San Francisco's Castro banks on booming sales this LGBTQ+ Pride month

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco’s Castro district is gearing up for the kickoff of Pride Month. Business owners are preparing for an economic boom as tourists head to the city to celebrate.

Ask anyone in the Castro, and they will tell you, it’s really Pride Month all year long there. But small business owners agree June, when Pride Month is recognized, typically means more people and more money.

Castro leaders ushered in a month-long celebration of LGBTQ+ pride, with Divas and Drinks at the Academy SF social club on what organizers coined as Pride Eve.

"We want people to just feel the love of this time, and you know, life is short, to enjoy the moment and to enjoy each other," organizer Jennifer Viegas of the San Francisco Bay Times told KTVU.

San Francisco sees close to a million visitors at the Pride parade alone in a typical year, according to SF Pride, with each of them injecting money into the local economy.

Cliff’s Variety store on Castro Street is stocked up on rainbow-themed merchandise, with everything from Pride flags to suspenders to mark the special occasion.

"It’s a time for celebration, authenticity," Shopper Alicia Herlehy said about Pride, "A time when we all get to celebrate who we are no holds barred."

The Castro Merchants Association is hoping for a boost in revenue.

"We really need it this year," said Terry Asten Bennett, president of Castro Merchants and co-owner of Cliff’s Variety. "April and May have been very soft for the entire city, and we need the tourists to come back."

Cliff’s Variety typically sees a 20 to 25 percent increase in revenue in June.

It’s their third-busiest month of the year, behind December and October.

At Eureka Sky cannabis dispensary, they’re offering special Pride-themed gummies. 

The owner is forecasting his June cannabis sales will jump 20 percent higher.

"A lot of tourists coming in for the last few years since the pandemic, but hopefully, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that we’re going to see the same tourists coming in this year," Desmond Morgan, owner of Eureka Sky said.

The small business averages about 150 customers a day on weekends. They are expecting to welcome about 200 a day during Pride.

At the tiny but popular Hot Cookie, the staff estimates they will pack in about 75 percent more customers for Pride.

"It’s like an insane amount," Hot Cookie employee Lana Goines said from behind the counter. "Huge influx in business, you know, of people coming from outside of the Castro."

Their ‘Harvey Milk chocolate cookie’ sold out on Friday, just a taste of what’s to come this June.

And the big event is the parade, which is coming up on June 30 at 10:30 a.m. 

Click here for a full list of SF Pride events.

SF Pride is accepting donations, but it is still free to attend the parade.

Organizers say, if everyone who goes to the parade would donate just 5 dollars, most of their costs would be covered.