The Tropics in the Tendernob
Hannah Stouffer, Illustration & Erotic Art Editor at Juxtapoz and former SF Station featured artist, is a talented illustrator whose client list and collaborators include Blood Is The New Black, The North Face, Levi’s, Vans, Sony and Nike. Her newest venture is her illustration-focused boutique The Tropics, which opened mid-July.
The Tropics sits on a residential block of Leavenworth around the corner from Café Royale and Kayo Books. With a beautiful storefront bereft of signage, you might just miss it. Stouffer was using the space as a combined illustration and design studio since she relocated from LA a few months ago. She recently decided to convert the front half of the space into a shop.
“I’m working out of the space daily, and it was a great opportunity to turn an incredible little storefront studio
Hannah Stouffer
into an illustration boutique as well,” Stouffer says.
Almost everything Stouffer chooses to offer revolves around line illustration. The current selection features Blood is the New Black, SPRFKR, Beautiful Decay, Living Proof and Juxtapoz to name a few.
“I try to focus on the works of various illustrators from different regions, other than just SF,” Stouffer says. “The common thread between the products is the illustrated line, and mostly the works of individuals and lines that I’ve worked with directly or have a close connection to.”
Due to her affiliation with Juxtapoz, The Tropics is a good place to go if you’re looking for archived and sold-out back-issues. Stouffer stocks a fun selection of cheeky zines, like Hamburger Eyes and The Wormholes’ Lindzine for Lindsay Lohan fanatics.
All tees are $28 and are currently primarily from Blood Is The New Black, a line comprised of works from emerging artists, designers and photographers. There’s also a sale rack of $15 men’s and women’s tees.
Some of Stouffer’s own works for sale include a series of laminate wallets she partnered with Poketo on ($12), greeting cards featuring her illustrations ($3), iPhone cases ($30) and of course ink, silkscreen and giclee prints and originals.
When asked what she’s most excited about in The Tropics now, Stouffer named works by illustrators “Matt Furie, Aiyana Udesen, amazing silkscreened prints and apparel by Portland-based artist David V D’Andrea and some amazing glow in the dark eyeball totes and epic little metal triology zine I wrote and illustrated.”
And why, you may wonder, is it named “The Tropics”? Says, Stouffer: “The Tropics in the Tenderloin? A permanent vacation? I kind of can’t picture anything better.”
The Tropics
727 Leavenworth Street
Cross: Polk Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
Wednesday – Saturday, 11am – 6pm
