Why a people focused urban business?
October 2025 • Nate Mahoney Studio[a]
I created a small business to help people thrive in the city at the intersection of local community, urban inspiration, art, and design.
DRAFT, a work in progress:
My passion to support people in the city is based on my experience when I first moved to the city. I looked for a place to call home as an adult after leaving the suburbs where I grew up. I moved to the city looking for creative inspiration and a queer friendly safe place to call home. But, it was a challenge to adapt without knowing how to find belonging and the high cost[b][c][d][e][f] of living had me operating in survival mode.
Now, the city is my home, I want to put all of my urban problem solving skills to good use, helping others[g][h][i][j] here feel welcome and able to find what they are looking for by creating goods, services, and community building. This is how I want to show up as an artist[k] in the city and how I want to interact with the world.
When I started this business, I focused on things people needed. I interviewed people and curated a welcome kit through partnerships with other small businesses. The first Welcome to San Francisco Kits were sold to brides to give to their out of town wedding guests in 2014. These kits now exist as a resource for all kinds of visitors – whether visiting or relocating, their contents offer locally made products that help welcome you to the city that has so much to offer.
I want to grow and become a sustainable business by evolving these welcome kits and to offer services that build community[l]. A future goal is to help people find affordable[m][n][o] housing in the city.
I thoroughly enjoy living in the city and want to enjoy my job. I celebrate the serendipity that occurs when people come together and I want to use humor and inject joy into my process, making it healthy, fun, and the end result both lively, human, and engaging. I want this small business to thrive, and maintain its unique voice in the fast-paced urban environment.
Welcoming essentials for urban explorers. Taking the sense of secrecy out of urban exploration while leaving all the adventure, The Urbanist aims to offer mindful, sustainable, and essential services to the community, fostering a sense of accessibility and familiarity for visitors, tourists, and relocating urban explorers.
[a]Nate Mahoney Studio, founded in 2025 by artist Nate Mahoney, is a San Francisco based interdisciplinary studio, including art and design. The studio functions as a creative workshop focusing on projects that explore the relationship between people and the city. Their work often involves research, service design, and community building that engage people in encouraging reflection and action on urban and social issues.
[b]Most of the benefits of cities have been historically geared to white straight men and I want to add something about being inclusive for those not typically included in the benefits of city living.
[c]_Marked as resolved_
[d]_Re-opened_
[e]_Marked as resolved_
[f]_Re-opened_
[g]If I were to be extremely specific, what if I found a 'niche' and dedicated myself to assisting queer people in the city?
[h]What if the focus was on helping women to feel safe and welcome in the city?
[i]_Marked as resolved_
[j]_Re-opened_
[k]How can my dual roles as an artist and a small business owner be portrayed?
[l]Exploring names for a community that convey an ideal future state for cities.
* People in the city
* There there
* Place making
* Home in the city
* Urban Living
* Downtown Focus
[m]This could be as simple as directing people to existing services or as complex as new creative approaches to the housing problem.
[n]_Marked as resolved_
[o]_Re-opened_