page_title: Cliff's Variety Store
hierarchical_section_title: Cliff's Variety Store
caption_attribution_description: Cliff's Variety is now occupying the location of what used to be The Castro Theater in the 1910s, and later Bon Homme variety store. A Different Light, an independent bookstore that had excellent selection of books and gifts dealing with LGBT topics. was founded at 489 Castro. A Different Light eventually opened two more locations - in Greenwich Village, New York City and West Hollywood in Southern California - and served as gay community centers in the cities they were located in, especially during the dark years of the AIDS epidemic and the homophobia of the Reagan Administration. But between the mainstreaming of the LGBT community and the proliferation of online bookstores, A Different Light could no longer compete, and forever closed its doors in 2010. The Castro, smack in the dead middle of San Francisco, is the heart of gay San Francisco. It is said to be the gayest neighborhood in America, and the rainbow flags on the light poles show the gay pride. Like most other famed gay neighborhoods, this area is overwhelmingly male; lesbians are more likely to be found over the hill in Noe Valley living next to heterosexual families.
context_page_description: Cliff's Variety Store and Hardware is a hardware, home goods, variety, and fabric store located in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco, California since 1936. It has been in business for over 75 years, is considered a neighborhood institution, and predates the neighborhood becoming the first widely recognized gay mecca starting in the 1960s. It is one of the oldest family-run stores in the city.
context_section_description: Cliff's Variety Store and Hardware is a hardware, home goods, variety, and fabric store located in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco, California since 1936. It has been in business for over 75 years, is considered a neighborhood institution, and predates the neighborhood becoming the first widely recognized gay mecca starting in the 1960s. It is one of the oldest family-run stores in the city.
caption: Cliff's is located at 479 Castro St (center) the awning on the left at--471 Castro--is Cliff's "Annex," selling fabric, craft, drag, and sewing gear.
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