Business & Tech Good News for Union Square, as Bang & Olufsen Is Returning, in the Old Britex Fabrics Location Danish luxury electronics retailer Bang & Olufsen actually closed their Union Square store long before the pandemic and subsequent downtown SF downturn, but they're coming back this October in the former Geary Street Britex Fabrics space.
SF News Day Around the Bay: Former Team USA Swimmer to Take on Full CA Coastline in 2026 The Pink Triangle installation is set to return next week for its 30th Pride celebration; residents of Musk's Starbase, Texas, were told they might lose their property rights due to new zoning; and a former Olympic swimmer plans to swim the entire CA coast in 2026.
Arts & Entertainment SF’s Union Square Nintendo Store Opens to Huge Crowds, and Mascot Animals Crossing All Over the Place Today was the long-awaited opening day of the new San Francisco Nintendo Store in Union Square, and it was on like Donkey Kong as many video game fans and their favorite mascots hedgehogged the spotlight.
Business & Tech Yep, Now Saks Is Closing Its Union Square Store As has been pretty widely predicted, Saks Fifth Avenue has officially announced the closure of its Union Square store — which has been operating on an "appointment only" basis since last summer.
SF News John Varvatos Moves Back to Union Square; Could H&M Be Next? As retailers flee the dying, anchorless SF Centre mall, it looks like it could be Union Square's gain.
SF News Zara Gives Good News to Union Square With Flagship Store Planned Fast fashion retailer Zara is planning to relocate a block away from its existing location in Union Square and open a huge new flagship store at the corner of Post and Powell.
SF News Union Square Chanel Store Rammed by Car In Apparent Smash-and-Grab Attempt Yet another would-be smash-and-grab was unsuccessful at the Union Square Chanel store early Monday morning, though the would-be burglars did serious damage to the storefront, and police suspect the same burglars tried this again at a nearby McDonald’s.
SF News Saks Could Be the Next Major Retailer to Exit Union Square Saks Fifth Avenue, which already switched to an appointment-only model at its Union Square store, may not be sticking around much longer in SF, real estate experts surmise.
Arts & Entertainment Things To Do This Week: Free Tulips, ‘Screaming Queens’, Bikes & Books, Burlesque, Game Fest This week, March 17-23: The annual free tulip event will be at Union Square; Roxie's having a one-night screening of the Compton Cafeteria riot doc, 'Screaming Queens'; plus, bikes and books, a burlesque extravaganza, and a free game fest.
SF News Sunday Links: Stranded Astronauts Set To Return Home This Week The astronauts who've been stranded in space for several months are getting picked up by a new crew; the Nintendo store is bringing its second US location to Powell Street; and an American influencer apologized for snatching a baby wombat from its mom in Australia.
SF Restaurants, Food & Drink SF's b. Patisserie Confirmed to Be Taking Over Cafe Space In Union Square Park Following the departure of Tyler Florence's Miller & Lux Provisions last month, pastry chef Belinda Leong's acclaimed b. patisserie briefly popped up in one of the two cafe spaces in Union Square Park, and now it is becoming an official tenant.
SF Restaurants, Food & Drink SF’s Oldest Indian Restaurant New Delhi Is In Danger of Closing Permanently The 36-year-old Union Square Indian restaurant New Delhi is the only Indian restaurant on the city’s Legacy Business Registry, but is in danger of closing as downtown foot traffic remains in the dumps.
SF Restaurants, Food & Drink Union Square’s 52-Year-Old Extremely French Restaurant Jeanne D’Arc Has Permanently Closed The filet mignon, escargot, and live violin music are no longer a fixture at the Jeanne D’Arc restaurant beneath Union Square’s Cornell Hotel de France, as the restaurant has permanently shuttered, and will serve exclusively as an event space.
Arts & Entertainment 45-Foot Statue of Nude Woman Not Coming to Union Square After All, But Might End at Embarcadero Plaza A giant statue of a nude woman that debuted at Burning Man 2015 will not be installed in Union Square as planned, as it is apparently a risk for the plaza’s tiles, though there is a Plan B afoot to bring it to the Embarcadero Plaza.
SF Restaurants, Food & Drink Celebrity Chef Tyler Florence Walks Away From Union Square Cafes, b. patisserie May Move In Tyler Florence's much-publicized move into two empty restaurant spaces in Union Square is over after only a year, despite getting a grant from the city to help with the area's revitalization.
Arts & Entertainment A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Parlor Pops Up, and More Excitement On Powell Street For All-Star Game Weekend The usually beleaguered, largely vacant first couple blocks of Powell Street will suddenly come back to life this weekend, as all of Union Square becomes a hub of activity linked to the All-Star Game, which is being played Sunday at the Chase Center.
SF News Mayor Lurie Launches SFPD ‘Hospitality Task Force’ to Bolster Union Square Ahead of All-Star Game, Lunar New Year While this new SFPD ‘Hospitality Task Force’ arrives the weekend before the double-team of the NBA All-Star Game and the Chinese New Year Parade, the reconfigured police staffing will be in effect year-round in the Union Square tourism district.
SF News Early Morning Fire Displaces Four at the SRO Formerly Known as the Hotel Diva A 1 am apartment fire Wednesday morning on the second floor of the former Hotel Diva has left four people displaced, though no one was injured.
SF News That Vacant Union Square Express Space Will Reopen as Shoe Palace In a Matter of Weeks Express closed its Powell Street store in October 2023, but the space will become a Shoe Palace, and sneaker-heads may relish that it will be open in time for next month’s NBA All-Star Game festivities.
Arts & Entertainment Like It or Not, 45-Foot Statue of Nude Woman Coming to Union Square Shortly Union Square retailers and tourism officials are hoping that a Burning Man statue of a 45-foot-tall nude woman is going to rev up the beleaguered district’s shopping scene, and we’ll see if they’re right when it goes up in early February.
SF News Guy Killed By SF Police Was a Security Guard With a Gun Fetish Who Hated Gun Laws, Liberal California We now know who the deceased is in the officer-involved shooting in Union Square last week, and a few details about the bizarre and angry-sounding hit-and-run the precipitated the shooting.
Arts & Entertainment The EndUp is Throwing Another Massive Free Outdoor Dance Party in Union Square Saturday Four renowned DJs and The EndUp will heat up Union Square’s Winter Walk on Saturday, with an all-ages house music dance party rager that’s absolutely free to attend.
SF News SF Police Shoot and Kill Man Identified as Union Square Security Guard A hit-and-run incident on a sidewalk in Union Square Thursday evening was followed, hours later, by a confrontation with San Francisco police that left the driver in the alleged hit-and-run dead.
SF News SF Hires NY Consultant Firm to Jazz Up Union Square With 200 Events Next Year One of Mayor London Breed’s final downtown rejuvenation efforts is bringing in some New York-based consultant firm who’s agreed to create 200 events in Union Square in 2025, hoping to generate more foot traffic and fewer retailers abandoning their storefronts.
SF News SF District Attorney Charges Two In Connection With Union Square Dior Store Burglary Two suspects were charged and entered not-guilty pleas in connection with an October smash-and-grab burglary at the Union Square Christian Dior store, a heist that involved at least 10 individuals, and that resulted in the theft of nearly $300K in handbags.
