San Francisco Small-Business Owners Calling for Help

The difficult business climate is not only impacting Mark E. Sackett’s long-time small business, but others in the city—and some are already gone, he said.

A for lease sign hangs in the window of a closed business in San Francisco, Calif., on April 16, 2021. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A long-time small-business owner in San Francisco is on the verge of losing his business because, he says, no bank will make him a commercial loan.

Mark E. Sackett, who owns The Box SF, a meeting and events space in a historic building in the city’s South of Market district, said a loan on his business is due in February, but dozens of lenders are turning him down.