Peets eyes Tiburon for new store, while CVS pushes forward

Peets Coffee and Tea has received planning approval for a new store in the Cove Shopping Center in Tiburon. The coffee shop will take the space previously occupied by Blockbuster. Retailers at the local shopping center have been struggling since the departure of first DeLano's market and then Blockbuster video earlier this year.

While Peets will draw a lot more traffic to the center, the news is double-edged for Sweet Things bakery, which has a robust coffee business, and Hearts and Flowers, which also sells coffee. As reported in the IJ:

Marsha Laske, who has co-owned Sweet Things for nearly 35 years, said coffee represents about 15 percent of her business, but she worries Peet's could also cut into her sales of baked goods. "I would not think it would be so good for either of us, quite frankly, when you have a very small population in a very small area where you have two businesses that are almost identical," Laske said.

Meanwhile, in downtown Tiburon, the new CVS drug store is moving forward, though not without ruffling the feathers of a few local residents, who are objecting to the store's large illuminated sign. As reported in the Ark:

More than 125 Belvedere and Tiburon residents have signed a petition demanding that CVS/pharmacy not be allowed to have a large, illuminated plastic marquee sign above the store.
The online petition drive was launched by Marcia McGovern of Belvedere, who earlier expressed her ire over the town's decision to allow CVS to remove the row of mature stone pine trees along their Beach Road and Tiburon Boulevard frontage.
"A 21-foot-long and 3-foot-high illuminated, red plastic, 'marquee' sign … is not in keeping with the small-town character and charm of Tiburon and should not be allowed," her petition language reads.

Disgruntled residents aside, the town of Tiburon can't wait to get these new stores up and open. Tiburon has by far the poorest performing retail sector in Marin County, with sales tax revenues down 38% since 2008.

Marinwood Market opens for business

There's something very satisfying about the opening of a new locally owned business. And when that business is a supermarket in these times of economic uncertainty and chain store dominance it's even more satisfying.

Marinwood Market is not a totally new business - it's actually a transplant of the old Boardwalk Market in Tiburon. But it's a new location and a new larger 15,000 sq.ft store for the owners and the transplanted staff.

It takes many years for a grocery store to establish its reputation and customer loyalty in a new location, but the Marinwood Market can count on a lot of good will from the local community, which has been without a local market for more than five years since Marinwood Plaza's Bell Market closed.

More photos of the new store and the renovation are on the store's Facebook page.

As can be seen from these photos, the new store is bright and spacious and fairly well stocked, with just a few gaps still waiting to be filled. The produce and deli sections are modest but nicely presented and appropriate for a store of this size.

When I visited the store was quiet - but it was a midweek afternoon, so no surprise.

Overall a great improvement from two years ago, when it seemed the Plaza would never recover.

Marin Gateway Shopping Center lands a buyer (really this time)

The San Francisco Business Times reports that the Gateway shopping center in Marin City has been sold to an affiliate of the Gerrity Group for $36 million. The center was sold by the Bay Area Council, and was previously reported as sold to a joint venture between Developers Diversified and BIG Shopping Centers, although this sale failed to finalize.

From the SFBT:

"Gerrity Group was formed to acquire well-located shopping centers where it can add value and create additional quality by investing in capital improvements, operations and management," (Dan Wald of Cassidy Turley) said in a statement.
A year ago, reports surfaced that a joint venture of The BIG group, an Israeli company, and Developers Diversified, a U.S. real estate investment trust, were going to buy Marin Gateway for $36 million. The property was first put up for sale in April 2010.
Wald said that BIG put out its press release about the deal while still in the due diligence phase, and that Developers Diversified chose not to move forward with the deal after the due diligence.
"That was unfortunate, because (BIG) announced the price, and that created a ceiling," Wald said

Congratulations to the new owners. They have a little work to do to lease up several remaining vacant stores.

Marin retail sales hit by economic worries

Fears that the economy is sliding back into recession have had a negative impact on retail sales in Marin County. According to data released by the State Board of Equalization, just $2.6 million in sales tax distributions were made to cities in Marin in September. That total represents a fall of 6.5% over September 2010, and is also 3.9% less than the September total in the depths of the 2009 recession.

As the chart below shows, the rolling 3-month average for 2011 is tracking an almost identical path to 2008. Does this mean 2012 will turn out to be another 2009? Let's hope not.

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.