AT&T, The RealReal Return to Shuttered Union Square Stores

The comeback of San Francisco’s Union Square continues with two more retailers reopening their doors after shuttering in the wake of the pandemic.

Telecommunications company AT&T and fashion resale store The RealReal are reopening in the same locations they previously closed in 2023, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

AT&T is moving back into One Powell Street next to the Powell Street BART stop at a to-be-announced date. The RealReal confirmed it is opening a “reimagined” flagship at 253 Post Street on Feb. 26, according to the Chronicle.

The RealReal’s outpost will comprise two stories selling clothing, jewelry and watches and offer consignor appointments for shoppers. The six-story 253 Post Street sold last October to an affiliate of Beverly Hills-based investor Bijan Chadorchi for $30.5 million. The RealReal’s decision to reopen is a result of its “optimism and confidence in the city’s long-term vitality,” Rati Sahi Levesque, CEO of The RealReal, said in a statement, per the Chronicle.

AT&T and The RealReal’s returns are two of the instances of companies reopening locations in the San Francisco market after closing their doors following the pandemic’s outbreak. Last year, H&M returned to its same space in Stonestown Galleria mall that it shuttered in 2022. Uniqlo, which departed the Powell Street area in 2021, is slated to come back at 101 Market Street, a few blocks away from its former flagship.

As retailers and shoppers return to Union Square, the area has seen an uptick in leasing and foot traffic as well as free outdoor events planned throughout the year, according to the Chronicle. Popular toy store Pop Mart, Dandelion Chocolate and Bourbon Steak have all recently broken into the Union Square market. Japanese streetwear brand Bape is set to join the ranks of retailers in the area with a lease at 216 Stockton Street.

— Chris Malone Méndez