San Francisco: A Tale of Two Malls

Since we were staying at the Palace Hotel, we were in walking distance to Union Square and the former Westfield mall, so we did a little of what Steven dubbed "disaster tourism." This elegant area of downtown SF has hit hard times. Mostly closed during the pandemic, foot traffic slowed to a trickle as people worked from home and continue to work from home. In January 2024, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that more than half of the 1.5 million-square-foot Westfield complex is empty. Nordstrom departed in August 2023 and five more busineses closed in January. Bloomingdale remains to anchor what feels like a ghost town.

It felt like there were more security guards than guests, and the remaining store employees were busy on their phones in stores devoid of shoppers. A few pop up stores appeared here and there - brow waxing and nail salons, but not enough to reverse the feeling of irreversible decline. At the Fifth Street entrance, the top four floors were walled off and dark (see picture above).

Further in the mall, a domed rotunda was empty but for a grand piano, where before it was surrounded by high end restaurants and Nordstrom's biggest store.

The cinema is closed too; all movie posters gone. The San Francisco Standard reported in February that the new owners (Westfield defaulted in 2023), will rename the mall, the "Emporium Centre San Francisco" and are looking for a new anchor tenant to fill Nordstrom's space, while holding on to the tenants they do have. They are also considering bringing in medical, education, tech and fitness tenants. Done right, perhaps it will be the next happening place in SF.

Meanwhile, some malls are flourishing. The Stonestown Galleria in the Stonetown neighborhood of SF is jumping. We had to circle to find parking, and were lucky to find a seat for a late lunch in the food court. Not as upscale as the Westfield mall, but certainly thriving.