Kate hatched the idea for Dog Eared in 1992 at a tea party at the beloved Radio Valencia (R.I.P.). The store's original location was on Valencia Street between 23rd and 24th Streets in the space that the Scarlet Sage now occupies - Kate picked it because a large red heart had been painted on the window for years. In 1986, Dog Eared moved to the larger, sunnier space it currently calls home (formerly a furniture shop called Hocus Pocus).

Reflective of the Mission district itself, Dog Eared is the largest and most eclectic of the three stores — you'll find anarchist magazines next to Vanity Fair, Nina Simone cds next to Joy Division and Michelle Tea poetry next to Chaucer.