Small Business Stroll
San Francisco Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
The San Francisco Public Library’s (SFPL) Small Business Stroll (Stroll) bridges the gap between local entrepreneurs and their communities through guided neighborhood walks led by the Main Library’s Small Business Center (SBC) in partnership with nearby branches. Each Stroll highlights five small businesses within a single corridor, often in overlooked commercial areas, where neighbors walk together, shop local, and connect as business owners share their journeys and contributions to the local economy through short, conversational interviews. By activating commercial corridors and connecting entrepreneurs with merchant associations, city partners, and library resources, the Stroll transforms a simple walk into a meaningful, human-centered experience that strengthens collaboration between the Main Library and branch communities and supports SFPL’s mission to connect communities to learning, opportunity, and one another.
Challenge/Opportunity
Post-pandemic, San Francisco’s small businesses have faced an uneven recovery as long-standing pressures like e-commerce are compounded by newer challenges: declining foot traffic, rising costs, and empty storefronts. Vital city resources—like the Library’s SBC, a hub for free market research, mentoring, and education—don’t always reach the entrepreneurs who need them most.
In neighborhoods such as the Tenderloin, where the Main Library is located, negative media narratives discourage shopping and investment. In 2024, the SBC identified the Tenderloin as a corridor for positive activation and piloted a Stroll during I Love Tenderloin Week, drawing visitors from across the City to discover small businesses.
In 2025, we expanded the Stroll into a quarterly series responding to neighborhood needs and opportunities: Glen Park, a corridor with low visibility; Valencia Street, a long-standing district mobilizing against formula retail; and Clement Street, a vibrant multicultural corridor.
Key Elements of Innovation
The Strolls involve 3 months of planning and relationship-building. The SBC meets with business owners and merchant associations to share free mentoring, workshops, databases, and resources. With community feedback, the SBC co-creates each Stroll with merchant associations, businesses, and branch librarian.
The SBC leads a 2.5-hour guided tour spotlighting 5 small businesses through short interviews, shopping, and socializing. A community gathering at a local bar and raffle conclude the event.
Unlike a typical business walk, the Stroll repositions the public library as a mobile economic incubator. It leverages the Library’s role as a natural storyteller and trusted community convener to allow storeowners to share their histories and professional narratives with a new audience. The program deepens neighborhood pride and resilience, while connecting entrepreneurs to lasting SBC support and catalyzing economic vitality beyond library walls.
Achieved Outcomes
So far, three Strolls have attracted 288 participants and reached 1.26M people through Library and partner promotion. Merchants report new customers and increased visibility.
• “Businesses saw a direct boost in sales and increased activity tied to the event.” — President, Glen Park Merchants Association
• “The Stroll offered a meaningful pause to connect with our community in a deeper way” and is “exactly the kind of civic partnership that keeps our city vibrant.” — Store owner
Meanwhile, participants called the Strolls “a great way for the Library to be out supporting the neighborhood,” and thanked staff “for all [they] do to make this a thriving city.” Participants said they would return to these businesses again. Post-Stroll, 80% of featured businesses have engaged with SBC resources. Branch staff report greater SBC awareness and confidence supporting entrepreneurs.
Because of the repeated successes of the Strolls, the SBC is hosting quarterly events in 2025–26.
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