Make Room for Dot-Coms

Forget about live-work lofts. The newest fight for San Francisco's soul is over multimedia office space.

Comments (0) By Matt Smith Wednesday, Feb 16 2000

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Later, Cherney died, and his wife took over. She ran Riviera a few years, then sold it to someone else in the beauty business, who ran it for a while, then closed it five years ago. An Indian gift shop occupied the space for a short time.

Recently, the restaurant next door, Les Joulins, also across the street from Sue Hestor's law office, expanded into the old Riviera space.

Paul Trapani

Chris Anderson

Developer Brian Bock inside the former George W. Caswell Coffee & Tea Co., once slated for live-work conversion, which will now become home to Critical Path Inc.

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"We had a lot of tourists come over here at night. After their meals, they like to look at some jazz," says owner Osman Uner. "I said, 'I should start that myself.' We've been very happy."

Having swallowed the space once occupied by the working-class beauty supply store, Les Joulins now includes a bar, a dinner restaurant, and a cafe. House specialties include bouillabaisse and cassoulet maison, Hestor's favorite.

"I come for lunch all the time," Hestor says. "Isn't it nice?"