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French vintage store opens downtown San Francisco pop-up through Vacant to Vibrant program

French vintage store opens downtown San Francisco pop-up through Vacant to Vibrant program

Built World San Francisco, CA local

Elsie Green's three-month pop-up at One Embarcadero Center was open by late October, the latest test of a city program that matches landlords with small businesses

October 27th, 2026: Elsie Green says downtown shop is stocked

Overview

Updated Oct 29

Laurie Cain Furber bought vintage oak dressers, antique art and stoneware on a June buying trip through southern France and shipped them in a 20-foot container. The container reached the U.S. in early October, and her East Bay store, Elsie Green, was set to open a pop-up at One Embarcadero Center on Oct. 17. Her shop's own Oct. 27 newsletter says the downtown location is now stocked with finds.

Elsie Green is one of more than 30 storefronts that Vacant to Vibrant has placed downtown since 2023. The program, run by the nonprofit SF New Deal, offers short leases and permitting help so shops can test a location. Furber signed for three months with an option to extend. In the Inner Sunset, 28 businesses were named Vibrancy Fund recipients on Oct. 22, including 403 Coffee, which is aiming for a December opening.

Why it matters

If short leases keep turning empty downtown storefronts into permanent shops, other cities with dead office districts will copy the playbook.

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Key Indicators

30+
Small businesses placed by Vacant to Vibrant since 2023
Storefronts the program has filled downtown, as of October 2026.
23
Businesses currently open
Of the 30-plus placed, 23 were operating as of Oct. 12, 2026.
10+
Businesses with long-term leases
Pop-ups that signed permanent leases; more than 10 as of Oct. 12, 2026.
3 months
Initial lease term for Elsie Green
Furber's commitment at One Embarcadero Center, with option to extend.

Voices

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People Involved

Laurie Cain Furber
Laurie Cain Furber
Owner, Elsie Green
Was set to open a pop-up at One Embarcadero Center on Oct. 17, 2026; her Oct. 27 newsletter described the shop as stocked with vintage finds.
SB
Simon Bertrang
Executive Director, SF New Deal
Leading Vacant to Vibrant program

Organizations Involved

SF New Deal
SF New Deal
Nonprofit
Operates Vacant to Vibrant; expanding the model beyond downtown

Nonprofit that runs Vacant to Vibrant with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, matching landlords with small businesses for pop-up and permanent retail spaces.
BXP
BXP
Real Estate Investment Trust
Landlord at One Embarcadero Center

San Francisco's largest office landlord, partnering with Vacant to Vibrant tenants at Embarcadero Center.

Timeline

2023 October 2026

6 events Latest: October 27th, 2026 · 2 weeks ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Elsie Green says downtown shop is stocked

    Latest Opening

    Elsie Green's email newsletter described its new San Francisco shop as filled with vintage finds. The message suggests the pop-up was operating by late October.

  2. Inner Sunset grant recipients named

    Expansion

    Twenty-eight Inner Sunset businesses were named Vibrancy Fund recipients, including 403 Coffee at 403 Irving St. The cafe has a $20,000 grant for interior work and is aiming for a December opening.

  3. Elsie Green pop-up scheduled to open

    Opening

    The three-month pop-up at One Embarcadero Center was scheduled to begin Oct. 17, with an option to extend.

  4. Elsie Green pop-up announced

    Announcement

    Laurie Cain Furber will open her French vintage store at One Embarcadero Center on Oct. 17.

  5. Program expands to Inner Sunset

    Expansion

    SF New Deal brings the Vacant to Vibrant model to another San Francisco neighborhood.

  6. Vacant to Vibrant launches

    Program Launch

    SF New Deal starts matching landlords with small businesses for downtown pop-ups.

Scenarios

1

Elsie Green signs long-term lease, joins Devil's Teeth and Whack Donuts as permanent tenants

Likely Resolves by Jan 17, 2027

Discussed by: SF New Deal program data; BXP's stated preference for energizing the area

If the three-month pop-up draws enough foot traffic and sales, Furber extends her lease. The pattern is established: Devil's Teeth Bakery and Whack Donuts both converted from pop-ups to permanent tenants at Embarcadero Center. Furber says the trial will give her "the information I need to make a decision about whether having a city store is the right thing for me."

2

Vacant to Vibrant expands to more neighborhoods and cities

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: SF New Deal fundraising efforts; Los Angeles copycat initiative

The program's success in downtown and the Inner Sunset attracts more funding. SF New Deal is already fundraising to expand to other neighborhoods. The Los Angeles copycat shows the model is replicable. More landlords may offer below-market rents to fill vacancies and energize their properties.

3

Program stalls as funding runs out or landlords return to market-rate demands

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: None explicitly; risk inherent in grant-funded programs

Vacant to Vibrant relies on funding and landlord cooperation. If the program's budget shrinks or BXP and other landlords decide the retail market has recovered enough to charge market rates, the pipeline of new pop-ups could dry up. The shift from launching nearly a dozen pop-ups at once to sporadic rollouts suggests the program is already managing fewer resources.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2020-2023

San Francisco's downtown retail vacancy crisis (2020-2023)

The pandemic emptied downtown San Francisco offices, and remote work kept them empty. Retail vacancies followed as foot traffic collapsed. Storefronts sat dark for years, and the city's downtown became a symbol of urban decline.

Then

Landlords slashed rents and offered concessions to attract any tenants.

Now

The crisis created the conditions for Vacant to Vibrant, which gave landlords a low-risk way to fill spaces with pop-ups.

Why this matters now

Vacant to Vibrant is a direct response to this vacancy crisis. The program's success depends on landlords like BXP continuing to prioritize activation over immediate revenue.

2010s

New York City's pop-up retail programs (2010s)

New York launched pop-up initiatives to fill vacant storefronts with temporary businesses, matching entrepreneurs with landlords.

Then

Some pop-ups became permanent businesses, but many closed when subsidies ended.

Now

The model showed that temporary activation can test a location's viability, but long-term success depends on the business itself.

Why this matters now

Vacant to Vibrant follows this playbook. The program's 10 long-term leases out of 30+ placements show a conversion rate that suggests the model can work, but the failures matter too.

Sources

(6)
+1
The San Francisco Standard Mission Local Milled LinkedIn (SF New Deal) SF Guide The San Francisco Standard