Was wondering if Tipsy's is still there "on a corner on Geary Street"...it looked like it was from the early 20s or earlier when I visited it back in 1989, but it was pretty seedy at that time. It had an open 2nd storey inside that was a four sided gallery for seating and looked like it was quite a place back in it's heyday (for music, stage acts?).

Anyone know of its background history or even if it is still there?

-- Bill Williams (oceans1129@yahoo.com), November 12, 2002

Answers

Tipsy's was located at the NW corner of 10th and Geary. My great uncle used to pay the rent their with his bar tab.

-- John Martini (jamartini@slip.net), November 13, 2002.

Tipsy's was at 4600 Geary as early as 1948 according to the directory.

Good Luck in your research.

-- Kurt Iversen (iversenk@aol.com), November 13, 2002.

Wish I had taken some photos of the place. Sounds like it is no more by the answers given here.

I'll have to rent a car someday soon and drive up to SF and take some pictures of other probable "endangered" relics like Tipsy's.

Thanks for the feedback folks!

-- Bill Williams (oceans1129@yahoo.com), November 13, 2002.

I have lived over 60 years in the Richmond District and know only of Tippy's Bar at 10th & Geary. In the 1950ies it was owned by Bud Linebarger and Bill O'Niel. When Geary Blvd. was widened in the 60ies, the Tippy sign extended beyond the newly narrowed sidewalk, so they simply "tipped" it up to clear the street traffic and adhere to the regulations. Located next door The Donut Bowl, Tippy's was a very popular watering hole after big Irish wakes at McAvoy & O"Hara's Funeral Home diagonally across Geary Blvd. By the time Tippy's closed in the mid 1990ies, it was a kind of seedy place. Today the space is occupied by the expanded Boudin Bakery, which occupies the entire building now.

-- John Freeman (freeman@igc.org), January 23, 2003.

Thanks for the answers. It was called Tippy's and yes it did get terribly seedy near the end. It did look like a great place at one time. Time marches on I guess.

-- bill williams (oceans1129@yahoo.com), January 23, 2003.

I used to go to Tippy's for an occasional drink back in the early 70's. I think the owner's son bartended some nights and his name was Loy. They had dice cups and played liar's poker with dollar bills alot.

-- b. braasch (yamihere@yahoo.com), July 30, 2004.