3 ms·

> This store was opened in 2022 and presumably the decision to open it was made in 2021 I think it was earlier than that. Pre-pandemic. Here's an article tal

> This store was opened in 2022 and presumably the decision to open it was made in 2021 I think it was earlier than that. Pre-pandemic. Here's an article talking about it in early 2018. https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/San-Francisco-s-massive-new-Whole-Foods-set-to-12611117.php https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/San-Francisco-s-massi... Pre-pandemic, one of several possible narratives about that area was that Twitter had moved in successfully and trends were looking up. That was the sort of optimism that brought Whole Foods. I remember that there were some local reactions that they could be getting ahead of themselves.

kelp 4y ago
There kind of was a brief period, maybe 4 years? 2014 - 2018 or so when mid-market was looking up. Twitter was there. Square, and Uber. Businesses were moving in, buildings were getting renovated. Then it turned the wrong direction again, and now we have what we have.
- asveikau 4y ago
  It's complicated. In some ways, the new occupants seemed like they propped things up artificially. I remember going for one of my regular walks around there one afternoon a few years ago and noticing that either block of Market surrounding Twitter had a lot of people sitting on the sidewalk. The block with Twitter was devoid of this. Then I saw a nonviolent-looking homeless guy looking tired, attempting to sit on the "wrong" block. Without a beat, private security comes in to protect the techie outpost, maybe he tells them to move one block over. I was kind of disgusted. Like human misery is ok so long as no techies need to see it. But I also think it was good they they were revitalizing those old buildings. It is unfortunate that the decline of office work has been pretty hard on SF's downtown. I hope it'll be back some day.

3 ms·

> This store was opened in 2022 and presumably the decision to open it was made in 2021 I think it was earlier than that. Pre-pandemic. Here's an article tal

by asveikau 4y ago

kelp 4y ago
There kind of was a brief period, maybe 4 years? 2014 - 2018 or so when mid-market was looking up. Twitter was there. Square, and Uber. Businesses were moving in, buildings were getting renovated. Then it turned the wrong direction again, and now we have what we have.
- asveikau 4y ago
  It's complicated. In some ways, the new occupants seemed like they propped things up artificially. I remember going for one of my regular walks around there one afternoon a few years ago and noticing that either block of Market surrounding Twitter had a lot of people sitting on the sidewalk. The block with Twitter was devoid of this. Then I saw a nonviolent-looking homeless guy looking tired, attempting to sit on the "wrong" block. Without a beat, private security comes in to protect the techie outpost, maybe he tells them to move one block over. I was kind of disgusted. Like human misery is ok so long as no techies need to see it. But I also think it was good they they were revitalizing those old buildings. It is unfortunate that the decline of office work has been pretty hard on SF's downtown. I hope it'll be back some day.