Woodlands open at the Boardwalk, as the Boardwalk moves north to become the Marinwood

Keeping track of all the grocery stores in Marin is quite the challenge. In Tiburon, the Boardwalk Market, a 25-year veteran of the Boardwalk shopping center, closed its doors at the end of April this year. Less than a month later, with a few cosmetic changes to the building, the property re-opened as Woodlands Market.

Meanwhile the old Boardwalk Market has migrated northwards to Marinwood, where renovation of its new home at Marinwood Plaza is taking place, with a September opening planned. The new store will be twice as large as the old Tiburon store, and will be renamed Marinwood Market. Not to be confused with the Marinwood Farmers Market, which operates every Saturday at the Plaza.

Waiting for a tenant at the Cove Shopping Center in Tiburon

With both DeLano's and Blockbuster now gone, the Cove Shopping Center in Tiburon is looking somewhat deserted these days. Meanwhile, the small stores at the center are holding on, waiting for things to improve.

I'm sure it's only a matter of time before one the region's expanding markets, such as Sunflower Farmers Market, or Fresh 'n Easy,  leases the grocery store.

Bliss Home Design at Strawberry Village

First look at Bliss Home Design, which opened recently in the old Smith & Hawken space at Strawberry Village. Clearly a great place to stock up on statues, chandeliers, over-sized everything, and horses' heads.

Slow recovery for retail sales in Marin

As the national economy teeters between recovery and falling back into recession, retail sales in Marin continue to show a slow and steady improvement. The 1% retail sales tax distributed to cities in Marin averaged $2.38 million over the three months to June, an increase of 7.6% over the same period in 2010, and 16.5% up on the same period in 2009. The question now is how long will it take retail sales to catch up with the level seen in 2008?