By Samantha Delouya | CNN
Los Angeles — In many ways, San Francisco’s downtown is in dire straits. The city’s Union Square neighborhood — once bustling with shoppers, diners, and tourists — has suffered from declining foot traffic and shuttered storefronts.
Stores in the area now have papered-over windows and “Retail for Lease” signs, according to Google Street View, which was last updated in June.
While in-person activities in many major cities in the United States have rebounded since the start of the Covid pandemic, San Francisco’s recovery has been strained. The downturn of the city’s Union Square is a microcosm of that struggle.
Mapping the exodus
Union Square has historically been a major commercial hub in the heart of San Francisco’s downtown. It serves as a venue for many public events and is seen as a go-to tourist attraction in the city due to its high-end shops, departments stores and hotels. But lately, many well-known chains have announced exits from the area, including CB2, Anthropologie, and Nordstrom.
According to data provided to CNN by market research firm Coresight, nearly 40 retail stores have closed in Union Square’s zip code since 2020, while dozens more have closed in the surrounding area.
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Shopping mall operator Westfield gave up control of its San Francisco Centre mall in June. The company said its decision was due to “challenging operating conditions” in the downtown area. In May, a Westfield mall spokesperson told CNN affiliate KGO-TV that store closures underscore “the deteriorating situation in downtown San Francisco.”
“A growing number of retailers and businesses are leaving the area due to the unsafe conditions for customers, retailers and employees, coupled with the fact that these significant issues are preventing an economic recovery of the area,” the spokesperson told KGO-TV.
A complicated decline in…
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