While Tavern on the Green’s bankruptcy likely killed an outpost in San Francisco’s Metreon Center, the San Francisco Business Times reports the center’s makeover might not be the only big thing in the works:
Metreon owners Westfield and Forest City have recently pulled back on several preliminary lease deals at the center and are said to be negotiating to lease an entire floor to Target.
As a plugged-in and perhaps prescient reader wrote in September, “One Word: Target.”
∙ Will Tavern On The Green’s Bankruptcy Kill An SF Outpost? [SocketSite]
∙ Target could be bull’s-eye for Metreon [San Francisco Business Times]
∙ Metreon Makeover Approved, Entrance Rendered And Ready In 2010 [SocketSite]
Sounds great, as long as they add a direct entrance from the garage vs. walking along Mission. Oh, parking validation too, this is a thrifty crowd after all…
Hmmm, just one floor? Seems like that would be a mini-Target of some type, maybe 50,000 sq ft. I’d guess they’re thinking about the full second floor, as the third/fourth is the movie theater.
Yeah! finally at Tar-jay in the city. I’d be surprised if this get approved. And can you imagine the mayhem 1) at the Target 2) in the parking garage? I’m thinking it will be COSTCO like in scale….
I always though some sort of incentive for a Target between 5-6th on Market would have been a great first step in a mid-market revitalization plan.
i love target, but that seems like a nightmare location no matter how you slice it.
A Target would be great! So tired of having to shop outside of the city for discounted goods.
They have stores designed specifically for high-density urban areas. Chicago, New York City, and Minneapolis have Target stores downtown so why not San Francisco?
I like Target though I think a 5th & Market location would be better.
Ironic how the million dollar condos at St. Regis and 4 Seasons are not going to be surrounded by a neighborhood of upscale stores and restaurants (Taver on The Green) as once envisioned but just regular middle class and discount places. No Park Ave here.
IMO this is healthy. SF was trying to crerate this upscalee uber-expensive district when that just isn’t SF. The city isn’t NY or Chicago and never will be.
ewwww….
I agree that Target should be somewhere on Market Street. Easy and better public transportation access on Muni and Bart. But I’ll take what I can get in this town.
While Target is at it, why not open up stores out by Geary and Masonic (the old Mervyn’s space) or out in the avenues (in the old Albertson’s space.) Probably easier for me to get to, rather than fighting the crowds at the Metreon. Both locations have plenty of potential customers and parking.
I love Target but Metreon doesn’t seem big enough for one. This is an odd location.
Masonic/Geary big box thing – far better location for Target.
To add to the problems previous retailers in the Metreon had major ongoing problems with shoplifting. To be successful it will probably be necessary to add some security measures and that costs money and takes up limited space.
A downtown San Francisco Target store? Yes, please … no additional parking needed. I don’t know if this is the best spot, but they do keep holding “Target Family Days” in the Yerba Buena neighborhood … why not? 🙂
I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed…This is a no-brainer and would be an incredible coup for the Metreon and the city. I sincerely hope it goes through. An anchor tenant like Target will setup the future for Metreon for years to come.
I agree that Target should be somewhere on Market Street. Easy and better public transportation access on Muni and Bart.
This is plenty close to BART/Market…
People, Masonic/Geary is not an option. TJMaxx/Homegoods signed a lease on the former Mervyn’s (plus the former Good Guys) space there months ago. The new store opens next month.
^^^^ anon: I didn’t know about TJMaxx plans on Masonic/Geary. Thanks for that info. and that is also good news! I’ll make sure to drop in and take a look around after it opens.
Personally, chain stores do not offend me. I would like to see more chainstores from East Coast, Mid-west which do not have a presence here to open up the San Francisco market.
Target would get a lot of resistant in other neighborhoods, it is a hipster step away from Wal-mart – both being large box stores full of imported plastic with Target someone being acceptable because their plastic is styled for better blue state living – but since the Metreon doesn’t really fall in any neighborhood with an active community, and the malls are there anyway, this is one of the few spots they could put it without a fight like Home Depot got.
For a lot of people this would mean no more trips down 19th to the 280 to Colma.
It seems like parking and traffic will be a problem. This is the kind of store you buy a shopping cart full of stuff and I imagine all these people wheeling out a full cart to the 5th and Mission garage elevator.
YES to Target at Metreon and no to Masonic/Geary. People are forgetting something really important about the Metreon location: one block from the Powell street Muni/BART station. Many San Franciscans who live along the J,K,L,M,N and T lines will be able to shop Target without getting into cars. As well, I live within a few blocks of the Metreon and it will be a treat to not have to pay inflated, 7-11 like prices at Walgreen’s for household goods.
So, a BIG YES to Target at Metreon. It’s about time.
I don’t see a problem with Target here, but think it would be best if it were a smaller store. Full drugstore, electronics, stationary, and sporting goods sections, and smaller clothing and furniture sections sounds like a winning combo to me. I would assume that most customers at this location would buy less than they would at other Targets since many will be on public transport or on foot. As long as it is bigger and cheaper than Walgreens, it’ll be successful.
Target used to own Mervyn’s so they are familar with the mason/geary location. For whatever reason that location just keeps eating through chain stores. I do not think it is as good a location as some of you seem to believe.
Former chain stores in the location:
Sears (used to have whole building)
Good Guys
Mervyn’s
Toys ‘R’ Us
For whatever reason it seems whenever a chain that is occupying that site choses to close stores, it gets chosen. Probably a very high cost location in terms of rent, employees, and shoplifting losses (someone that worked at the meryvns there told me it had one of the highest loss rates to shoplifting in the chain).
I’m all for Target at the Metreon or at Geary/Masonic. As for Geary/Masonic being a bad location – I disagree. All those previous retailers you mention that failed there over the last 30 years had national/regional problems with their business model and execution not related to that location. A good indication of the strength of this location is the Trader Joes just up the street with an inferior mid block location – there’s a line of people in cars waiting to shop there pretty much non-stop.
Thank God something useful is finally gonna be in the Metreon. There are only so many movies one can see.
SF was trying to crerate this upscalee uber-expensive district when that just isn’t SF. The city isn’t NY or Chicago and never will be.
Yeah, we are not like Portland. Now *there’s* a World Class City if I ever saw one.
Target would be a better fit for the new value-oriented CityPlace mall on Market between 5th and 6th St. Westfield previously had agreed to rent the 2nd floor of Metreon to small museums and cultural organizations, which would be a better fit, near the expanding SFMoMA, the Jewish Museum, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. With Moscone and the nearby hotels, as well as good transit, this is the best place in the city for a cultural/entertainment hub. Westfield had the museum tenants for this but saw bigger bucks from Target.
Seems the Virgin site or CompUSA would be more Target-like, but whatev. I swear I was just joking when I suggested something like Target for the Metreon.