Shop or Flop

In this episode: SF Centre is dying, but Stonestown Galleria is on the come up; my most-consumed pastry 1:28: I recently bought my wedding suit at SF Centre, making me a rare customer at the dying mall frequently cited in “doom loop” narratives about downtown 2:49: Visits to SF Centre have plunged, and in the past few years, retailers have stampeded for the exits 4:29: Housing? College campus? Soccer stadium? Many ideas have been floated on what to do with SF Centre, but none have gotten traction. Issues over financing and control of the property make change even harder 7:40: Stonestown Galleria, like SF Centre, opened in the late ’80s, and has had its share of ups and downs 9:08: Setting Stonestown apart these days is its reputation as a “foodie paradise”—particularly for inexpensive but trendy Asian food 11:08: There are big plans for Stonestown as a solution to SF’s housing shortage, too—but the timeline that’s been proposed is disappointing 13:08: A Hayes Valley bakery that opened in fall 2022 makes my most-consumed pastry of late (but I’ll tell you where else you can find it!) Some other things: The CGV movie theater on Van Ness lost $54 million in just 18 months?! (I saw Dune and Top Gun 2 there, but it was always pretty empty...) | CEO says he was “chased” with a “Glock”; SFPD and security footage confirm he just heard fireworks. | Good news (except for bippers): “San Francisco car break-ins are lowest in two decades”. | The Market St. Safeway has the City’s last large neon billboard, but its days are numbered. | “40 arrests, 0 charges”—the Mayor and SFPD hyped a big drug raid, but did it have any impact? | Supe Walton: “Mayor Lurie is an oligarch… who does not care about collaboration.” | Steph Curry scraps Dogpatch HQ project. | Pacifica Taco Bell gets a glow-up. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sfworks.substack.com