2007 Retail Sales data for the four largest cities

Here is another more detailed cut of the 2007 Retail Sales data that was released at the beginning on this month. The charts show the share of total Marin County sales that is captured by each of the four largest cities for four types of retail store.



For Apparel stores, Corte Madera is the place to go. More than a third of the County's sales at apparel stores take place here. The Village at Corte Madera captures almost all of these sales and it's share has probably strengthened since then. Since 2007 several new apparel stores have opened at The Village, including Abercrombie & Fitch, True Religion, Martin & Osa, Puma and Michael Stars.

General Merchandise is also strong at Corte Madera (think Nordstrom & Macys), with San Rafael (Northgate department stores) also getting a quarter of total county sales. The winner however is Novato, with the big boxes at Vintage Oaks (Costco, Target) helping the city take a third of county sales.

Sales at Eating and Drinking places is by contrast widely distributed across the county. Almost half of sales in these outlets occur outside the big four cities. Marinites are lucky to have many options in this category, with multiple eateries available in towns such as Tiburon, Sausalito, San Anselmo and Larkspur.

When it comes to Furnishings & Appliances, San Rafael takes the prize, capturing almost 50% of Marin County sales. Big boxes along 101 and Bellam, and smaller furniture and homewares outlets along Fourth Street, help make San Rafael the destination of choice for these purchases.