Pirates in the Mission
The Mission District is host to an array of taquerias, trendy restaurants, hipster dive bars, and random specialty boutique and stores. When I walk by some of these, I often wonder if anyone shops there and how they manage to stay afloat. There is one particular store that has always intrigued me and the other day I finally walked in to the Pirate Store on 826 Valencia. This pirate store is San Francisco’s only independent pirate supply store, where you can purchase flags, eye patches, glass eyes and all sorts of pirate goodies. As you wonder through this pirate ship decorated store, you head to the back and find a hidden treasure. 826 is actually the home of a creative writing program for ages 6 to 18 and all proceeds from the pirate store go toward the writing center. This hidden yet groundbreaking program was started by Dave Eggers, a San Francisco star writer and best-selling author of “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” and “What Is the What.” Dave and the 826 staff volunteer their time to sell pirate things and teach creative writing to young San Franciscans. The program offers a variety of free services throughout the school year and summer months including drop-in tutoring, field trips, specialized workshops, in-school assistance, and extensive student publishing.
826 has expanded to New York,L.A., Seattle,Chicago, Michigan, and Boston.
