FoundSF

At the peak of the Beat craze Henry Lenoir, proprietor of Vesuvio’s and other North Beach drinking establishments placed a sign up in the window of his bar that said: “Don’t envy beatniks ... Be one!” For the benefit of the tourists and the wanna-bes, Lenoir sold a Beatnik Kit that included black-rimmed eyeglasses, a beret, a pair of sandals, a turtle-neck sweater (black), and a slip-on beard. .

photo by Chris Carlsson

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