See's Candies closes, leaving another vacancy at Castro Safeway complex

See's Candies closes, leaving another vacancy at Castro Safeway complexPhotos: Teresa Hammerl/Hoodline
Teresa Hammerl
Published on July 23, 2019

Last February, Starbucks Coffee closed its location in the Safeway complex at Church and Market streets, leaving a vacancy that has yet to be filled. Now, fellow tenant See’s Candies is pulling out as well. 

Tipster John P. informed us that the See's store at 2016 Market St. (at Church) closed last Saturday. A sign directs customers to the brand's downtown location, at 542 Market St.; it also has outlets remaining in the Richmond District, Fisherman's Wharf and Embarcadero Center. 

Reached via email, a company spokesperson declined to comment on reasons for the closure. 

A sign posted on See's Candies windows.

Aside from Safeway, Jamba Juice and supplements store GNC are the last remaining shops in the complex, which has struggled with quality-of-life issues in recent years. 

Five years ago, the city evicted a recycling center that operated at the eastern edge of the parking lot, "to improve parking lot conditions," according to the grocery chain.

The closure was controversial. Some neighbors complained that it attracted homeless people who caused litter and all-night noise, while others said displacing the center was discriminatory against low-income people who relied on collecting bottles and cans for income. 

Even after the eviction of the recycling center, the Safeway complex has continued to draw homeless encampments, causing ripple effects for its tenants.

At the beginning of last year, Public Works installed barricades along the sidewalk outside the shopping center's parking lot, to prevent people from sleeping in the area. 

The Safeway store has had frequent issues with shoplifting, leading to a six-month revocation of its longtime 24-hour status in 2017. Last fall, we reported that it was struggling with a rat infestation in its parking lot.