Inner Clement's Oldest Storefronts Are Going Dark as the First Block Fills Up

"It has been a joy to serve you and be part of this neighborhood."

That sign went up in the window at Mai's Vietnamese, 316 Clement St., when Becky and Ricky closed the restaurant for good in the last days of September. They had run it for 34 years. In January the couple had reopened after a six-month closure while Ricky recovered from knee surgery. This time the closure is permanent.

Mai's was not the only long run on the inner Richmond corridors to end this year. Put this fall's changes on a map and a pattern shows up. The businesses closing on Clement and inner Geary are mostly the ones that lasted longest. The new arrivals, meanwhile, are landing on the first block west of Arguello Boulevard. The reported plans for 1, 32 and 35 Clement are three new businesses within a few doors of each other. As of the start of October, local reporting had named no successor for the midblock Clement spaces at 316, 455 and 514.

The exits this year

Here is what has closed or emptied between Arguello and Park Presidio in 2026, according to local reporting, with each business's tenure where it was reported.

The reasons vary, and where an owner gave one, it was usually personal. At My Tofu House, owner Jae Hyo Sa said he was retiring, and his son said the lease had expired. The Golden Phoenix sign simply thanked customers for their visits and support and was signed John and Anna. Earlier this year Chococo posted signs announcing a temporary closure because of staffing problems. Its new sign reads like a final one. The handwritten notices at 304 Sixth Ave. mention a contract expiring and a "big clearance." The postal closure at 837 Clement came from USPS, which ended the contract and moved service to post offices it runs itself.

HI NRG is the only exit on the list that is really a move. Co-owners Nathan Kruse, Luis Gonzalez and Clara Liang ended the Clement pop-up and opened a permanent café and wine bar at 5801 Geary Blvd., west of Park Presidio.

Local reporting through Oct. 1 named no incoming tenant for 316, 455 or 514 Clement, or for 304 Sixth Ave.

Where the new names are landing

Head back toward Arguello and the picture changes. Rose Pizzeria, the San Francisco location of the Berkeley restaurant, began serving at 1 Clement St. in late April. Gerard Gobel and Alexis Rorabaugh own the San Francisco location.

A few doors west, at 35 Clement, MNT Studio has advertised an October 2026 opening. It describes itself as a Pilates-and-wellness social club with reformer and heated-mat Pilates, an infrared sauna and childcare. As of Oct. 4, its own page was still selling founding memberships and listed its class schedule as coming soon, so MNT is best treated as arriving rather than open.

Across the street is 32 Clement, near Second Avenue, which city planner Sylvia Jimenez said has been vacant since 2024. It is now the most-discussed storefront on the corridor.

The openings farther in are mostly reopenings and renamings. Clementina, a fully gluten-free Italian restaurant from Gianluca Legrottaglie and Viviana Devoto, reopened under that name at 343 Clement on March 12. The space had operated as Bettola. At 701 Clement, near Eighth Avenue, "Solo Show" signs were up by Aug. 18, with Chinese text describing trendy women's clothing. A company called Golden Lu LLC registered at the address in late June. Mission Local had not confirmed an in-person opening. On Geary, city records show a business called Casito may open at 4601 Geary, the former Noodle in a Haystack address. Its details and owner had not been reported as of early September.

Why 32 Clement got a full hearing

On Sept. 24 the San Francisco Planning Commission voted unanimously to let Therapy Stores, a gift shop owner Jing Chen has grown across the Bay Area, open at 32 Clement. Chen bought the building in December 2025 for just under $2 million and applied for a conditional use authorization in May.

The hearing came down to a count. The city's formula retail law, which limits chain stores, is generally triggered at 11 locations. Chen had 11 stores when she applied. One of them, in San Bruno, has since closed, but the planning code also counts locations that are entitled to operate, so the Clement store went to the commission. "Rather than arguing any technicalities, both we and [the planning department] thought it better to engage with the community," Chen wrote.

The Clement Street Merchants Association organized against the application. Association president Chris Squire argued that the corridor already has plenty of shops selling plush toys, baby onesies and slogan magnets. Alissa Anderson of Foggy Notion, 124 Clement St., said merchants hadn't understood Therapy's scale until Mission Local reported on its 11th location. At the hearing, Amanda Weld, owner of the toy store Tantrum, asked how a chain carrying the same lines as several shops within three blocks would fill a need. Five merchants spoke against the store and five people spoke in favor.

One of Squire's arguments ties directly to the table above. He said there was no need to alter the 32 Clement site because vacant storefronts nearby were already zoned for retail. Chen denied trying to get around the law.

The commissioners weighed the store differently. Commissioner Mike Chen said he saw the 11th location of a local chain as different from an outpost of a national retailer. He also said he was uncomfortable being asked to decide on character testimony. Commissioner Sean McGarry, who said he has lived in the Inner Richmond since 2011, put it this way: "Neighbors are neighbors."

Jing Chen has promised to work with Clement Street merchants so her merchandise doesn't overlap with theirs. Planning staff noted at the hearing that the city cannot dictate what a shop sells, so that promise is a commitment from Chen, not a condition of approval.

The October calendar for 32 Clement

The merchants told Mission Local they would consider appealing to the Board of Supervisors. City rules set the window. An appeal can't be filed until 10 business days after the commission acts, and it must be filed within 30 calendar days. If day 30 falls on a weekend, the deadline moves to the next business day. For a Sept. 24 decision, that works out to:

1. Oct. 8, 2026, the first day an appeal could be filed.
2. Oct. 24, 2026, day 30, which falls on a Saturday.
3. Oct. 26, 2026, the effective filing deadline.

As of Oct. 4, an appeal is possible but none could have been filed yet. Whether 32 Clement opens on schedule will depend on what happens in that window.

What stays put on the inner blocks

The changes above sit alongside fixed points that haven't moved. On Oct. 1, Mission Local made a point of reporting that Aroma Tea Shop at 302 Sixth Ave., between the two closing storefronts, appears to be staying. In July the two dim sum spots near Seventh Avenue, Xiao Long Bao and Clement Restaurant, returned from a summer break. Green Apple Books at 506 Clement is next door to the empty Golden Phoenix space.

October is also the sunniest month on this side of town, as Mission Local's Richmond columnist points out. Here is what's on the inner Clement calendar:

• Sundays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Clement Street Farmers Market closes the street at 244 Clement and runs rain or shine.
• Oct. 8 "Money in San Francisco politics: Who's spending big on the election?" is a free panel at the Internet Archive, 300 Funston Ave. at Clement, in the neoclassical former Christian Science church.
• Oct. 17 Steins, 731 Clement St., holds its 15th annual Steinfest. Tickets are $40 in advance and $45 at the door and include a first beer, all-you-can-eat German sausage and a champagne toast.

The summer evening events are over. The night-market series ran May 16, June 20, July 18 and Aug. 15, and the organizer's page now points to 2027. The 10th Annual Richmond District Autumn Moon Festival filled Clement on Sept. 12 with more than 100 vendor booths. No tenants have been announced yet for 316, 455 and 514 Clement. The next dated items on the corridor are both on the first block off Arguello: MNT's planned October opening and the 32 Clement appeal window, which closes Oct. 26.

If you own a home or building near Clement and want a candid read on how this year's storefront turnover fits into your own plans, William Freeman is glad to go through it with you, including what is confirmed and what is still pending. Let me guide you home.