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Coming soon to Union Square

Vacant to Vibrant transforms downtown San Francisco vacancies into vibrant communities, shaped by local participation.

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Transforming Vacant Storefronts into Vibrant Businesses

Drag the arrow from left to right to see the before and after transformations of Vacant to Vibrant storefronts

Hungry Crumbs, 215 Fremont Street, Suite 5B

Explore other transformations:

You bring the ideas,
we handle the logistics.

Vacant to Vibrant is a program by SF New Deal and the City of San Francisco. We help small businesses collaborate with local property owners to create engaging pop-up experiences and community spaces in downtown San Francisco.

Our team handles everything from managing pop-up permitting to securing city funding so it’s easy for locals to participate in turning vacant storefronts into vibrant gathering places — and help re-energize the neighborhood.

How We Work

Pop-Ups

Check out the wide-ranging pop-up businesses we’ve hosted since our launch.

Current Pop-Up

Long-Term Lease

Past Pop-Up

303 2nd St., Suite N102
Paper Son Coffee, named after their founder's family (and so many others in San Francisco) immigrated to the US , serves locally roasted coffee – nailing the classic drinks and offering adventurous Asian American-inspired flavor profiles.
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50 Fremont St., Suite 125
Koolfi Creamery creates Indian-inspired ice creams with fresh, local California Straus dairy. They are a queer and immigrant women-owned business that operates a shop in San Leandro and a pint wholesaling operation.
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215 Fremont St., Suite 5B
Hungry Crumbs is a a unique cookie concept that combines classic and contemporary flavors. The menu includes unique selections such as Ube Cookies and Balava Dough Cookies, tailored to appeal to both traditionalists and adventurous eaters.
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Four Embarcadero Center, Suite 4104
SIGNED LONG-TERM LEASE!
Drawing inspiration from traditional Senegalese recipes, Teranga utilizes African superfood ingredients to create new experiences as well as reintroduce old classics.
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220 Montgomery St., Suite 100
SIGNED LONG-TERM LEASE!
KALW is rooted in the Bay Area and inspired by the world. They create and curate programming that is informative, innovative, inclusive, and entertaining. They nurture new and underrepresented voices with the goal of engaging the individual and strengthen the connections between us.
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201 Jackson St.
SIGNED LONG-TERM LEASE!

With an unwavering commitment to curating captivating exhibitions, immersive pop-up events, and art-centric programming, GCS endeavors to elevate art communities while fostering meaningful relationships between artists and their audiences.
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One Embarcadero Center, Suite 1113
SIGNED LONG-TERM LEASE!
Devil’s Teeth is a San Francisco based bakery with a dedicated following for their breakfast sandwiches and other baked goods.
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Four Embarcadero Center, Suite 4504
SIGNED LONG-TERM LEASE!
Rosalind Bakery's mission is to create exceptional naturally leavened breads and croissants. They partner with farmers in Half Moon Bay and Pescadero to bring real farm-to-table food to their community.
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332 Pine St.
SIGNED LONG-TERM LEASE!
The Mellow SF exists because of their love for community. Their mission is to come together, under one roof, to share each other’s appreciation of mother nature and ultimately, beauty in all its forms.
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Four Embarcadero Center, Suite 4507
SIGNED LONG-TERM LEASE!

Since launching in 2020, Whack Donuts! has popped up at a multitude of cafes and breweries, offering their signature vegan donuts to their loyal and growing community.
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303 2nd St., Suite S137
ffrancesca is a collective by Fernanda Carlovich and Fernanda Partida Ochoa who are combining their Mexican and Brazilian backgrounds to illuminate Latin American narratives in the Bay Area. Their work intersects art, architecture, and culinary traditions, advocating for culture as a bridge to foster kinship and societal uplift.
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149 New Montgomery St., Unit A
Since 1997, Public Glass has been San Francisco's only public access glass studio and school. A 501(c)3 arts organization, they offer a robust curriculum of glass courses taught by local and nationally recognized artists, as well as programming for underserved youth and adults, corporate group experiences, events, and exhibitions.
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A Program by SF New Deal

SF New Deal is a San Francisco nonprofit that strengthens neighborhoods by making it easier for under-resourced small business owners to succeed. Through diverse programs, SF New Deal has disbursed more than $50 million to more than 1,650 local businesses.

More about SF New Deal

Change You Can See

With Lasting Impact

Vacant to Vibrant brings together small business owners, artists, creatives, property owners and the City of San Francisco to build a new vision for downtown.