The former original Philz Coffee space at 24th and Folsom streets has been vacant for over two years, and a new tenant is moving in.
La Rancho, a grocery store, submitted an application to the San Francisco Planning Department on Feb. 3 to open a market at 3101 24th St. The storefront has been empty since the Philz’s flagship cafe, closed in October 2023 after 20 years serving coffee to the Mission District.
Little is known about the future grocery store. Cornelia Roppel, the project’s representative, said on Friday afternoon that its opening could come within two weeks. Both Roppel and her client declined to provide further details.
The store will have a selection of organic, Mexican, Western and Arabic groceries, according to a construction worker on site.
Susana Rojas, the executive director of Calle 24, said that her group was “working together to welcome” the owner to the Mission District and taking him on a tour of the corridor.
“We’re working to create an amazing opening,” she said.
Philz Coffee closed its original site after the company said it “made the difficult decision” not to renew its lease. Mission Local then revealed that the building was owned by an LLC controlled by Jacob Jaber, the chain’s co-founder and the son of its progenitor, Phil. There are no recorded ownership changes since that time.
Philz Coffee was sold to a private equity firm last summer for $145 million.
Reporting from the Mission District and other District 9 neighborhoods. Some of his personal interests are bicycles, film, and both Latin American literature and punk. Oscar’s work has previously appeared in KQED, The Frisc, El Tecolote, and Golden Gate Xpress.