Steve's Hallmark is closing the book on 21 years at Tanforan Mall, telling customers its last day of business will come in January 2027, though an exact closing date has not yet been set. A farewell closing sale is already underway, with discounts on a number of items as the card and gift shop winds down its run at the San Bruno mall.
The store has been a fixture at the mall since it reopened in 2005, according to KRON4. “Ever since the mall reopened in 2005, we have been proud to serve our neighbors from San Bruno, South San Francisco, Daly City, Millbrae, San Francisco and beyond,” the store said, per the station's report. Steve's Hallmark operates Hallmark Gold Crown franchise stores across Northern California, with other locations in Concord, Elk Grove, Fremont, Roseville, San Jose and San Mateo.
For shoppers who want to keep buying cards and gifts after the Tanforan location closes, the company pointed customers to its Hillsdale Mall store in San Mateo or its online shop, the same report notes. Some customers have already expressed sadness in comments on social media over the coming closure, per the article.
A Mall Already Thinning Out
Steve's Hallmark isn't the only longtime tenant on its way out. Shirtique Pro Shop, a sports memorabilia store that spent more than 30 years inside Tanforan Mall, announced its own closure in August 2026 and said at the time it planned to shut down in September. As of November 1, the shop was still open, the same KRON4 account states.
The slow exodus comes as the indoor shopping center itself is set to become a biotech campus, per the station's report. Alexandria Real Estate Equities and Strada Investment Group are jointly responsible for the redevelopment project, according to San Francisco YIMBY, which reviewed the project's final environmental report.
Conflicting Numbers on Housing Scope
Exactly how much housing the overhaul will bring remains murky across different accounts. San Francisco YIMBY's reporting on the final environmental report describes a plan with 1,014 residential units, alongside roughly 112,000 square feet of new and relocated retail space and about 724,000 square feet of life-science lab and office space, plus a 35,000-square-foot amenity building. The San Mateo Daily Journal, however, reported the proposal could include up to 1,514 units of housing, 100,000 square feet of new retail and as much as 1.8 million square feet of office and life-sciences space across the 44-acre parcel, according to the paper's coverage. The Silicon Valley Business Journal, for its part, characterized the plan as a 1,500-home redevelopment in its own reporting.
Much of the existing mall is expected to come down, though San Francisco YIMBY reports the plan would retain the Target store and remodel the Century at Tanforan Theater. Demolition and site preparation were expected to begin in 2027, with the first construction phases projected for 2028 or 2029, per the same outlet.
Retail Headwinds and Tailwinds
The redevelopment arrives as Northern California's shopping-center vacancy rate fell to 5.5%, a trend the Silicon Valley Business Journal says could improve prospects for the project's first-phase retail even as high construction and borrowing costs remain hurdles for developers to clear.
For now, the mall's remaining shoppers are left watching familiar storefronts wind down one by one, with Steve's Hallmark's farewell sale offering one of the last chances to stop in before the shelves empty for good.
