SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Japanese fashion label Uniqlo on Friday opened a brick-and-mortar location in San Francisco, its first in the city since the brand closed its Powell Street store in 2021.
The new store, located in the former Old Navy at the corner of Market and 4th Streets, is 20,000 square-feet spread over two stories, the company’s largest outlet on the West Coast. The opening day celebrations saw lines stretched around the block onto Mission and 5th Streets.
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Supporters said they didn’t mind the long wait to enter the store, and that they were glad to see the brand return.
“(I’ve been waiting) over an hour, but it’s really fun meeting people, just talking stories, and things like that,” Shannon Eng said. “Whether you’re in Hawaii or Japan or San Francisco, at the previous store, it was a total vibe with trendy clothes at a good price.”
Uniqlo partnered with local artists to design branded one-of-a-kind merchandise to mark the occasion.
Mingus Blanco-Norbert, a high school student at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, is one of the designers who worked with the brand. His initial design represented bombs dropping, and arrows pointing at shoes he’d designed. Seeing his idea brought to life, and being sought after by customers, was a thrilling experience, he said.
“It was kind of something that, I don’t know, I thought the meaning was important, and that it was a pretty nice design,” Blanco-Norbert said. “But it’s pretty cool to have people enjoying what I made.”
Building downtown
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Uniqlo’s return is a welcome sight for many.
“It’s on my way to work, too. So, I’ve been eyeing the store as they’ve been setting up,” San Francisco resident Mahima Dutt said. “(I’m) excited that it’s here. Hopefully more stores come back downtown. Yeah, I’m excited to see more businesses here.”
The brand also hosted a free street festival to mark the occasion. The event included more than 30 Bay Area musicians, artists, cultural institutions and businesses.
The event also included traditional Japanese taiko drum performances and merchandise giveaways.
“After closing their Powell Street location in 2021, Uniqlo has followed our city’s momentum and recovery and decided to open a new 20,000 square-foot flagship store in the former Old Navy on Market Street,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “To celebrate, they have an exclusive collaboration with Muni, Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, and local artists — some of it only available at this new location.”
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from the Uniqlo website and from Mayor Daniel Lurie’s X account.