By Liam O'Donoghue

LOTS OF GOOD things have happened in the Outer Sunset since the summer of 2003, when the quiet, pastel beachfront neighborhood kicked Starbucks' ass.

Pat McGuire, a lifelong resident and owner of the Java Beach Café (1396 La Playa. 415-665-5282), led an effort that turned a weedy field of broken glass and dog shit into a thriving community garden. Residents have begun hosting weekly workshops to share techniques for things like composting and mycology. And local Jim Bode decided to open Judalicious Juice (3906 Judah. 415-66-JUICE), an organic juice bar, in the storefront Starbucks had intended to occupy. On the next block, another young local, Tim Felix, is preparing for the grand opening of his vegan café, Feel Real (4001 Judah. 415-SO4-REAL), this month. At the center of this renaissance is grocery store Other Avenues (3930 Judah. 415-661-7475, www.otheravenues.org), a socially conscious co-op celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Realizing the threat Starbucks posed to the neighborhood, Tess Manalo-Ventresca and the employee-owners of Other Avenues initiated a 4,000-signature-strong petition against the coffee chain and convinced the city's Planning Commission to block it. During the campaign, Manalo-Ventresca told the Bay Guardian, "Starbucks would force out independent neighborhood businesses in the area, increase traffic congestion, drag down employee salaries, and drain local profits out of the economy."

Seeing the community successfully unite to protect the sustainability and character of the local economy inspired Bode. "People care about what they put in their bodies, and they're starting to care more about what they put into their neighborhoods," he said.

This combination of dedication and community interaction has been the driving force behind the success of Other Avenues since it spawned from the radical Food Conspiracy movement of the late 1960s. Originally begun for the purpose of allowing groups of Bay Area residents to buy fresh products in bulk, the Food Conspiracy quickly grew beyond weekly, politically charged potlucks to an autonomous network of neighborhood grocery stores, including Rainbow Grocery (1745 Folsom. 415-863-0620, www.rainbowgrocery.org). While most of these stores have been killed by megachains like Safeway, Other Avenues has thrived by putting people, both its customers and its workers, above profits.

Because Other Avenues is a collective, meaning the store is owned equally by the full-time employees, its managers are motivated to educate and interact with customers to further their mission, which includes promoting sustainable development and providing the Sunset community with organic products free of excessive packaging. This has resulted in Other Avenues offering everything from San Francisco's only all-organic wine selection and GMO-free cotton socks, to volunteer opportunities in exchange for discounted food, to information about how the Organic Produce Act of 1990 weakened labeling regulations.

Every major decision, such as a recent choice to discontinue stocking Odwalla juices after the company was bought by Coca-Cola, is discussed with the customers and must be agreed on by all 15 owners. "We're a very diverse collective, so the consensus process can sometimes be cumbersome," co-owner Tina Rodia said. "But we're really conscientious of being nonhierarchical, and everybody feels more empowered because their decisions are respected."