A San Francisco storefront with one of the largest selections of indoor plants in the city is closing for good.
SF Plants, a shop spread across two floors on the corner of Polk and California streets, was an offshoot of Bella Fiora, A Floral Design Studio, founded by Mark Leahy and Dino Bocala in 2005. Earlier this year, Leahy shared that Bocala died in March following a four-month battle with cancer.
“Since losing Dino my partner in life and in dreams, things just haven’t been the same,” Leahy wrote in an Instagram post this week. “And with the rising costs of running a small business in San Francisco and lack [of] foot traffic, I’ve had to make the incredibly difficult decision to close our doors.” Leahy said the business will continue to serve its maintenance accounts.
Dozens of tributes poured in from longtime customers, who shared that the store welcomed them in after they had first moved to San Francisco and were looking for plants for their new apartment. Some made a regular stop after thrifting at Out of the Closet across the street; others purchased floral arrangements for milestones like weddings and baby showers…