Meet Justin Bautista. Justin is the co-founder and owner of Tilted Brim, a San Francisco-based clothing store offering an undeniably cool collection of streetwear apparel and accessories in the heart of the Tenderloin, at 706 Larkin St. They curate a variety of labels from across the world, and also produce pieces like the iconic Tenderloin sweatshirts often seen around the neighborhood.
Justin and his business partner, Nate Torres, opened Tilted Brim in 2016.
“Without a significant source of external funding, the Tenderloin was one of the only places that allowed us to open a store independently,” he says. “We also wanted to be somewhere close to the city center, and in a neighborhood that was authentic and diverse in backgrounds and opinions, rather than a generic shopping district.”
Inspired by time spent in Queens, New York growing up, opening a store has been a long-time dream for Justin. He found inspiration in the “visual feast” of awnings, bold signage and unique shops, and wanted to foster that same energy in his own store. At Tilted Brim, he curates vintage clothing and designs several of their own styles in-house. The store showcases a number of smaller brands each season, including local Bay Area labels like Ben Davis. They also offer a unique, intimate connection to small international brands like Cactus Club Japan and Wax London.
The store offers customers an opportunity to integrate a mix of modern styles and classic, vintage influences into their own style, while also paying tribute to San Francisco’s rich history.
“I love how, when you take something out of the store and wear it in the street, you get to see it come together with your own taste in a different context,” Justin says.
Justin acknowledges that it can be challenging at times to run a business in the Tenderloin, especially given the impact of the pandemic on the neighborhood. He notes that while conditions on the street declined over the past couple years, there has been some improvement with the presence of Urban Alchemy and small business-related programs in the neighborhood.
Eventually, Justin says, the next step for Tilted Brim is to open a second store. For now, though, they are in survival mode and focused on recovering from the effects the pandemic has had on small businesses in the Tenderloin. But while some small businesses have relocated to other neighborhoods in recent months, Tilted Brim is here to stay.
“We love it here in the TL,” he says. “We want to be a beacon to other young, like-minded, entrepreneurial people who want to open their own brick and mortar stores.”
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