Heads up, super fans of Mario, Pikachu and Donkey Kong, you’ll finally have a reason to come to Union Square other than the Cheesecake Factory.
Japanese gaming giant Nintendo is opening its second U.S. retail outlet in the ground floor space attached to the Westin St. Francis hotel at 331 Powell St., according to city building permits. The news was first reported by The San Francisco Chronicle.
Planning applications show Nintendo plans to erect 42-inch by 42-inch illuminated sign on Powell St. to attract shoppers strolling through Union Square with additional wall signs on Geary St.
The two-story 10,000-square-foot store—of similar size as its Times Square location in New York—is slated to open sometime in 2025, according to the gaming company.
As evidenced by Mayor London Breed’s trumpeting of the news on her social media channels last month, the forthcoming opening is a welcome relief from the constant dribble of store closure announcements around Union Square, most notably Macy’s.
The mayor even posted on Instagram an image of Mario jumping over mushrooms with the Transamerica Pyramid in the background.
Ken Rich, director of economic development and policy for the Union Square Alliance, said Nintendo is a perfect fit for the shopping district, which functions as a major tourist destination.
“If you’re a brand that appeals to a really broad cross-section of people, this is where you would want to be,” Rich said, adding that people of all ages will be attracted to the store.
Few retail options currently exist downtown that are specifically geared toward children. The Disney Store in Union Square shuttered in 2021 and the decades-old family-run toy shop Jeffrey’s Toys closed earlier this year.
The San Francisco location would be the second U.S.-based Nintendo store after Nintendo North America, which opened in New York’s Rockefeller Center in 2005. The company also operates three other official locations in Japan.
Outside of Nintendo video games and consoles, the company’s retail outlets offer accessories and merchandise like Yoshi plushies, Mighty Bowser Lego sets, and real-life versions of iconic in-game items. Nintendo’s New York store even features a tiny museum showing how the company’s video game technology developed over its history.
The Golden State is also home to another asset in Nintendo’s empire with Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood. Fans can make a pilgrimage to get behind the wheel of a life-sized Mario Kart on the ride Bowser’s Challenge, where you can experience the thrill of escaping 10-foot-tall piranha plants and other challenges in the game.
This is not the first video game company that has tried to plant its flag in the bay with a brick-and-mortar store.
Gamers may remember, with nostalgia, the Sony PlayStation store at the Metreon shopping center. After a 10-year run, the location closed its doors in 2009, citing struggles related to the Great Recession.
Nintendo’s San Francisco location will be open in time for the three-day Pokémon World Championship scheduled to be held in the city in 2026. Last month, the Board of Supervisors voted to make April 13 the official “Pokémon Spring Celebration Day.”