After arts festival, San Francisco's Mid-Market businesses look for signs of a turnaround

A new $500,000 investment is betting on arts and entertainment to bring more people to the Mid-Market corridor in San Francisco and encourage them to spend money at local businesses. The corridor has struggled with vacant storefronts and a slow downtown recovery following years of disinvestment and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Market Street Arts and Theater Festival, which took place last weekend, was the initiative's first major event, bringing live music, dancing, art installations and other activity to the street. Mid-Market business owners are waiting to see if it represents a bellwether of change for the declining corridor.For Daniel Gonzalez, co-owner of De Dos Tierras on Market and Taylor streets, the early signs are encouraging. His six-week-old restaurant saw a boost during last Saturday's inaugural Market Street Arts and Theater Festival, and he's already welcoming at least one customer who returned with friends."I'm seeing the changes and it's coming back," Gonzalez said.