By Thomas K. Pendergast

As if a suspected arsonist torching the Great Wall Hardware store on Taraval Street were not bad enough, within a week, burglars ransacked the business three times, making it that much harder for the owner Albert Chow to recover. 

The San Francisco Police Department confirmed that their Arson Task Force is now investigating the fire set in the early morning hours of Sunday, Aug. 25. Due to the fact that it is an open investigation, they are not releasing any further details at this time. 

“It’s arson. I have a video,” Chow said. “The guy walked up. He looked pretty intent. He had the tools in his hands ready to do something. So, it wasn’t random. He walked directly to the store. 

“I got a good face shot. (He appeared to be) an older man, in his 50s, maybe even early 60s. He was not a young guy.”

Chow said he does not recognize the man but could see that he carried what appeared to be some kind of torching device and other tools.

San Francisco Fire Department spokesperson Capt. Justin Schorr said it is too early in the investigation to officially call it arson. 

“Whether or not it’s determined to be set intentionally will be based on the findings and the evidence,” Schorr said. “We encourage anyone who believes they have evidence to contact law enforcement or the fire department, to make sure that evidence is considered in the investigation.

“These investigations can take weeks, even months because it needs to be done thoroughly and accurately. We need to make sure that we get it right.”

Chow’s 81-year-old mother lived in one of the apartments above the store and was taken to a hospital emergency room for smoke inhalation treatment. 

Chow said she is OK now, although they kept her overnight for observation because her blood pressure was very high. 

There were also two tenants living in an upstairs apartment in the building. 

“It damn near killed my mom. They almost killed my tenants,” Chow said. “That’s the surely despicable part. 

“This guy can clearly see that there’s a unit above or two units above.”

Chow said he received no threats before his store was burned, so he has no clear idea what the motivation might be. 

Great Wall Hardware was established on Taraval between 28th and 29th avenues in 1983.

Chow has become a fairly high-profile figure in the Sunset District. As president of the People of Parkside/Sunset (POPS) (a merchants and residents’ association), he is frequently involved in community issues and occasionally comments on them, and the organization often takes positions on a variety of local political controversies. 

Chow’s latest is his public stance against Proposition K, the ballot measure coming this fall that, if passed, would ban private motor vehicle traffic permanently from the Upper Great Highway between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard. 

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that, on the day before the fire, Chow spoke to about 35 people at a rally on Market Street opposing Prop. K, saying the idea was not feasible, not a good idea and was not brought as a community compromise. 

Although he finds the timing suspicious, he’s not quite ready to connect the fire with this issue. 

“I can’t say,” Chow said. “The guy didn’t wear a shirt saying Keep the Great Highway closed.”

At the time, he roughly estimated his loss from the fire at about $250,000, although he expected that his insurance would take care of the bulk of the repairs. He also expected it might take a couple of years to open up again. 

But then things got even worse. 

According to the Chronicle, on the following Friday at about 3 a.m. his store was burglarized resulting in a significant loss of inventory. When he returned to the shop on Saturday, he realized that his store was broken into yet again. 

Chow told the Chronicle the burglars pried the plywood off his front door to break in on Friday. He believes they are experienced burglars and were in there for quite a while, tearing the place apart while stealing his computer, expensive inventory like power tools, a hatchet and a sledgehammer.

On Saturday he discovered that the upstairs residences had also been broken into, with his mother’s passport and old credit cards missing. 

The other tenants were not there because after the fire they went to stay with friends. 

A GoFundMe page started for the Chow family after the fire had raised more than $46,000 in donations from more than 330 people as of Aug. 30, according to the Chronicle. The fundraiser asks for contributions to replace lost inventory, repair damage and help employees get back on their feet. The fundraising page’s URL is gofundme.com/f/help-albert-chow-rebuild-legacy-family-business.