On a sunny weekend this fall, the corner of Ninth Avenue and Irving Street had lines for Arizmendi pizza and Tadaima matcha, strollers moving down the block, and high schoolers selling cookies on every corner. That's how Mission Local's Junyao Yang described it in an October 6 report.
The more useful part of that report is the numbers behind the crowd. According to merchants and city sales tax data, Inner Sunset businesses are reaching record sales volume. For most of the year, the corridor's sales tax revenue has grown and has stayed above its pre-pandemic level. West of 19th Avenue, the Outer Sunset and Parkside have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. Their sales tax revenue has slipped slightly over the past two years. The charts were built from the San Francisco Controller's sales tax dataset, which runs through Q1 2026.
So on Irving Street, a storefront going dark mostly means a wait. On almost every nearby corner, the business moving in serves food.
The gap shows up in how fast storefronts turn over
Merchants told Mission Local where the money is coming from. "We definitely had a lot of vacancies that were filled by restaurants," said Angie Petitt, owner of the gift shop collective Sunset Mercantile Emporium. "Food is always a huge destination." Susannah Wise, president of the Inner Sunset Merchants Association and co-owner of Park Smile, said eateries are what keep vacancies low.
Merchants also pointed to the area's density. More foot traffic means faster turnover when a storefront empties. Poppy Gilman owns Offix Edge on Noriega Street and sits on the Sunset Merchants Association board. She put the difference this way: "Inner Sunset feels like a little shopping district. You can walk through that area very easily. Whereas here, you have to be really wearing your hiking shoes."
Petitt also warned that the numbers don't "necessarily mean that all the businesses are all doing great." The past six months show both sides of that.
Who replaced whom, address by address
Most of this year's changes are one-for-one handoffs within a couple of blocks of the Ninth and Irving intersection.
| Address | Previous tenant | What's there now | Status as of early October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1326 Ninth Ave. | Social Kitchen & Brewery | Maggie & Mac's | Opened June 5, open Tuesday–Sunday |
| 1327 B Ninth Ave. | Willow on the Green | Tight Knit Vintage & Modern | Opened by late September |
| 801 Irving St. | Reliable Rexall Sunset pharmacy | Mama's Boy Pizza | Lease signed, aiming for spring 2027 |
| 731 Irving St. | LaLe | Istanbul Kebab & Gyros | Under construction, no opening date |
| 424 Irving St. | n/a | Abanico Coffee Roasters | Announced for fall 2026, not confirmed open |
Maggie & Mac's took over the old Social Kitchen & Brewery site, as the San Francisco Standard reported, and officially opened June 5. In its first two weeks, owner Scott Morton told Mission Local the demand had been "nuts." He said he had yet to find a limit to the neighborhood's appetite for French dip sandwiches, which kept running out. The restaurant's location page lists it as open Tuesday through Sunday.
Willow on the Green, next door at 1327 B Ninth, is the one handoff in the table that went from retail to retail. The British-focused cheese shop sold its last cheese on May 2 and its last wine on May 3. Owner Alex J. Sinclair cited a few local shifts, including the closure of a UCSF research center and the JFK Drive closure. He said those changes brought fewer Richmond District shoppers across the park. He is still selling cheese at fairs, picnics, and events. Tight Knit Vintage & Modern opened its second shop in the space, and the Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon reported in late September that it had "recently opened its doors."
Istanbul Kebab & Gyros is going into 731 Irving, where the Mediterranean restaurant LaLe operated for 11 years before closing in November 2025. Business filings show the new owner is Hayri Kabulantok, who also runs Mesopotamia Kitchen on 24th Street in Noe Valley. It will join a group of Mediterranean spots nearby that includes Lavash, Mezze and Moore II, and Park Gyros. As of Mission Local's October 6 report, the storefront was still under construction.
The pharmacy corner shows how long the wait can be
The biggest exception to fast turnover sat right on the busiest corner. Reliable Rexall Sunset, the neighborhood pharmacy at 801 Irving, closed in early 2025. For almost two years the space stayed empty, which Mission Local reported had baffled neighbors because it sits on the Ninth and Irving intersection with heavy foot traffic.
When a tenant finally signed, it was a pizzeria. Mama's Boy Pizza, which opened in Oakland in 2023, sells New York-style slices for $5 to $7, and its slices were ranked among the top 10 in the country. The for-lease sign came down in early September, and the co-owners were just starting on permits. Spring 2027 is the hoped-for opening, not a promise.
Once it opens, the corner will have three pizza options within a block. Mama's Boy will be steps from Arizmendi, whose triple-mushroom slice is a Mission Local reporter's favorite, and a block from Pasquale's Pizzeria, which has been in the neighborhood since the 1960s.
The storefronts still sitting empty are a reminder that a lease, permits, and a build-out each take months. Lomo Libre, a Peruvian restaurant on Irving, closed Sunday, July 26, after its lease expired. Applications to SF New Deal's Inner Sunset Neighborhood Vibrancy Fund remain open on a rolling basis. The fund offers grants for storefront improvements, technical help, and filling vacant storefronts. Applications sent by Aug. 28 got priority.
Two openings that were due in September
Two places had September targets, and neither had a confirmed opening as of the first week of October.
- Abanico Coffee Roasters at 424 Irving, near Fifth Avenue, is owner Ana Valle's second café. Mission Local first reported a late-September opening, and Hoodline reported on Sept. 19 that it was set to open by the end of the month. The Abanico website still says "Coming Fall 2026."
- Koobi Indoor Playhouse, a play space for kids ages 2 to 6, is planned for 1845 Irving near 20th Avenue. In late July it was aiming for September, with finishing work and one final city inspection still ahead. No later update has been reported.
If either one matters to your weekly routine, check its Instagram before you walk over.
The park side of the equation
Wise also gave credit to Golden Gate Park. She said more concerts, free shows, and special events like Lightscape bring people to the park, and park visitors often visit the Inner Sunset too. Neighborhood groups have added events of their own, including an art walk and a holiday light stroll. The goal is to draw people to blocks away from Ninth and Irving.
That makes the fall calendar part of the business story. Here's what's left this year:
- Inner Sunset Flea Market, Sunday, Oct. 11. The "Tricks, Treats, & Treasures" edition runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Irving between Ninth and 11th Avenues.
- Inner Sunset Flea Market, Sunday, Nov. 8. This is the last flea market of the season, featuring "The Big Lunch & Annual Pie Contest."
- Lightscape at the San Francisco Botanical Garden, Nov. 20 through Jan. 3, 2027. Members get a preview party on Nov. 19. Dates are on the Golden Gate Park Conservancy page.
- Inner Sunset Holiday Stroll, Saturday, Dec. 5, 5 to 9 p.m. The Inner Sunset Merchants Association lists this as the sixth annual stroll.
The Inner Sunset Farmers' Market runs year-round, Sundays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the lot at 1315 Eighth Ave. off Irving. On Oct. 11 and Nov. 8, the farmers' market and the flea market overlap for three hours a block apart.
One project that runs on a much slower clock
Some things around Ninth and Irving are moving slowly. Ninth Avenue between Kirkham and Lawton was first scheduled for repaving in 2021. As of the Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon's August report, the target was 2031. Public Works said it was looking at an earlier contract and that schedules can change. Storefronts on that stretch can change tenants within months, while the street repaving in front of them has been pushed back a decade.
Storefront turnover on a corridor like this one shapes the blocks around it, and that affects how people value homes nearby. If you're curious how that plays out near Ninth and Irving, or you're thinking about a renovation and want to scope it against what's happening a few blocks away, Kate Stoll is glad to talk it through. Schedule a consultation.
