The owner of a small San Francisco gift shop says her business is under threat after another store opened up with exactly the same name, causing confusion among her clientele.
In a frustrating ordeal, the two shops – separated by just two miles – have found themselves entangled in an identity crisis, with even Google confusing the pair but there appears to be no end in sight to this business battle.
The mix-up has left customers scratching their heads, Uber drivers having to make unexpected detours, and even delivery trucks dropping off the wrong stock at the wrong location.
On one side is post.script., a vibrant, whimsical gift shop in the Fillmore District. Founded by Chandler Tang in 2019, the store is a haven of colorful glassware, quirky candles, greeting cards, and home goods.
On the other side, there’s Postscript, a chic café and market in Jackson Square that serves up coffee, artisanal eats, but unfortunately for Tang, also sells some eerily similar home goods, books, and candles.
Customers appear to be also getting confused. Last weekend, Becca Kanik and her friends were all set for a shopping spree at post.script. but ended up at Postscript instead, thanks to a small but crucial GPS error.
The moment they stepped inside the sleek, minimalist café instead of the colorful, gift-filled wonderland they were expecting, they knew something was off.
Post.Scrip. a vibrant, whimsical gift shop in the Fillmore District was founded by Chandler Tang, pictured, in 2019
The store opened five years ago and has become known for its colorful collection of gifts
But now a new coffee shop has opened just two miles away with the exact same name
‘I ordered a lavender latte instead of buying a scented candle, so I guess the trip wasn’t a total loss,’ Kanik joked to The San Francisco Standard.
But for Tang, the mix-up and dozens of others like it, is no laughing matter.
‘Our image and reputation is out of our hands because of the similar names,’ Tang said. ‘We feel like we’re being erased.’
Since Postscript opened in 2023, Tang’s shop has been bombarded with mistaken tags on Instagram with everything from visitors raving about a matcha latte to customers praising a ‘delicious’ smoothie that she definitely doesn’t sell.
But then came the real kicker: when she visited the other Postscript, she found that in addition to their trendy café fare, they were also selling goods that she claim infringe on her own shop’s trademarks – candles, greeting cards, books, and home décor.
Tang has since hired a lawyer and sent multiple cease-and-desist letters, but nothing has changed.
Now, she’s taking it to the court of public opinion with a petition demanding that Postscript either change its name or stop selling products she holds trademarks for.
Over at Postscript, co-owner Gina Peterson argues Tang is no innocent victim in the retail tug-of-war.
Tang claims the new store infringes on her own shop’s trademarks because they also sell candles, greeting cards, books, and home décor
Postscript opened in 2023 but it is Tang’s shop that has been bombarded with mistaken tags on Instagram with everything from someone raving about a matcha latte to customers praising a ‘delicious’ smoothie that she doesn’t actually sell
Postscript’s owners, Gina and Stuart Peterson, are not struggling entrepreneurs but connected to Artis Ventures, a major venture capital firm
Her café holds its own trademark on food items, which also includes chocolate.
Post.script also sells seasonal chocolates and toffee.
‘We’re hesitant to take action,’ Peterson said in an email to The Standard, ‘because we want to support small businesses whenever possible.’
But Tang believes that it is not just about confusion over the store’s names but about power.
Postscript’s owners, Gina and Stuart Peterson, are not struggling entrepreneurs but connected to Artis Ventures, a major venture capital firm.
They bought the Jackson Square building for a $15 million and recently upgraded their New York digs from a condo to a $27.5 million townhouse.
Meanwhile, Tang claimed her bootstrapped business is fighting just to keep their online presence from being swallowed up by a bigger, shinier version of itself.
‘We’ve received numerous phone orders and messages about smoothies, complaints about coffee, and even a milk delivery,’ Tang explained to DailyMail.com. ‘I had to explain to the delivery guy that I definitely don’t need a giant crate of oat milk.
‘I grew up in San Francisco and come from a family of small business owners. People have called me to ask if our yogurt is ‘gluten-free’ and if we will deliver salads.
‘We asked the other business to publish a phone number because we were getting all the calls. They didn’t even have a phone number listed online. We still get the calls though,’ Tang explained.
‘We just want our name back. Simple as that. The cafe lists ‘community’, ‘transparency’, and ‘nothing to hide’ in their mission statement. I don’t see those values reflected here.
‘We sell cards and notebooks – so we landed on the name ‘postscript.’ I’m curious how the coffee shop chose the name,’ Tang said.
Post.Script. is a haven of colorful glassware, quirky candles, greeting cards, and home goods
The Postscript cafe and food market in San Francisco’s Jackson Square area
The owners of the coffee shop, Postscript, are not struggling entrepreneurs but connected to Artis Ventures, a major venture capital firm
The confusion also exists online with Google only adding to the chaos.
Tang says her shop’s search rankings have taken a nosedive since Postscript opened, with AI-powered search results now mashing the two businesses together.
One query showed Postscript’s café hours next to her shop’s address.
The shop recently posted on Instagram: ‘We need your help! Customers are confusing locations, we’re losing sales, and to make it worse, they’re selling products we trademarked. We’ve tried to resolve this quietly, but they refuse to stop.
‘It’s about protecting small, independent businesses from being overshadowed by well-funded businesses,’ her campaign states.
DailyMail.com has approached the owners of both establishments for further comment.
