The impending closure of the long-standing Williams Sonoma location in Union Square has been given a reprieve, as the retailer has extended its lease to stay in the city's best-known shopping district for at least another year.
A store employee confirmed to The Standard that the store at 340 Post St. will remain open through the next holiday season, closing no sooner than January 2025.
The kitchenware and home goods store opened in 1993 and spans 19,774 square feet across four floors and a basement, according to property records. The top floor includes a cooking school.
The first San Francisco Williams Sonoma store opened in 1956, also near Union Square.
Williams Sonoma had initially decided to close its only San Francisco location after Chanel was set to relocate into the building from its nearby location at 156 Geary St. The French luxury fashion house purchased the property in 2021 for $63 million, according to property records.
The temporary extension of the Williams Sonoma lease implies that Chanel's timetable for a move has also been pushed. No major building permits have been submitted since Chanel acquired the property.
According to data from real estate firm Avison Young, Union Square has a vacancy rate hovering around 18%, nearly double the figure seen in the first quarter of 2020.
Downtown San Francisco's central shopping district has struggled with viral robbery incidents and closures of prominent stores in recent years amid changing consumer habits accelerated by the pandemic.