Literary program for children replaces liquor store in the heart of SF’s Tenderloin

“‘King Carl is a pufferfish, a traveling royal pufferfish, who opened a store in the Tenderloin and he sells the wares from his travels here,’ said Bita Nazarian, the Executive Director of 826 Valencia, a literary program for children that started in the Mission District and is expanding to a storefront and new tutoring center in the Tenderloin.

The fictional King Carl is never seen at the store. You’ll only see his throne in an empty fish bowl and a note telling visitors where he is traveling. His spirit, however, sparks the imagination of children who pass through the doors.

‘The idea of creating a space that inspires wonder and creativity and welcomes the imagination and sparks it, so that is really critical to what we do as an organization,’ Nazarian said.”

Read the full article from KTVU here.