Ann Bergin fell in love with San Francisco as a visiting sixteen year old. She came to California to see her older brother, who was in the Naval Air Force, stationed in Alameda. She remembers eating a donut at Donut World at 9^th and Judah and hoped San Francisco would one day be her home.

After the visit, she returned to her hometown Steger, Illinois, a small town south of Chicago. She finished high school and junior college and completed dental hygienist certification.

In 1978, Ann moved to San Francisco and began her career as a dental hygienist. After a decade here, she married a dental student and had her daughter Erica, who is now seventeen years old.

Today, Ann is married to Alejandro and travels to his native Bolivia where she purchases alpaca shawls, sweaters, hats and leather handbags and she sells the handcrafted merchandise in her shop, La Paz Imports.

For the past three years Ann would walk from the Inner Richmond to the Inner Sunset and frequent Sunny & Co. a small store owned by David Man. He sold tea cups, jewelry greeting cards and a variety of Asian inspired bric a brac. She would occasionally buy something, but she loved the space and thought it would be perfect for her. She had a checklist- a small piece of real estate, walking distance from her home and she wanted to be in a cold part of the city.

One Saturday morning she walked thru Golden Gate Park rented a video at Le Video and wandered over to Arizmendi Bakery for coffee. The N Judah screeched to a halt, headed downtown and then she saw the small, “For Rent” sign on the Sunny & Co. window.

“Negotiations went quickly and smoothly.”

On June 1, 2008, Ann Bergin took ownership of the petite storefront and she’s now the new girl on the block selling her merchandise at La Paz Imports.

The city of La Paz was founded by Spanish settlers as Nuestra Senora de La Paz, (The City of Our Lady of Peace). The Spanish came for the Bolivian gold and took the gold mines away from the Aymara people and forced them into slavery.

There were many years that La Paz did not look like a city of peace.

Today La Paz is the administrative capital of Bolivia, and is known for its topography, unique markets and commitment to traditional culture. The Spanish Colonial architecture still stands and the Bolivians can kick at soccer.

Ann maintains relationships with the women who hand craft the hats, sweaters, and shawls for La Paz. She has visited these women who manufacture and design the goods out of their own homes.

“This store is my dream. I fell in love with the merchandise.”

At one point, Ann thought she might have to settle on selling the Bolivian Imports at flea markets and holiday fairs, but her La Paz dream came true.

I tell her that David Man’s daughter, Karena contacted me after her father closed Sunny & Co. and she thought I might like to interview Ann. I was impressed with the generosity of her spirit and that she wanted Ann’s business to flourish as her fathers had. It was time for him to retire, and time for a new business owner to begin their journey.

I believe Ann will bring a sense of a Lady of Peace and warmth to the neighborhood. Welcome.

NEXT WEEK LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO GARY, OWNER EMERALD AUTO