Vitamin and supplement chain GNC is pulling out of the Castro Safeway shopping center, leaving yet another vacancy after the departure of See's Candies last month.
We reached out to GNC to learn more about the closure, but did not hear back at press time. It was not immediately clear when the store's last day will be, but a sign in the window encourages customers to visit other San Francisco locations at 2675 Geary Blvd., 865 Market St. and 220 O'Farrell St.
The loss of GNC leaves Jamba Juice as the only remaining non-Safeway tenant in the shopping center. In addition to See's, Starbucks Coffee closed its location in the complex in February 2018.
Reached via email, Safeway spokesperson Wendy Gutshall told Hoodline that the store is actively marketing the space for a sublease, but discussions remain confidential at this time.
"It’s important to us to find the right tenants to best serve the neighborhood," she said.
The complex has struggled for years with San Francisco's homelessness crisis. Five years ago, Safeway evicted a recycling center that operated at the eastern edge of the parking lot, with the aim of reducing noise and trash from people bringing in recyclables.
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.
Safeway itself has had frequent issues with shoplifting, leading to a six-month revocation of its longtime 24-hour status in 2017. Last fall, we also reported that it was struggling with a rat infestation in its parking lot.
Thanks to Hoodline tipster Michael Petrelis! See something interesting while you’re out and about? Text Hoodline and we’ll try to find out what's going on: (415) 200-3233.