- By Patrick Hoge | Examiner staff writer |
- Feb 5, 2025 Updated Feb 5, 2025 (SFExaminer.com)
Global sports brands seeking to capitalize on this month’s upcoming NBA All-Star weekend are piling into San Francisco’s Union Square with multiple pop-up stores announced, more in the works and a whole building wrapped in advertising on tap.
The temporary injection of retail activity on steroids will provide a welcome boost for an iconic shopping district that has been tested in recent years by a parade of major label departures following the COVID-19 pandemic and a continuing high rate of retail vacancies.
“We’re super, super excited,” said Kazuko Morgan, an executive vice chairman at commercial real-estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, who said she and others have been working hard to make the moment special.
“Let Powell Street and Union Square shine,” said Morgan, who said she was thrilled that the weather was forecast to be pleasant.
Not only will the numerous pop-up offerings provide an immediate opportunity for shopping and fun, but the coordinated merchandising will showcase the heart of San Francisco’s downtown shopping area in a way that can burnish its reputation far and wide, Morgan said.
“All these activations are a reminder of how vibrant Union Square is,” Morgan said. “There’s a lot of people that have stayed away from downtown for one reason or another, but these are reminders of why San Francisco and Union Square is one of the best places in the world to visit.”
The Feb. 14-16 NBA All-Star weekend, which will culminate with the All-Star Game that Sunday night, is a several-day series of events at multiple venues around the region featuring basketball play, live music, merchandise sales and more.
Even as preparations were ongoing for The City’s sports extravaganza, Bloomingdale’s filed a notice that it will lay off 164 employees as part of the earlier-announced closing of its department store in the troubled San Francisco Centre mall at the edge of the Union Square community benefit district.
Macy’s, which owns Bloomingdale’s, also sent a letter to employees on Jan. 31 stating that job eliminations would occur between March 31 and April 13.
The Union Square-Post Street area had a 22.1% vacancy rate in the fourth quarter of 2024, despite multiple openings of luxury retailers in the area.
The well-timed All-Star-related pop-ups to come will notably enliven Powell Street, which has been especially hard hit by the downtown slump and pockmarked with vacancies for years. Two of the announced attractions — one by Foot Locker, the other by Puma — will be on the stretch of Powell between Geary Street and the cable-car turnaround at Market Street.
At least three other properties on Powell Street have been leased for pop-ups, Morgan said, though she was not in a position to divulge details. In addition, Morgan said something could be in the works for a spot on Stockton Street not far from Union Square.
For their part, the Golden State Warriors and the NBA were not ready to give specifics, but they are expected to announce more activations for Union Square and particularly for Powell Street, a team spokesperson said.
Crews were busy Tuesday evening at 111 Powell St. constructing massive equipment arrays, including for a “video wall,” according to one worker, who declined to provide further details.
At Foot Locker’s digs up the street, numerous people were also working in the large space, which featured large photos on the walls of basketball greats, including one of LeBron James directly across from the front door. Curious passersby sought to enter, only to be turned aw2ay.
Meanwhile, at the intersection with Geary Street on Union Square itself, San Jose-based Shoe Palace was rushing to get its new store ready for an opening on Thursday, Feb. 13, which will be accompanied by various All-Star-related activities, a company spokesperson said.
One of the mystery pop-up spots on Powell was represented by commercial real-estate firm CBRE. Alex Sagues, a senior vice president at the firm, agreed that the long-term implications of the pop-up activity should not be underestimated, no matter how fleeting the retail presence.
Sagues said that while bad news about some retailers leaving cannot be ignored, national and international retailers who come to tour the Union Square area have repeatedly told him San Francisco’s tarnished reputation doesn’t match the relatively attractive reality they see.
“San Francisco’s biggest problem is perception,” he said.
A knockout performance in a high-profile moment on the world stage of public opinion such as the NBA All-Star events present could materially impact the momentum of leasing demand among retailers considering downtown San Francisco as a place to plant their flags, Sagues said.
“It only takes one experience, good or bad, to really shape somebody’s perception,” he said.
Among the Union Square attractions scheduled for the All-Star weekend, Nike is planning a temporary promotional building wrap rising seven stories at 278 Post St., the site of its corner store. The signage, which will be noninvasive to the 1910 structure, will stretch above the two-story commercial base. It will be in addition to an existing rooftop billboard.
The permit application filed for the project with The City says installation is “in celebration” of the All-Star Game and “is designed to help activate” Union Square during the related festivities.
On the pop-up front, Foot Locker plans to operate a two-story venue at 150 Powell St. featuring products from multiple brands, NBA player appearances, interactive games and prizes, and opportunities for product customization.
The pop-up will be open to the public Feb. 13-15, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Feb. 16 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Puma will also host a pizzeria pop-up experience at 69-71 Powell St. to celebrate the new Puma Hoops × Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles collection of athlete LaMelo Ball’s new signature sneakers. The store, featuring interactive games, will be open to the public Feb. 14-Feb. 15 from noon to 6 p.m., and Feb. 16 from noon to 5 p.m.
In addition, the New Balance sneaker company and Bricks & Wood, a Los Angeles-based apparel firm, will be showing off their latest collection in a pop-up at 166 Maiden Lane that will be open to the public Feb. 14-15 from noon to 6 p.m.
