San Francisco's Retail Scene

[viewguysf]

Originally Posted by BTinSF

There are losses of marginal stores all over the country (including the toniest part of Madison Ave. as I mentioned once before), many of them high end. I don't think one lease signed in Union Square tells us that area is doing better. It just tells us we are getting Faconnable and that filling vacant storefronts is not completely hopeless.

True, but Union Square gets much more tourist traffic of all types than does Union Street, in part because of the hotels.

[hi123]

Well I am very happy about Façonnable as it's opening will fill both the post street front and the maiden lane front. It will make maiden lane even more pleasant. Also, Ilori, (some expensive sunglass store) opened their doors in the previously empty space on the ground floor of the same building as Façonnable. In addition, Chanel is currently renovating the geary/maiden lane store and the renovated MaxMara has opened on post street.

[BTinSF]

I just love the delicious irony (and, as a Lowe's stockholder, the opportunity to make some money):

Lowe's plans to come to Bayshore Boulevard
James Temple, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, April 3, 2009

(04-02) 16:13 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Home improvement chain Lowe's is in advanced negotiations to open a large store on San Francisco's Bayshore Boulevard, at the same controversial spot Home Depot battled for nearly a decade to land, only to walk away after securing approvals.

"They feel that, even though the market and times are difficult, San Francisco is worth going forward with," said San Francisco Supervisor Sophie Maxwell, who represents the southeastern neighborhoods that surround the project.

She and other proponents of the store highlighted the jobs it would bring to an economically impoverished area, the additional sales taxes it could provide for the city and the shopping convenience it would allow residents who now venture outside the city for home improvement products.

Lowe's didn't respond to an inquiry from The Chronicle before press time.

The Mooresville, N.C., retailer has signed a lease that is subject to a nearly six-month due diligence period, during which it retains the right to back out, Maxwell said. To ease the transaction, the company has provisionally agreed to abide by Home Depot's existing entitlements, building within the specifications of the plans and making good on the same community promises.

Training, labor program

Those include a 107,000-square-foot store, a $750,000 contribution to workforce training for neighborhood residents and a $100,000 contribution to the San Francisco's day labor program, said Michael Cohen, director of the mayor's office of economic development.

Following Home Depot's lead, Lowe's also committed to hire half of the retail employees and a quarter of construction positions from the neighborhood, and an additional quarter of retail workers and the same proportion of construction jobs from within the city, he said. The store is expected to create between 150 and 200 permanent retail positions and contribute $900,000 in annual sales and property taxes.

"In an economic climate like we're in, this could not come at a better time," said Mayor Gavin Newsom, adding his economic team marketed the site and worked closely with Lowe's after the Home Depot deal sank.

Opponents of that earlier plan had asserted it would undermine existing retailers and clog the area with traffic. Outspoken critic Rick Karp, president of Cole Hardware, which operates four potentially competing San Francisco stores, said on Thursday he has the same concerns about Lowe's.

Category killer

"Lowe's is a category-killer business like Home Depot," Karp said. "Their intention would be to focus on all facets of the home improvement industry in San Francisco and drive (neighborhood stores) out of business."

The 491 Bayshore Blvd. location previously was occupied by Goodman Lumber, a 51-year-old San Francisco institution that shut down in 2000 after a long-standing family dispute. Depending on the results of the due diligence, Lowe's could begin construction as early as October and open in August 2010.

Maxwell said the store also could invigorate the nascent home improvement district in the neighborhood, which the planning department and other city agencies are working to formalize and promote. There is already a cluster of tile, carpet, cabinet and glass shops in the area.

Key element

Karp, however, noted that a key element of the home improvement district plan is ensuring the businesses are environmentally responsible, a goal he argues would be undermined by a big-box store dependent on a steady flow of automobiles.

Newsom said the store would fit within that model because the structure would be constructed according to the city's green building standards, which are among the highest in the nation. He acknowledged he wasn't generally a big box retail fan, but said this was an appropriate location for such a store and that residents and neighborhood leaders had voiced their support.

Home Depot secured the right to move forward with its earlier plans only after committing to various community programs, such as the job training. By the time the company had all the necessary approvals, however, the housing market that propels its business was in a deep freeze.

In May, the Atlanta chain announced it would no longer pursue 50 U.S. stores in its pipeline, including the San Francisco location, and would close 15 underperforming stores.

E-mail James Temple at jtemple@sfchronicle.com.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...BUU716RMVF.DTL

I don't mind the carping from Mr. Karp either. He needs some competition and it will encourage him to compete based on service to his customers as well as keeping his prices reasonable if not as low as Lowe's. In Tucson, I have access to both Lowe's and Home Depot but I still go to the closer, more convenient Ace Hardware for most things because they are truly "the friendly hardware" people. I'll keep going to Brownie's on Polk too if they are as friendly.

[peanut gallery]

RN74, Michael Mina's new restaurant in the Millennium Tower, is set to open next week. I've been watching the installation of some of the details mentioned here like the train boards, the lighting and the seats. This also answers the question of where the name is derived. I had been wondering about that.

From the Chronicle:

Mina's latest, RN74, a wine bar with fine food
Jon Bonné, Chronicle Wine Editor
Thursday, April 16, 2009

Raj Parr had wanted to open a wine bar since his days as a novice sommelier at Rubicon. In 1997, at the height of dot-com glories, he marveled as savvy barely 21s in T-shirts ordered bottles of Chateau Latour. "There was no pretense about it," Parr recalls.

But when you're the wine director for four-star chef Michael Mina, the wine bar concept might get some extra polish. Which helps explain why Mina and Parr's new project, RN74, is set to premiere next week as San Francisco's most high-profile restaurant in months, an ambitious launch into an ebbing economy. Named for the highway that runs up the spine of Burgundy's Cote d'Or, it reflects Parr's intent to evoke a Burgundian mix of high-end gastronomy and farmhouse humility.

"I think that fine wine and fine food is typically connected to formality," Parr says. "That is a habit we want to break."

A laid-back approach and more affordable prices than some might expect from a Mina project are the draws. But wine will be the focus at RN74 in a way that few Bay Area restaurants have ever attempted. The expansive wine list - 81 pages as of this week - is unmatched in the city; Bacar, Spruce and the now-closed Rubicon might have come closest.

Burgundies, which dominate the selections, include numerous vintages of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti and Henri Jayer's unattainable Cros Parantoux. From Bordeaux come verticals of Chateaux Latour and Lafite-Rothschild; the Lafite goes back to 1870. There's German Riesling, Chateauneuf du Pape, rare old bottles from Napa (1958 Inglenook, anyone?). RN74 has a wine benefactor in Wilf Jaeger, one of California's top wine collectors, who invested in the project and made the 30,000 bottles in his cellars available.

With a $4.5 million budget, RN74 (301 Mission St., in the Millennium Tower) marks several milestones for Mina. Though he operates restaurants throughout the world, this is his first San Francisco project beyond his namesake in the Westin St. Francis. And Mina himself will remain in the background. Though he typically creates menus for each new restaurant, this time he let executive chef Jason Berthold take charge after he evaluated Berthold's cooking at several of his other properties.

"He was the missing piece for Raj and me," Mina says. "We wanted somebody who was really wine savvy but had amazing cooking skills."

Berthold was a sous chef at the French Laundry and helped open Per Se in New York, where he worked with Chris L'Hommedieu, who would become one of Mina's top lieutenants. He and Parr are both clear that wine will be the primary focus. Indeed, both men make wines under the Courier and Parr Selections labels, respectively, that will be served at RN74.

Food comes in smaller portions that top out at $17 with flavors tweaked to showcase the wine (mushrooms are a frequent element).

The menu includes such items as Beau Soleil oysters with a potato puree and smoked paprika ($17) and veal sweetbreads with rhubarb and sylvetta arugula ($17). An additional bar menu includes items like maitake mushroom tempura ($10) and sea urchin carbonara ($14), plus homages to bar food like crispy duck wings with Espelette pepper ($11).

So, really, it won't be like any wine bar you've ever seen. For one, much of the space is occupied by a 75-seat restaurant complete with vaulted overhead wood arches, dominated by two large train boards: one will feature about 75 wines on a standard "market" list; a second looming over the far end of the room - quite literally an electronic train board from Italy - will flash last-bottle deals. Gimmicky, perhaps, but a handy bit of chaos to interject into a wine lover's evening.

A steel-shelved cellar holds 7,000 bottles (more are stored off-site) and a $40,000 Enomatic machine keeps 32 wines fresh using inert argon gas; RN74 will serve 50 by the glass or 2.5-ounce taste.

Parr and Jaeger agreed their goal was to celebrate wine in a setting that wasn't stuffy - one that would accommodate drinkers with all sizes of wallets. So no tablecloths. Staff will wear jeans. Diners receive the same Riedel glasses and decanters whether they've ordered a $60 bottle of 2006 Regis Bouvier Marsannay or a $8,000 1959 Musigny from Georges Roumier. Parr is planning late-night tastings near the 40-seat bar area.

"In some ways the message that we are sending is that even great wines need not be intimidating," Jaeger wrote in an e-mail. "They are intended to be enjoyed, not revered."

Two weeks before opening, the ground-floor space is a blur of activity. Contractors install elongated orange light fixtures, an AvroKo trademark. Servers gather around Patric Yumul, Mina's vice president of operations, who gives a PowerPoint presentation on the finer points of service.

Parr offers the staff daily wine lectures, complete with quizzes that would put many a sommelier to shame: Name three great producers in Meursault. What's the grape in Moulin a Vent?

With a kitchen that includes more than 24 cooks and about 30 staff members on the restaurant floor, RN74 might seem ambitious at a time when modesty is the order of the day, but Parr says the only significant tweak was not to serve some expensive wines by the glass. Otherwise, his wine haven is chugging forward toward its debut.

"Usually wine bars have been an afterthought," Parr says. "I've been thinking of this for 8, 9 years. So it's definitely not an afterthought."

[BTinSF]

Tonga Room's Still Open, Why Don't We Landmark It!



How we hate to miss a juicy rumor, even a false one: the Tonga Room was going to close today! At the Planning Commission hearing yesterday: "There was a rumor that was going around this week that the Tonga Room was shutting down this Friday, but it actually isn't shutting down." The commissioner goes on to say that "the scare, which was false," got her wondering what the hell's going on anyway with the Fairmont condos that ironically spurred the kitschy tiki bar's return to Friday night vogue. Perhaps, a city official responded, the Tonga Room might be landmarked, as per "blog discussion"? Then again, it's a business, and it's "hard for the city to say you can't shut down a store or a business." Hmm.. was that a challenge?

Source: http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2009/0...eader_comments

[BTinSF]

Friday, June 12, 2009
Revamped Metreon gains momentum
Westfield, Forest City build tenant lineup for 2010 opening
San Francisco Business Times - by Sarah Duxbury

Metreon 2.0 is taking shape, with new restaurants, a theater and cultural attractions.

Several leases are signed at the San Francisco property; other deals are imminent. Owners Westfield and Forest City are close to starting renovations on the problematic 360,000-square-foot building they bought in 2006.

Westfield declined to offer any specific updates beyond a 2010 completion, but those with signed leases have been told that Westfield expects to complete its work by November, giving tenants up to five months to build out their spaces for an April 2010 grand reopening.

Tavern on the Green is the project headliner. Its plan to open a massive 40,000-square-foot top floor restaurant has been slowed by the economy and by uncertainties over its flagship Central Park lease.

New York City is expected to make a decision on the fate of its Tavern in early July, and until Tavern knows if its bid to renew its New York lease will prevail, the size and future of the business in San Francisco are unclear.

“If we get renewed in New York, we’ll probably be in San Francisco the next day to finalize design details,” said Michael Desiderio, chief operating officer of Tavern on the Green. “If we don’t (get to renew in New York), it may take longer, but we are … very much committed to being part of Westfield, of the Metreon and of SoMa.”

Tavern initially expected to pay between $11 million and $13 million to build out its Metreon space. It is likely to rebid those contracts now, as construction costs have fallen sharply.

Many of the new ground floor tenants are among San Francisco’s most successful homegrown fast casual eateries, including Bay Bread’s Boulange chain, Best-o-Burger, Mixt Greens and a new Asian noodle concept from Arnold Eric Wong and the other owners of E&O Trading Co.

Boulange will open in 1,500 square feet on the prime corner of Mission and Yerba Buena Gardens. Ten Boulanges are open today, and several more, including a first East Bay location in Lafayette, will probably open before the Metreon location is complete.

“We have one downtown location already, and it’s been a great success,” said Thomas Lefort, a partner in Bay Bread. “We’re bringing a little bit of what we do in the neighborhoods to the Financial District and to conventioneers visiting San Francisco.”

Best-o-Burger is taking 2,500 square feet next door to Boulange on the Yerba Buena Gardens side of the Metreon. It will have about 70 seats inside and a covered outdoor seating area, in addition to the larger public outdoor seating area on the park.

By the time it opens next spring, owner Steve Weber and his partners will likely have two more stores open; one will open in One Market in about two months and a third will open near Union Square before the Metreon’s official rebirth.

Over on the Fourth Street side, next to what will become Metreon’s main entrance, E&O Trading Co. will open a 2,700-square-foot noodle bar that it hopes will be the first in a chain.

Those who have discussed plans with Westfield say that the larger restaurants and retail locations on the perimeter of the ground floor will open onto the street. The ground floor interior will have about 15 food court vendors, similar to Westfield San Francisco Centre.

While the ground floor is devoted to food, the second floor will be devoted to culture.

Lorraine Hansberry Theater, which was displaced in 2007 when Academy of Art University purchased the building where it performed, is in advanced negotiations to open a 300-seat theater on the Metreon’s second floor, above the current Jillians restaurant, said Executive Director Quentin Easter.

No word was available on the fate of Jillians or other existing tenants.

Other tenants who have had discussions with Westfield, but have not signed include the Museum of Craft + Design, whose Executive Director, Joann Edwards, would only confirm that the museum is looking for a new space; frozen yogurt chain Red Mango, which said no lease has yet been signed; the Filipino Cultural Center; and Chronicle Books, which will reportedly open a full-sized store on the ground floor.

Another large cultural institution is expected to take over another big space.

The 10-year-old Metreon was conceived by Sony and was touted as the techno-future of shopping and entertainment when it opened in 1999. Only the movie theater ever succeeded, and the distinctive building in a prime location has since been an example of urban planning gone wrong, plagued by high tenant turnover and lots of empty space. Many believe that Westfield and Forest City’s plan to renovate the building and lease it to local businesses could help the Metreon realize its missed potential.

“It’s a very exciting project and will be all of the things it should have been from the beginning,” said Carol Gilbert, a broker with CGI who has represented a number of the tenants who have signed leases.

sduxbury@bizjournals.com / (415) 288-4963

Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/...ml?t=printable

[Gordo]

That's a lot of restaurants being added - 15 in the food court, plus all the others around the perimeter? Aren't there only four or five in the food court now?

I like Best-O-Burger, so I'm happy to see another location for them.

[BTinSF]

S.F. firm wins auction for bankrupt Eddie Bauer
Alejandro Martínez-Cabrera, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, July 18, 2009

A San Francisco private equity firm won the bankruptcy auction Friday for outdoor clothing retailer Eddie Bauer after placing a $286 million bid.

Golden Gate Capital will present its proposed transaction for final approval to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the District of Delaware on Wednesday.

David Pollack, a bankruptcy attorney who represents approximately 100 clients with leases on Eddie Bauer stores, said Golden Gate had agreed to retain at least 300 of the company's 370 stores. An Eddie Bauer spokeswoman declined to comment on the number of layoffs that might result from the company's reorganization.

Pollack said he is pleased with the agreement.

"We've been through so many bankruptcies lately where retailers have lost everything ... that just having a firm wanting to reorganize the company is a great result," he said.

Eddie Bauer Holdings Inc. has eight stores in the Bay Area and currently employs around 8,600 people in the United States and Canada. The company, based in Bellevue, Wash., has reportedly not made a profit in three years.

Golden Gate, which had attempted to acquire the troubled retailer in the past, outbid two other competitors on Friday.

According to the firm's Web site, Golden Gate has invested in more than 15 consumer and retail brands with more than $3 billion in combined revenues in the last five years.

"They have pretty impressive backgrounds and are committed to buying this company," Pollack said of Golden Gate's team.

Golden Gate Capital declined to comment on the transaction.

E-mail Alejandro Martínez-Cabrera at amartinez-cabrera@sfchronicle.com.

Source: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...BUQ018R7LU.DTL

[BTinSF]

Friday, July 24, 2009
Brooks Bros. label signs on Fillmore St.
San Francisco Business Times - by Sarah Duxbury

High fashion is storming Pac Heights.

Black Fleece, the new Thom Browne-designed label from Brooks Brothers, has signed a lease for 1,600 square feet on Fillmore Street. It will be Black Fleece’s second U.S. store; the first opened on Bleecker Street in New York in late 2008.

San Francisco was one of three cities to host special launch parties for Thom Browne’s first Black Fleece collection back in 2007, and Black Fleece has sold well here, said Arthur Wayne, director of communications for Brooks Brothers.

“The collection fits very well with the lifestyle and aesthetic of San Francisco,” Wayne said. “Much like Bleecker Street, the charm of the (Fillmore) area really speaks to the label.”

It also will find familiar neighbors on Fillmore in Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren, which both have Bleecker Street stores.

Black Fleece reinterprets and updates old-style Brooks Brothers looks — think wing tips and spats for the modern guy. It also has a women’s collection. It’s pricier than many of Brooks Brothers offerings. Where Brooks Brother’s suit retails for close to $1,000, a Black Fleece suit costs around $1,900.

Despite the recession, Wayne said, the Bleecker store is exceeding its sales targets. The San Francisco store will open this fall, as will one in Tokyo.

A broker familiar with the space said that the location received multiple offers.

Fillmore has seen its share of closures in this recession. Black Fleece is moving into a space vacated by glassmaker Simon Pearce. Another national retailer, Shabby Chic, recently closed its doors. But brokers insist the street is healthier than its vacancies suggest. Rents have come down some, but under 5 percent, the broker said.

Because Black Fleece is its own brand, it is not bound by the Prop G, which requires any chain retailer with more than 11 units open to obtain a conditional use permit to open in a San Francisco neighborhood commercial area.

sduxbury@bizjournals.com / (415) 288-4963

Source: http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/...7/story14.html

[Gordo]

Good to see someone moving into that space. I was on Fillmore the other night and was quite surprised at how many vacant storefronts had popped up in the last few months.

[Gordo]

While I was secretly hoping that someone would buy the entire "mall" and demolish it for a complete redesign (including the messed up street grid in the area - it's hard to imagine a place being designed in a more confusing way for pedestrians AND drivers), it is nice to fill the old Mervyn's and Good Guy's spots.

Marshalls to open in Geary Boulevard mall

By: JOHN UPTON

08/06/09 7:18 PM PDT
A combined Marshalls and HomeGoods store is expected to open this year in a Geary Boulevard shopping center, after the mall’s owner secured city approval for the proposed opening on Thursday.

City Center, at the corner of Geary Boulevard and Masonic Avenue, is filled with chain stores, but the proposal to open the store nonetheless required San Francisco Planning Commission approval under The City’s chain store regulations.

The new store will fill space that was left vacant in recent years by the closure of The Good Guys and Mervyn’s stores.

“It’s the right place for formula retail – it is a shopping center,” land use attorney Jim Reuben, who represented the City Center, told commissioners during a hearing Thursday.

“We’ve noticed a spike in interest in the center since the word went out that [Marshalls and HomeGoods] were moving in,” Reuben said.

Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the store’s opening.

http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/bl...-52625087.html

[Gordo]

Not exactly retail, but a comedy club seems close enough for this thread. I certainly had no idea that there were residential units in this building though. I always assumed that it was office space fronting Van Ness.

Late-night comedy club approved

By: JOHN UPTON

08/06/09 6:22 PM PDT
A late-night comedy club received approval on Thursday from The City to open in the AMC Van Ness 14 building on Van Ness Avenue.

Holly’s plans to serve drinks and meals, including breakfast, with entertainment until 4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays in the Don Lee Building at 1000 Van Ness Ave, according to founder Holly Horn.

The AMC Van Ness 14 will continue to operate in the building, which also includes a number of residential units.

Entertainment, drinks and meals will be offered on week nights, although the club doesn’t plan to stay open until 4 a.m. on those evenings.

Some neighbors told the San Francisco Planning Department that they were concerned about traffic, parking and safety problems that the club might create, city planner Sharon Young told the Planning Commission during a hearing Thursday.

But commissioners voted unanimously to approve the proposal after Young said the comedy club planned to install acoustic barriers in the ceiling and elsewhere.
“I think this is a good project and I give Ms. Horn credit, because this is a risky environment,” Commissioner Ed Lee said. “As a city, I want to thank you for taking the risk.”

Horn said she hopes to open the club before Thanksgiving.

http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/bl...-52622942.html

[peanut gallery]

Originally Posted by Gordo

it's hard to imagine a place being designed in a more confusing way for pedestrians AND drivers

Isn't that the truth. Between the mall and the whole Geary/Masonic intersection, I've gotten myself so screwed up around there trying to get to the Pig & Whistle.

[rs913]

Well, this is an interesting development: Target Coming to Metreon

[peanut gallery]

I don't know if anyone reads these threads anymore, but just in case The Chronicle some good news for Union Square. Basically, the article mentions:

• The new Forever 21 -- actually XXI Forever -- that is replacing the Virgin Megastore at Stockton and Market
• AllSaints is scheduled to take over the former Prada location at 140 Geary St.
• Desigual replaces French Connection on Powell St.
• Disney is replacing its closed store on Post St. with a new one on Stockton St.
• Target's plan for Metreon is supposed to go before the BOS next month

I've noticed a couple of the smaller spaces on Post getting prepared for new stores (at least that's my assumption), so there could be more coming.

[1977]

I don't know if anyone reads these threads anymore, but just in case The Chronicle some good news for Union Square. Basically, the article mentions:
The new Forever 21 -- actually XXI Forever -- that is replacing the Virgin Megastore at Stockton and Market
AllSaints is scheduled to take over the former Prada location at 140 Geary St.
Desigual replaces French Connection on Powell St.
Disney is replacing its closed store on Post St. with a new one on Stockton St.
Target's plan for Metreon is supposed to go before the BOS next month

I've noticed a couple of the smaller spaces on Post getting prepared for new stores (at least that's my assumption), so there could be more coming.

Thanks. Great news on many levels!

[viewguysf]

Originally Posted by peanut gallery

I don't know if anyone reads these threads anymore, but just in case...

I've noticed a couple of the smaller spaces on Post getting prepared for new stores (at least that's my assumption), so there could be more coming.

I'm reading PG--please keep posting.

[SpongeG]

Good Vibrations Opens Store Near S.F.'s Union Square

By Rhett Pardon, XBIZ.com
Wed, Oct 20 2010 02:30pm PDT

SAN FRANCISCO — Good Vibrations plans on opening its fourth location in the Bay Area across from Bloomingdale's in downtown San Francisco's Union Square district.

The sex toy store, the fifth chain-wide, will occupy more than 3,000 square feet and serve as its flagship store when it opens its doors shortly after Thanksgiving, said Jackie Strano, the company's chief operating officer.
"We are so pleased and proud to be expanding our retail operations just in time for the holiday season," Strano said. "Where our other Bay Area stores are more neighborhood/destination-based locations, our new store is in the heart of the downtown shopping and hotel district, easily accessible to tourists and locals alike."

Plans for opening festivities will be announced shortly, Strano said.
Good Vibrations opened its first store in San Francisco's Mission District in 1977, adding a second store across the bay in Berkeley, Calif., in 1994 and another in the Polk Street/Nob Hill neighborhood in 2003.

In 2006, the company expanded eastward to Brookline, Mass.
Company sexologist Carol Queen said the store addition "will allow us to do an even better job promoting pleasure, quality and communication."

...

http://www.xbiznewswire.com/view.php?id=126534

[flight_from_kamakura]

wait, across from bloomindales? where exactly will this go? pretty cheeky, i have to say

[peanut gallery]

^According to their website, it's at Fifth and Mission. So I assume in one of the retail spaces on the ground floor of the garage.