The San Francisco Centre, which has lost the battle for customers and profitability, is at war with itself as the downtown mall’s lawyers fight to evict some of the few businesses hanging on.
The company that runs the once-vibrant Westfield mall filed unlawful detainer complaints Friday in San Francisco Superior Court to kick out a restaurant, an eyebrow salon, and a shoe repair shop.
On Monday, a sign just inside the mall’s Fifth Street entrance still listed dozens of shuttered businesses as if they were still open for business. There was barely anyone shopping at the dwindling shops, such as H&M and shoe store Ecco, which offered steep markdowns for pre-closure sales.
Signs in Ecco’s window offer more than half off merchandise. | Source: George Kelly/The StandardFoot traffic is scarce Monday at San Francisco Centre. | Source: George Kelly/The Standard
The court filings, in three cases, target the owners and operators of Shoe Wiz, on the mall’s concourse, the Executive Order Bar & Lounge, and Eyebrow Plus beauty chain. None responded to requests for comment Monday.
Since it was foreclosed on in November, the mall has been controlled by a Delaware-based entity that represents the lender. An attorney for the mall, Gregory P. Barbee, did not respond to requests for comment.
The San Francisco Centre, which once housed Nordstrom and a flagship Bloomingdale’s, has struggled since the pandemic. The lender-controlled entity has been working to either restructure the asset or prepare it for sale or redevelopment.
The Shoe Wiz repair shop was locked up as of Monday. | Source: George Kelly/The Standard
According to a complaint filed against the CEO of beauty chain Eyebrow Plus, the store was given a three-day notice to leave on Dec. 13. The filing, which notes that the store remained open Dec. 18, seeks damages of $201.37 “for each day Defendant continues in possession of the Premises and through the time of judgment,” plus a declaration of forfeiture and recovery of suit costs. Shoe Wiz, steps away from the mall’s still busy Panda Express restaurant, was locked; boxes and shelves of merchandise could be seen.
At Eyebrow Plus, a lone employee who declined to share her name stood ready to handle any walk-in customers. She said the business was set to close by Jan. 31.
