Community Thrift Store has been in San Francisco’s Mission District since 1987 and one of the great things about being in the Bay Area is how many talented and creative people come through our doors. We are lucky to count many artists among our staff, past and present. One former CTS employee, Matt Furie, is the subject of the new documentary film Feels Good Man. The award-winning film features Community Thrift Store and cameos from current and past employees.

Matt is an accomplished cartoonist who created his most well-known character when he was at Community Thrift Store. Originally part of his “Boy’s Club” series, Pepe the frog was unfathomably co-opted as a hate symbol by the alt-right. Once Matt realized what had happened to the character he created, he began a long journey to reclaim Pepe as a happy pizza-loving frog. Feels Good Man, directed by Arthur Jones, explores how Pepe became a controversial meme and how Matt handled the fallout and continues to make art. Dan Gentile of the San Francisco Gate says, “It’s a story about internet culture, but distinctly rooted in San Francisco.” The documentary was selected by many major film festivals and won an award at Sundance; find the documentary on Amazon or learn about virtual screenings at Matt’s website.