Will Pop-Up Shops Bring Downtown San Francisco Back To Life?

Photo of Downtown SF courtesy of The Erica Chang

Written By M.T. Agha

A new initiative to bring business back to downtown San Francisco is underway in hopes to once again attract patrons to the currently empty stores lining SF’s streets. The program “Vacant to Vibrant,” launched last Monday, will pay both landlords and entrepreneurs with pop-up shops and art in an attempt to revitalize Downtown.

Pop-up shop owners accepted into the program will be granted free rent as well as grants between $3,000 and $8,000. The program hopes to see pop-ups open as early as this summer.

Parties interested in opening a pop-up shop must apply and describe their business plan and include any relevant business experience in their application.

Pop-up shop owners accepted into the program will be granted free rent as well as grants between $3,000 and $8,000.

Applications for pop-up business owners will be evaluated by an advisory committee composed of small business owners, property owners, artists and a collection of representatives from art institutions and community organizations located in the Downtown district. 

Landlords who wish to host pop-ups in their vacant Downtown commercial space must also apply and describe the property and illustrate their vision of what sort of pop-up could thrive in that location.

While properties smaller than 5,000 square feet are prioritized for the program, any vacant property within the district can apply as long as they meet certain criteria. Eligible properties must be at street level, offer Wi-Fi and include a restroom along with basic utilities. 

Approved pop-up shop candidates will be provided with a three-month lease free of cost, as well as a grant of up to 8,000 dollars. Property owners hosting the pop-up will be awarded a $5,000 grant as part of the “Vacant to Vibrant” program.

Funding for “Vacant to Vibrant” is powered by a $710,000 grant from the Office of Economic and Workforce development, which is working alongside non-profit SF New Deal to bring life into the project. SF New Deal also plans to provide each successful pop-up applicant with a project manager to oversee the permitting process and liaise with the property manager of the commercial space.

Applications will be accepted through May 2023, and selections will be chosen by the end of June. Afterwards, any additional applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. The estimated timeline will see the first pop-ups arrive in late summer 2023.

Reviving the Downtown district has been a concern for San Francisco Mayor London Breed since the COVID-19 pandemic cleared the area’s offices and caused the tech sector to go remote, stirring fears of an impending commercial real estate crash as more companies continue to desert their leases.

Businesses who once relied on business from the surrounding tech workers who once frequented the area still struggle staying afloat. Alexander Books, an independent bookstore by the Montgomery BART entrance oriented towards office workers, recently announced it will close by the end of April.

The initiative to revitalize the Downtown district using pop-ups is part of Breed’s plan to nurse Downtown business and traffic back to pre-pandemic levels, which she addressed in February in her State of the City Address.