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While Trader Joe’s had signed a tentative lease for the ground floor of 1285 Sutter Street which has since been dubbed “Etta,” they opened at California and Hyde instead. And in two weeks, CVS’s application to open a 24-hour store in the 9,500 square foot retail space at the base of the new building at Sutter and Van Ness will be heard by San Francisco’s Planning Commission which will have to approve the formula retailer’s plans.

13 thoughts on “CVS Seeks Permission To Open In Building Trader Joe’s Abandoned”
  1. … because, what SF needs more than anything is more big drug stores (Walgreens, CVS, Longs, etc…) I mean, I can go entire city blocks without being able to buy magazines and chewing gum!

  2. I’m for it because it will be open 24 hours. The closest 24 hour drug store is in the marina, or in the fillmore.
    There are more 24 hour places in the suburbs than there are in SF

  3. Ha, yeah, apparently the only alternative to CVS is an empty retail space. All I’m saying is that the market saturation of this kind of corporate retail is certainly diluting the character of SF’s landscape (call it charm if you must).

  4. Just what the city needs. Another drug store. In 15 years we will be a mediocre, ugly city defined by our brand name drug stores and liqour stores. Obviously there’s money to be made. It’s only time before SF loses all of its charm. I am shocked by the city. At the very least perhaps they can figure out how to require these places to be more aestheticaly appealing.

  5. Julie – SF’s charm is and has always been over-rated. Got to the outer Sunset and tell me where the charm is? Or the Excelsior?
    As to CVS they put in an art-deco store near Towe Market at the neighborhood’s behest. Nice looking building.
    BTW, the strip on which Towe sits still has two empty stroefronts. Been empty 7 plus years as the neighborhood refuses to let formual outlets in. The owner just put another sign up advertising the avaialble retail space. As before no one is holding their breath these 2 spots will be leased out.

  6. Let me guess, Tobias, you’re not originally from SF? Having been raised in the Sunset, I might take umbrage with your comment.
    On the other hand, the huge Walgreens has had a surprisingly salutary affect on the Powell Street neighborhood. And, I strongly agree that San Francisco is sorely lacking in businesses open 24 hours. This stretch of Van Ness is as likely a place for a CVS as any.
    But I strongly disagree with the devil-and-the-deep-blue-sea argument that the only solution to empty storefronts is to pack them full of corporate chain stores. While the planning and permitting processes in SF are badly broken, there is a quality they are trying to preserve in this city. Otherwise, we might as well be living in Amarillo.

  7. ^Let me know when Amarillo is urban in built form and I might move there. The only charm that I find in SF is that it’s one of only about four urban cities in the US. I like to walk to stuff, and there are very few cities where that’s possible.

  8. With all these pharmacy chains opening up here, you’d think there was a hospital being built nearby.
    Welcome to the post-Amazon retail world, where everything left is clothing and drug stores.

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