Wicked Grounds is more than just a coffee shop – it’s a destination, it’s a sanctuary, it’s a place to meet people, a place to be surrounded by people of like mind and ambition, it is a staggeringly important venue for dozens of clubs, munches, workshops, and it is an icon all on its own. It is also the only safe space that a lot of people have.
And it is closing down.
This is potentially a staggering loss for our community. There is yet some small glimmer of hope that we can save it, and you can help too if you would like. The patreon page for Wicked Grounds can be found here. I’ve contributed and pledged and wish I could do more.
I cannot stress how important this place is to our community. It is the hub around which all of the other kink activities in San Francisco take place. It is the kink equivalent of Polaris.
Oftentimes when I’m giving directions to people for various kink related place with references from Wicked Grounds as the starting point. Need to get to Mr. S? Go out from Wicked Grounds, turn left, and walk two blocks up 8th street. Need to get to BaGG? Go out from Wicked Grounds, turn left, turn left at the corner, and it’s three storefronts down.
It is much, much more than just a coffee shop that sells some kink-themed things. It is home to a lot of people in my social circle, and the circles that overlap with my own.
I urge you – if you have the means and the inclination – go to the Patreon page and do what you can. If you are in the SF Bay Area, go to Wicked Grounds today – it may be the last day that they are open. If you can’t go and support their business today, go to the party that they will be hosting at the Citadel this Saturday. I understand that they may not have goods to sell that day, and there may actually be little you can do to help with the actual problems of keeping the business viable, but you can still offer moral support.
I am going to try my best to be there – childcare concerns would be the only thing to keep me away. I sincerely hope that this is not the last Wicked Grounds party, and that the coffee shop can stay in business for years and years to come – providing the solace and community that it does.
I’m a patron now, and I intend to make it a more frequent place that I hang out as well, assuming that the option remains open to me. I’d love to see you there sometime.
– Rant