Chilling bog-box retailer Wal-Mart plans on opening four Neighborhood Market grocery stores in the Bay Area at sites in the South Bay and East Bay. The morally-questionable company will unleash stores in San Jose, Pleasanton, Hayward, and San Ramon. Godspeed, anyone selling food their zones of destruction, for you are doomed. more ›

Another small, independent record shop bites the dust. Force of Habit, the little punk shop at 3565 20th Street (at Lexington) appears to be on its way to closing as SFist finds that a new restaurant/café is moving in called 20 Spot. Force of Habit owner "Braindead" Dave Devereaux died last July at the age of 41 of unexplained causes. At the time, his family said they hoped to sell the shop and the online record business to someone who would keep it open, and a Save Force of Habit campaign launched to aid the effort. But it seems that was not meant to be. more ›

In big retail news for the well-over-21 set, XXI Forever, the spinoff of Forever 21 geared toward slightly older gals, had its grand opening Saturday at Market and Stockton — in the former Virgin Megastore space. As we mentioned last month, the store is a fairly new format for the Forever 21 brand, and it's opening just a block away from their flagship at Powell Street. more ›

Last week brought the big news that Sears Holdings would be closing 100 to 120 Sears and Kmart stores around the country following a dismal year of stagnant or declining sales. But as we discover today, the dismally sad downtown Oakland Sears store, with some of the most depressing window displays ever seen on the planet, remains safe from closure for now. more ›

The big retail news today came from Sears Holdings, the company that since 2005 has owned both Sears and Kmart, which announced that it would be closing "at least" 100 under-performing stores nationwide (out of its total of some 4000). The company saw softer-than-ever holiday sales, after several years of declining sales overall. And though the list of store closures has yet to be announced, we'd wager that the always sad Sears store in downtown Oakland — basically the only "anchor" type tenant that downtown Oakland has left — might be one of the first to go. more ›

Forever 21, which last year signed a lease for the enormous former Virgin Megastore space at Stockton and Market, is about to get its second Union Square-adjacent store. The chain's spinoff brand, XXI Forever, which targets a "slightly older demographic," is going into the 53,000-square-foot space just a block away from Forever 21's flagship at 1 Powell Street. (Signage just went up this morning.) more ›

Oakland hasn't exactly been a hotbed of retail activity in recent decades, and efforts to bring more retail downtown, and to revive the foundering Jack London Square have been mostly stalled (though Coi/Plum chef-owner Daniel Patterson is opening Haven in JLS next week). Enter a couple of idealistic Oaklanders, one an urban planner, who decided to take the frown of a vacant block in Old Oakland (centered around 9th Street and Broadway) and turn it upside down. They negotiated six months of free rent with the landlords, and curated a mix of hip shops like Sticks + Stones Gallery, Marion and Rose’s Workshop (which will teach sewing classes), Manifesto Bikes, and Piper and John General Goods. The name: Popuphood. more ›

Employing "reclaimed" buzzword gobbledygook as a selling point, Starbucks wants to put another damn spore in the Castro, a few blocks away from the bear-frequented Starbucks at 18th and Castro. With takeover plans zeroed in at 2201 Market (at 15th Street), here's what the coffee mammoth would like to do: more ›

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, generally known in these northern parts as the drinkable coffee joint that will do in a pinch if there is no Peet's around, is expanding eastward. As our sister site in New York notes, the chain is looking to open three locations in the Big Apple in the next year or so. San Francisco, by comparison, has four franchies strategically located to catch homesick SoCal residents. more ›

A new law requiring online retailers to collect California sales tax from shoppers has stirred up controversy, and now Amazon.com Inc. is saying they are looking for voters to take the matter to the ballot. more ›

Sad news for book lovers in San Francisco. According to reports, independently-owned A Different Light (489 Castro) in the Castro and Modern Times (888 Valencia) in the Mission will close their doors this year. Why? Because no one patronizes bookstores these days, that's why. Which is too bad since bookstores, you know, kinda smell nice and are (were?) great places for meeting people. more ›

Oaklanders have a new place to shop for discount housewares and Justin Timberlake fashions as Target opens a new store on the Oakland/Emeryville border, at 1555 40th Street. The big ribbon cutting happened Tuesday, as Oakland North reports, and the place was open as of yesterday -- but the grand opening event is technically on Sunday, March 6. more ›

Oh drats, this is too bad. Little Otsu, that charming store on Valencia Street that sells equally charming stuff (comics, wallets, DIY stuff, vegetable-based ink publishing), is closing its doors. "Eight years seems like a nice, round number," co-owner Jeremy Crown tells Mission Local. "That's going to make running the store the longest job that either of us has ever had." more ›

"If they don't approve the Target, my wife might go on a killing spree," jokes @laughinghyena13. "Watch out SF!" more ›

Ah, what could have been but never was. That, in a steel-and-glass nutshell, is the Metreon, the monstrous beast at Fourth and Mission streets. Awkwardly shaped, dark interiors, stupefying walkways, confounding escalators -- the four-story 350,000 square foot megaplex, which opened in 1999, is an aesthetic and community failure. more ›

Ye olde Radio Shack in the Castro is making things difficult for the glory that is Trader Joe's. See, the phenomenal supermarket is now having trouble moving into the Market and Noe Center. Why? Because the "batteries-and-speaker-wire purveyor," as Andy Wang at Curbed so expertly put it, doesn't want to leave. Even though they're supposed to. Even though both Kard Zone and Sonia’s Dry Cleaning have agreed to move. Even though "property owner Kent Jeffrey offered to pay to relocate RadioShack across the street," with Radio Shack agreeing in ink to move, the dated electronics store now has "reservations about moving its store." more ›

Times are tough. Or so we've been told. So, in this economy it’s ideal to know where to go to get the most omph for your buck, especially if your tastes are a lot bigger than your wallet. For cocktails, obviously, it's happy hour (Bag Lady favors Orson Mon-Sat, and obviously the Castro for two-for-one’s anytime before 9 p.m.) For food it’s dining at home, or out during the week at any restaurant that has a special weekly or monthly price fix dining menus. Currently, Bar Bambino is at the top of the list with a 4-course dinner that will only set you back about $35. And for nightlife, it’s going out during the week when people are generally more unruly and “living life to the fullest.” more ›

A Mill Valley woman has been banned from crap designer Abercrombie & Fitch's Corte Madera store after she urinated in the retail shop. It seems the rich bitch in question asked store employees if she could use the bathroom. They refused. So, after throwing a tizzy, said lady (and we use that term loosely) stole a "a 5-gallon pail from a display and adjourned to a changing room," dumped $300 worth of clothing (and we use that term loosely) into the bucket, and created a makeshift toilet of her very own. The woman -- described as tall, white, thin, blond and in her 40s -- returned to the story the following day, claiming ignorance of going No. 1. The store, however, refused to press charges. Ah, the secret underbelly of the North Bay. It is warm and sweet. more ›

Oh, sure, you've seen all the coverage of Jan Gehl's plan to turn Fisherman's Wharf into something tolerable. But wouldn't you like to know more? The excellent SPUR is holding a forum TODAY about the city's plan to alleviate pedestrian-congestion by updating the neighborhood's 1950s-style freeway-inspired urban design: widening sidewalks, installing benches, and adding bike lanes, injunction be damned. After all, be honest: when's the last time you went to Fisherman's Wharf? Probably when you had out-of-town guests. more ›

It looks like Survivor: Cook Island winner Yul Kwon won't get to serve you air-pumped, sugary, dairy-like deliciousness. After getting ready to set up a Red Mango chain in North Beach, and after being granted a building permit and signing a lease, his permit was pulled after he was "told he ran afoul of the strict North Beach ordinance against 'formula chain' stores," or so says the Gate. Kwon went on to say, "I sorely regret the day that I decided to open a restaurant in San Francisco, and I will never make that mistake again." Ouch. True and choice words, Puka Puka tribesman. more ›

This tickles us ever so. Last year after 4,000+ folks in the Richmond held their breath until their faces turned blue, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to ban the popular coffee chain Starbucks from setting up shop at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Geary. Problem solved, right? Wrong. more ›

SFist interviews Andrew Revelli, founder of Upper Playground more ›

Okay, so it’s not a great time to flip your house, and rents are rising, but there are still some real estate developments that are not bad news. Retail rents across San Francisco are up 2.6% over last year to an average of $32.11 per square foot, indicating some competitive demand. Demand = more business in the city. We love business in the city, especially when it might lead to jobs – and it looks like San Francisco’s employers might add another 14,000 jobs. more ›

In an effort to stop slumping sales, Old Navy is hoping to recapture their sales magic of the late 90s by enlisting a new canine mascot. You may remember when Old Navy was a hot brand, nearly every commercial featured “Magic”, an Airedale mutt rescued from the streets of San Jose. Since Magic was forced out of his job in the Spring of 2001 (press releases cited ‘creative differences’) Old Navy same store sales have tanked (PDF). Coincidence? We think not. more ›

In the interest of full disclosure, SFist Ted, our new weatherman, also happens to be Dogster Ted. And while we've harshed on the Webby Awards only just recently, we're still proud. You can register to vote for them to win the "People's Choice Award" in their category, "Community" -- and as Ted points out, they don't seem to be too picky in letting you use as many emails as you like to register again and again (not that the stringent ethical guidelines at SFist would allow us to do that). more ›