Is it a "doom loop" when an SF Walgreens closes, but a locally owned fresh produce market pops up in its place? That's what's happening, as Casa Guadalupe has filed permits to move into the former Walgreens at Mission and Cesar Chavez.
At the height of the Chesa Boudin-era SF Walgreens hysteria, when San Francisco Walgreens closures were all obsessively covered by the national media, top Walgreens brass announced in October 2021 that the closure of five SF Walgreens stores was because of “organized retail crime.” It got less attention when Walgreens execs walked that statement back a year or so later, as indeed, Walgreens had announced way back in 2019 that they were closing those 200 stores nationwide.
One of those five SF Walgreens that closed in 2021 was the location at 3400 Cesar Chavez Street (at Mission Street), seen above. It was not often mentioned that this particular Walgreens was one of three Walgreens on a seven-block stretch of Mission Street, so maybe that part of Mission-Bernal was just plain oversaturated with Walgreens locations.
But what’s this? That same storefront has been undergoing a massive facelift in recent weeks. And over this weekend, awning signage was added promoting “Produtos Mexicanos Centroamericano Y Sudamericanos.”
Documents with the SF Planning Department show that the new tenant is Casa Guadalupe Supermarket, which has two nearby locations at 2909 Mission Street (at 25th Street) and 2999 Mission Street (at 26th Street).
Casa Guadalupe representative Pedro Gil tells SFist the new store is slated to open in October 2024, but adds that is "TBD."
Though that sign above is promising “Cervezas.” And indeed, application materials submitted to the SF Planning Department show this incoming Casa Guadalupe location has applied for a Type 21 ABC license, which would allow to-go retail sales of beer, wine, and liquor.
Peeking inside, we do see some shelving being installed at the 3400 Cesar Chavez Street location.
But if this new Casa Guadalupe is opening, what does that mean for the other two Casa Guadalupe locations within just two blocks?
The Casa Guadalupe at 25th and Mission streets has already permanently closed. A Wednesday morning visit there showed the place locked up and gated during business hours.
Moreover, there’s a sign on the door saying “Thank you to everybody who has shopped with us. Casa Gaudalupe is moving to 3400 Cesar Chavez St.”
As for the Casa Guadalupe at 26th and Mission streets, the one with the array of national flags up top and the La Doña SF Giants mural, they are still very much open and operating. Gil tells SFist that the "2999 Mission store will remain open."
There are a few other new additions coming to that Mission-Bernal stretch of Mission Street, the area that people once tried to rename “La Lengua.” A shuttered Bank of America at 3250 Mission Street (near 29th Street), which closed in early 2023, is being reborn as the colorful new market Chaparral Supermercado, which also has a store in San Jose.
This seems like a nicer-looking storefront than a Bank of America. The neighborhood is also getting a new arthouse movie theater at Mission and 29th Streets called The Portal, the burnt-out former 3300 Club is being rebuilt as affordable housing, and new restaurants Komaaj and Four Chairs have brought so much hype to that corner that the local press has been calling it the “coolest” block of San Francisco.
The new Casa Guadalupe will be one block from this so-called “coolest” block. But its opening in a former Walgreens shows that Mission-Bernal is certainly not in any kind of “doom loop,” as its most visible vacancies are getting filled up with fresh produce.
Note: This post has been updated wih comment from Casa Guadalupe management.
Image: Joe Kukura, SFist
