Two once-empty Powell Street storefronts – including the long-vacant former Uniqlo flagship – are getting new life through San Francisco’s Vacant to Vibrant program, a city-backed effort to turn empty downtown spaces into thriving small businesses.
Mayor Daniel Lurie announced Tuesday that five new pop-ups and permanent shops are opening across Union Square and the Financial District, part of the administration’s push to revive downtown through his Heart of the City plan.
Among them: Food truck event organizer Off the Grid’s first-ever brick-and-mortar space –Â a 30,000-square-foot holiday food market opening later this month at 111 Powell Street; and TIAT – The Intersection of Art & Technology – an immersive art-meets-tech experience debuting Friday at 151 Powell Street.
Shoppers are seen reflected in the vacant windows of the former Uniqlo store along Powell Street in San Francisco, on June 8, 2021. The former Uniqlo space is reopening under the city’s Vacant to Vibrant program, signaling a new phase in the beleaguered street’s downtown revival. (Jessica Christian/The Chronicle)
“Through our Heart of the City plan, our administration is accelerating San Francisco’s downtown recovery by supporting small businesses, prioritizing safe and clean streets, and activating our public spaces,” Lurie said in a statement. “Now, we’re delivering on our promise, and I’m thrilled to see these new Vacant to Vibrant storefronts opening up downtown – drawing residents and visitors back to our downtown and bringing life back to our city.”
The new openings follow the October debut of Dandelion Chocolate, whose Union Square shop quickly exceeded its first-month sales goals. They also include The Wild Fox, a new café from the acclaimed SPRO Coffee Lab team, and Fibers of Being, a local fashion brand expanding to Market Street later this month.
In recent months, Nintendo, Pop Mart, Nooworks and Shoe Palace have all opened nearby, breathing life back into the Powell Street corridor.
By mid-November, the city expects Vacant to Vibrant to have activated 26 storefronts since the program launched in 2023 – more than half of which have already converted into long-term leases.
A single pigeon occupies Powell Street in Union Square in San Francisco, on Feb. 18, 2025. The former Uniqlo space is reopening under the city’s Vacant to Vibrant program, signaling a new phase in the beleaguered street’s downtown revival. (Jessica Christian/The Chronicle)
The initiative, started by former Mayor London Breed, is a public-private partnership between the Office of Economic and Workforce Development and nonprofit SF New Deal, backed by sponsors including Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Visa and Gap Inc.
“This latest batch of Vacant to Vibrant openings will highlight our city’s most creative entrepreneurs while bringing new energy and foot traffic to our downtown streets,” District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter said in a statement. “I can’t wait to see how these new openings make their mark on San Francisco, especially as we head into the holiday shopping season.”
The revival of Powell Street – once lined with shuttered flagships like Gap, H&M and Uniqlo – signals a hopeful turn for Union Square.
Uniqlo, which left its three-story Powell Street store in 2021, recently confirmed plans to return to San Francisco with a new Market Street flagship opening next year.
Meanwhile, Macy’s has partnered with developer TMG Partners to reimagine its iconic Union Square property for a mix of future uses.
This article originally published at San Francisco’s old Uniqlo space finally has a new tenant as Powell Street’s revival gains steam.