Rickshaw Stop

History

Rickshaw Stop, at 155 Fell Street between Civic Center and Hayes Valley, opened after Christopher White and Waldo Williams bought a former television soundstage in 2003 and built the club themselves. Their first event was a Halloween party that year, and the first live act, singer-songwriter Willie Wisely, played in 2004. The roughly 4,000-square-foot room, including a mezzanine, has high ceilings, red curtains, and rickshaws the owners brought in. It books indie bands on the way up and long-running dance nights, and early or breakthrough sets there have included Vampire Weekend, Grimes, Billie Eilish, and Sam Smith.