by William Buckley
One of the best stores in Hayes Valley for socially and environmentally conscientious gifts and books is the Green Arcade, located at the corner of Market and Gough Streets. Patrick Marks opened The Green Arcade in October 2008 after having worked for twenty years for Cody’s Bookstore, a literary institution in Berkeley. Having coordinated Cody’s satellite shop for the Green Festival in San Francisco, Patrick envisioned a store that focused on his own sensibilities: the growing urgency to issues of the environment, sustainability, art, political awareness, and activism. As a result, he developed the concept for The Green Arcade.
In two years, The Green Arcade has become a real asset to the community. The store’s Gough and Market Street location informs its programming: to including important topics such as the built environment, urban farming, food issues, green schoolyards and public art. The store promotes local authors, artists, and craftsmen, including several who live in Hayes Valley.
Patrick’s husband, artist Gent Sturgeon, created the store’s iconic sprouting Pinocchio logo as well as contributed the artwork to the Fillmore map of local author Rebecca Solnit’s Infinite City, a San Francisco Atlas, a collaboration between artists, cartographers, and writers. This and a wide variety of other books are among the autographed copies available at The Green Arcade. Also available are art works, crafts made from recycled materials, cards, and children’s books at a wide variety of price points. Stop by The Green Arcade to see more of what they offer and check out the continuing schedule of events including speakers, readings, and signings, at the website: www. thegreenarcade.com