Longtime retailer warns San Francisco is unlivable, may move iconic Gump's store: 'It's really tragic'
Fox News
Gump's owner John Chachas shares how San Francisco has become "incompatible" with successful businesses and how that may lead his business to relocate on "The Story with Martha MacCallum."
JOHN CHACHAS: It's a sad state of affairs. I spoke to a customer today who's come to us for 50 consecutive Christmases and who won't come back because the city is in a difficult and awfully dirty condition. Our business is a business that people love and people want to come in to San Francisco, want to come visit a store, but if you can't get around and when you're trying to walk the streets you step over needles and human waste and often bodies on the streets, it makes it an unworkable business environment. And I got to the point where I felt like for the benefit of the employees of our company who have worked tirelessly to make us a success, I needed to speak out and say empty offices on the one hand, and that element on the other makes for an unworkable business center. I think it can be fixed. I hope it can be fixed. I do. I do have ideas of how to fix it, but unless politicians change their point of view about this, it's a very, very tough thing.
MARTHA MACCALLUM: [San Francisco Mayor] London Breed, do they want to lose Gump's? You've reached out to London Breed, I'm sure you've reached out to Governor Newsom, this is all they sent us from London Breed's office, Mayor Breed regularly meets with businesses, residents, stakeholders to discuss their concerns around public safety..., and it goes on.