Mono Brands Love Fillmore Even If No One Is Actually Shopping

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There's an undeniable shift happening in San Francisco's retail landscape that's pushing the cool kid brands to open on Fillmore instead of Union Square. "The realtors have lured the mono labels into the area promising this to be the next Soho," Miyo Ota, owner of indie boutique Mio, tells The New Fillmore. But that hasn't necessarily translated into more shoppers and more sales. During the week, employees at stores like Rag & Bone far outnumber actual customers, based on observations from one writer. Because most of these high end, mono labels can often be found on sale online, the storefronts may behave more like showrooms, locals explains to the publication.

To counter these claims, retail real estate agent David Fishbein assures The New Fillmore that "every single merchant — with the exception of maybe one — has been really, really happy with how they've been performing on Fillmore." HeidiSays owner Heidi Sabelhaus remains positive about retail prospects in the area as well. She sees this as an opportunity to stand out with a curated, varied selection of different brands. She also applauds the growing foot traffic, with the new stores drawing more tourists and style-focused locals to the area. So there's really two sides to this retail conversation. At the very least, we now know that there's no wait for dressing rooms or service at these stores on a week day.
· Lots of chic new shops, not so many shopper [The New Fillmore]
· 23 Store Openings That Made 2014 the Best Year Ever [Racked SF]