>> ladies and gentlemen, i want to welcome you to the newest of the art materials stores. we are very, very excited to open our new facility here in san francisco. we have been here for a while, but this new facility is wonderful. it is going to bring wonderful things to the neighborhood. our president, who is the president of our retail stores, is going to make a number of comments on how we work with the community, and also our students and teachers. thank you. [applause] >> welcome. welcome, mayor newsom. welcome to another art materials grand opening. despite the economic unrest we face, we are growing, serving, and creating jobs in all the communities where we have a presence. in fact, we are one of the few family-owned businesses in the u.s. that can say that while celebrating our 100th anniversary. how do we do it? we put people and communities first. while we are one of the largest independent suppliers of art materials in the country, providing the broadest assortment and low prices, it is really our service and community involvement that sets us apart from the others. every year, our list of colleges and universities we support has grown. today, we visit over 250. whether on campus or at the events we sponsor, we see the same story unfolding. that is communities and the arts are struggling to get funding, improve, and revived. it is so important to remember, while the foundation behind art and life do not change, the supporting structure continuously evolves with time. as part of this evolution, we and others like the mayor's support the continuing of art and the revival of communities in which they exist. here in san francisco, the market street community was once a thriving, exciting center for the arts. it was a place for the people in the city to come to forget their social and political differences and just another to enjoy life. hasn't san francisco waited and debated long enough on providing this area? now, along with mayor newsom, the planning and arts commission, galleries, theaters, and artists themselves, in places like san francisco's st., we are helping paint the way to revival today. we are not waiting for the economy to turn, but helping it turned around today. we will build a better market street for tomorrow. thank you and enjoy. [applause] >> do you have to introduce me? >> i do not have to. everybody knows you. ladies and gentlemen, the mayor of san francisco. >> thank you all for being here. do not let me get in the wake of the most important sound, which is not my voice. it is the register. the retailers will appreciate what i am saying. this is once again a testament to this renewed vision, this renewed energy, this renewed effort to revitalize the central market, the fact that so many of you took time to be here. if i could turn these cameras around, we could see the folks not only in the store but throughout the district. they come down almost every time we come down to celebrate another milestone. the reason we do this is we are marking progress. the reason we are doing this is we think every opening like this is not insignificant. it is extraordinarily significant to the revitalization of the central market area. we have long believed, but could not demonstrate, because we could not show people that arts will be the economic catalyst for revitalizing the central market area. the artistic expression, the community, the artistic contributions are self evident to anyone who has lived or visited san francisco. we have not necessarily organized the arts community in the measure and fashion today. do not get me wrong. we do not do the organization. the community is organizing itself in a meaningful way. we are just providing the conditions or the conduits to establish the conditions to allow that to flourish in an organic matter. and that is why this store has moved to the heart of this district. that is a big deal. they have not only revitalized a remarkable and spacious flotation -- spacious location, exponentially bigger than i imagined, but have doubled the number of employees in this economy that are working for them. that should not be lost on anyone. what i love about the employees is they are also customers. they are artists themselves. there is tremendous diversity and expression with the staff. congratulations on all your success and the growth of this business. you get it. you do it right. you speak the language of those that are on this side of the aisle. the folks on the other side understand the unique needs of their customers. i am thankful that you recognized not just in your opening comments, but recognized throughout your stewardship of this brand, the importance of contribution and giving back, the importance of what is happening outside your doors. we also understand that you need help and support and that this is not the end. we know that from our friends at fashion cafe on sixth street. we know every business accounts. we have more work to do. something else we want to celebrate in the market today -- in market today is this thursday, tomorrow, in 24 hours, we will be launching this arts fair, this arts market that will be in the un plaza between the hours of 12 and 8:00 p.m., showcasing the individual and collective efforts of artists throughout our community and reinforcing this artist imperative. we are working with intersection of the arts and the black rock foundation, and others. they have identified 72 to 75 other arts organizations that are down here looking for space, that are encouraged about what is happening and encouraged about their prospects to put together the resources with city support, these low and no interest loans we are handing out. we will be following that with some really exciting things in september, where we will start doing some dance and some theater out on the streets and sidewalks, as i believe that is where theater should be. it is democratizing the medium. that is something else i think is going to create a lot of energy, good will, identity for the neighborhood. a lot of good things happening. some months back, people said we were just shutting down markets street. it was an anti-car program. it was not about that. it was using that in a way that could anchor these other efforts. i see randy shaw here. i am glad he is here. he has been a great partner for this city and a partner for these efforts. pulling this up into the tenderloin area, the new tenderloin museum which had its grand opening if you weeks back. i love these reporters from the new york times. they come down and say, "you are doing walking tours in the tenderloin? you are celebrating the historical contributions of the tenderloin? you are marketing this area to tourists?" we say absolutely right. eat your heart out. the history of the tenderloin is our history. it is something to be proud of. there is a lot that is right in these neighborhoods and this particular neighborhood. at the end of the day, we celebrate his work, your work, eds work -- ed's work, and all of you here. we are proud to be here today. now come back and shop and eat. [applause]