RIP- THRIFT TOWN IN SAN FRANCISCO/ WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SUSAN JANE?

A scene from Marc Huestis' WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SUSAN JANE shot at Thrift Town in 1980 - "Thrift Town No. 3 was a Mission District destination for 45 years for thrifters, bargain shoppers, books scouts, drag queens and LGBTQ folks on the hunt for vintage looks and inventive Halloween costumes. The store closed it doors for the last time on the afternoon of Wednesday, March 29, 2017. Siblings Wendy Norquist and Jeff Norquist, the children of the founder of the chain of stores, were on hand for the event. Jeff Norquist made the announcement via the store loudspeakers at 4:15 p.m., asking customers to bring their purchases to the checkout as soon as possible. Moments later, the second floor went dark, and not long after, Wendy Norquist posted the store-closed sign on the front doors. Although Thrift Town was not an LGBTQ business per se, it was queer friendly from day one. Generations of queerfolk had patronized the store on the lookout for drag outfits, funky fashions and oddball collectibles. The store even appears in a memorable scene in queer filmmaker Marc Huestis 's 1982 cult comedy " "Whatever Happened to Susan Jane." Queer customers were always visible but not in the majority at the store. They shopped alongside immigrant families, hipster vinyl record buffs and neighborhood residents of many kinds. Largely absent, however, were the highly paid tech bros who have flooded into the Mission in recent years. Tech is not a culture friendly to old stuff, cheap stuff and stuff you can't order via an app. One of the administrators of Preserving LGBT Historic Sites in California , Gerard Koskovich , happened to be at Thrift Town when the closing announcement was made: Jeff Norquist noted that selling used items for $3 had become more and more difficult in the Mission in the past three or four years and that the family had determined it simply wasn't possible to keep the store in business. Gerard spoke with Wendy Norquist, who told him that the three remaining Thrift Town stores elsewhere in the Bay Area will stay open. And she gave Gerard a bright red flyer with the following words written in white; "I Left My Heart at Thrift Town San Francisco." - Gerard Koskovich Historian