San Francisco Board of Supervisors Honors Potrero Terrace Market

Last month the San Francisco Board of Supervisors recognized Mary and Edmund Woo, proprietors of Potrero Terrace Market, for their community service and generational legacy.

On March 1, 1960, Jack and Fong Woo, Chinatown residents, purchased a small store at 990 Wisconsin Street. Their children—Mary, Edmund, and siblings—grew up learning the business: stocking shelves, greeting customers, and understanding the values of hard work, family, and service. Over the decades, the store stood witness to history, including the dramatic moments of the 1970s-era Patty Hearst ransom that called for feeding the poor, which unfolded just across the street. The Woo family shared a warm and lasting friendship with O.J. Simpson’s relatives.

Mary and Edmund took over the market when their parents retired. 

“…we commend Mary and Edmund Woo for their lifelong commitment to Potrero Hill, for preserving a legacy built on love, labor, and deep community ties, and for continuing to honor their parents’ vision,” said District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton. “Their store has nourished generations; not only with food, but with connection, kindness, and care. The bonds shared between this generational store are an example of how cultures can come together in community. I would argue that there is no better example of Asian and Black solidarity in a neighborhood. Even as a young child growing up in Potrero Hill, we knew that Jack and Fong loved being a part of the ‘Hill.’”

^{Image, top: Jack and Fong Woo, with family, honored in the early-1980s at the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House. Photo: Courtesy of The Woo Family}