grumpy author grandfather. (For Argyres’ complete lists, see page 11.) Noe Valley Books is the latest incarnation of a bookstore located at 3957 24th St., across from Whole Foods. For many years, Folio Books filled this spot, but the store closed in February 2024, when the group of owners left to pursue other endeavors. But one of the owners—Argyres— wanted to carry on. She successfully raised more than $150,000 via GoFundMe to launch a new bookstore in November 2024. As part of the venture, the store was painted green, CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
Night Market Moves Onto 24th Street June 24 Event Promises to Double the Vendors By Matthew S. Bajko
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Tragic Losses: Two dogs perished and three people were displaced in a deadly fire on 26th Street the morning of Monday, May 19. Photo courtesy San Francisco Fire Department