Wicked Grounds
Adult entertainment store · South of Market ·
Fetish-themed coffeehouse, gallery, boutique, and community hub
Fetish-themed coffeehouse, gallery, boutique, and community hub
"The kink-friendly cafe, art gallery, and boutique that served coffee, soups, and sandwiches and provided space for kink, queer, and sex-positive communities closed its physical SoMa space after 14 years due to declining revenue and decreased downtown foot traffic, though it will continue virtual events and classes." - Paolo Bicchieri
"I learned that Wicked Grounds, the city's only kink-positive education space and cafe, closed in late June because owner Mir Bilodeau found more demand for events and BDSM education than for coffee, and the cafe will transition into an online, Patreon-supported education company." - Paolo Bicchieri
"A one-of-a-kind kink cafe and community hub, Wicked Grounds appears to have weathered the recent financial crisis with help from community donations: over 900 customers pledged monthly on Patreon, raising more than $15,000, which owner Rebeccalyn “Mir” Bilodeau says is enough to reopen with usual hours next Tuesday. I learned that the shop—part coffee shop, part fetish boutique that stocks an arsenal of bondage gear, and a kink education and community hub—has been operating at 289 8th Street at Folsom, an area known for its leather history and the Folsom Street Fair; Mir took over from the founders in 2014, expanded the retail boutique, and increased the number of community education events. The cafe is currently open with a skeleton crew and limited hours and food options, and Bilodeau describes the staff as “kink concierges,” guiding newbies and veterans with kink education, community building, and book recommendations while paying for that service with coffee. After experiencing their single biggest day in revenue history when the closure was announced, she plans to continue emphasizing the boutique and expand Wicked Grounds’s presence at events and regional conferences, and she publicly thanked subscribers for their support, saying “we feel your love.”" - Caleb Pershan
"At 289 8th Street in SoMa, I saw that Wicked Grounds, a combination café, fetish boutique, and kink community hub, has closed. The cozy space was known for good coffee and quirky touches like food optionally served in a dog bowl for you or your sub, and it served as a welcoming daytime hangout that hosted pre-play munches, teaching events, and Q&A sessions where new initiates could ask about everything from knots to clamps; non-kinky customers could enjoy a vanilla latte and a voyeuristic thrill. Their website announced the last full café day was January 6, with scheduled events continuing and a going-out-of-business sale (with “bargain dungeon” prices on merchandise and toys) running through the following Tuesday evening, January 9, with very limited food and drink. The team thanked Patreon subscribers, VIPs, street teams, and munch leaders for helping make a soft landing, said they would hold a play party at SF Citadel and a celebration event on January 13, and indicated the group formerly known as Wicked Grounds will continue offering KINK 101 classes, events and podcasts via the Kinky Queer Revolution Facebook page. Wicked Grounds first opened in 2009, briefly shuttered in 2011 despite a $50,000 fundraising effort, and came back in 2012; some patrons have already expressed interest in attempting to resurrect it." - Caleb Pershan
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