Stonestown: Turning the Corner

The parking lot was filled, but Stonestown
wasn't crowded on the day after Black Friday

Stonestown Galleria has become a regular stop for us on the way back from appointments on the west side of San Francisco. The mall has very few empty storefronts and has become a hangout for young urban Asians:

Lately, on San Francisco’s west side, where I [reporter Harry Mok] live now, Stonestown Galleria is in a mini-boom, with new stores and restaurants replacing many of those that closed before or didn’t survive the pandemic.

While there will be Christmas decorations and Santa Claus, Black Friday at Stonestown will also have a decidedly Asian vibe, especially the food options.

On a recent visit, I noticed that seven of the 10 restaurants in the food court were Asian, along with a few others around the mall. And, as I was walking around, it dawned on me that nearly everyone there was Asian American.

One sign that retail has turned the corner: we used to go to particular restaurants or stores, but now the Mall itself has become the destination.