Whole Foods' temporary closure at 1185 Market St. highlights San Francisco’s safety challenges yet again, and Mid-Market's exodus of businesses with Uber, Block, Reddit all planning to leave and Twitter having mass layoffs.
Yalonda M. James/The ChronicleSeven months before Whole Foodsabruptly closedat Trinity Place in San Francisco’s troubled Mid-Market neighborhood, a man overdosed from fentanyl and methamphetamine and died in the grocery store’s bathroom, The Chronicle has learned.
The 30-year-old man died on the evening of Sept. 20, 2022, from the lethal combination of drugs, according to the San Francisco medical examiner’s office. Medics attempted unsuccessfully to revive him, and he was declared dead at the scene, the Police Department said.
Whole Foods cited the safety of workers as the reason for the temporary closure, but the company has not provided details of incidents and did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who lives in the neighborhood and shopped at the store, has said it was hit by “drug-related retail theft, adjacent drug markets, and the many safety issues related to them.” The store is across the street from U.N. Plaza, where drug dealing and use are commonplace.
The move comes as downtown businesses in general struggle from reduced foot traffic and revenue due to the slow return of commuting workers to offices. Whole Foods’ closure came as a particular shock since it opened just a year ago after years of planning and development, and was the company’s flagship location in the city, with an estimated price tag of $12 million.
For the city, the closure deliveredyet another economic and psychological blowas it grapples with pandemic recovery and high-profile public safety challenges.
Customers interviewed Wednesday had mixed reactions from surprise to resignation, though all were disappointed to lose a valuable amenity in a part of the city that’s seen more than its share of difficulties.
塞巴斯蒂安·卢克,普通购物者在商店1185 Market St., said he witnessed a body in a sheet being transported out of the bathroom on Sept. 20.
Luke said he also witnessed numerous disturbing incidents and he wasn’t surprised by the store’s temporary closure on Monday, which was made to protect staff. About a month ago, Luke said a man began urinating in the store, alarming a staff member who told him to leave. The man replied that he wasn’t finished, Luke said.
Another time, a woman was walking barefoot around the store. Luke said that she told the security guards, “If you touch me I’ll sue you.” He also saw people using their hands to grab from the prepared food stations, prompting him to stop eating from them.
In an apparent response to crime, the store cut its operating hours, closing at 7 p.m. instead of 9 p.m. It also began requiring a proof of purchase to use the bathroom, Luke said.
Despite the negative experiences, Luke said he kept shopping there because it was close to his home in Civic Center and, as the city’s biggest Whole Foods, offered a “one-stop” shopping experience that was superior to the chain’s other locations.
“I love Whole Foods,” he said.
Trinity, the owner and manager of the 1,900-apartment complex that includes Whole Foods, issued a brief statement: “We were disappointed to learn of Whole Foods’ plan to close its Mid-Market store on a temporary basis and hope to see the store reopen soon.”
Kazuko Morgan, a Cushman & Wakefield retail broker who represented Trinity in the Whole Foods lease, said the closure was a setback for the area at Market and Eighth streets, which she thought would get safer with new residents and new investment. The store’s modern finishes and plentiful parking made it more attractive than the other eight Whole Foods in the city, she said, a position echoed by five shoppers who talked to The Chronicle on Wednesday.
With the closure, “there’s definitely a void,” she said.
Patrick Glenn, a Civic Center resident who visited the store around 10 times, said a “small army” of security guards would often tell people to remove products from their pockets.
“Every single time I was there, security was having some sort of confrontation with a homeless person or someone who seemed to be crazy,” he said.
格伦说,他不觉得自己一个威胁d the Whole Foods had better produce than other nearby options, so he kept shopping there.
Two days after the closure, a steady stream of would-be shoppers were still trying to get into the store around lunchtime on Wednesday. They pulled in vain on locked doors as they read a sign that said it was closed and cold wind gusted down Market Street.
Three people told The Chronicle that they were unaware and surprised by the closure and that they had felt safe due to the large security presence in the store.
Michael Arcino bought lunch from the store almost daily and had been planning to do the same on Wednesday. The store “felt pretty safe” with security up front, he said.
Yeni Sanchez was hoping to buy soup for lunch and was taken aback by the closure, given the high amount of security.
Sharmini Bhatnagar, who works two blocks away, was also a regular customer.
“This place is really great for food. I really want it to come back,” she said, adding that she “never felt unsafe.”
As she spoke, a man walked by on Market Street, screaming.
Chronicle staff writers Trisha Thadani and Heather Knight contributed reporting.
Reach Roland Li: roland.li@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @rolandlisf
