South First Street was a busy shopping street in the late 1800s but had declined into a red-light district by the late 1970s. Adult businesses were zoned out in the late 1980s, and in the early 1990s independent businesses adopted the SoFA name.
SoFA is home to the California Theatre, the San José Museum of Quilts & Textiles, galleries such as Anno Domini, and events including South First Fridays and the SubZERO Festival.