Union Sq. in San Francisco’s downtown has seen higher days — and even higher years. With massive companies packing up and leaving, the favored public plaza is redefining its identification.
The context
In keeping with reporting from the Los Angeles Instances:
- Practically 30 shops closed within the downtown space because the pandemic and 7 extra are on faucet to shutter.
- A dip in client purchases, provide chain points and hefty operation prices together with public security are some elements behind the 6% emptiness price uptick within the metropolis within the first quarter of the 12 months. Final 12 months the determine was at 5.2%, described because the “highest within the metropolis” since 2006.
- There are about 300,000 fewer folks in downtown compared to 2019 and homelessness has impacted foot site visitors.
- “It’s a really significant issue for the entire metropolis, a lot much less downtown,” stated Bay Space Council Financial Institute Govt Director Jeff Bellisario within the article.
The response
LA Instances reported that San Francisco Mayor London Breed “pushed again towards the narrative” that Union Sq. is in bother.
Breed stated within the article that the media shouldn’t be speaking concerning the shops that moved in.
“These people who don’t stroll the streets in San Francisco, that don’t dwell in San Francisco, however they need to write about and commentate about San Francisco, I problem you to return to this metropolis and see what it seems like,” Breed stated at a Might information convention. “I problem you to return store on the shops that you simply’re complaining about, which you in all probability by no means even stepped foot within the first place.”
Breed acknowledged in an ABC 7 article the necessity to beef up extra police presence to attract extra enterprise within the metropolis and foot site visitors. She added that involved residents are “going to see a distinction” with proposed updates to town.
Why it issues: Breed stated that shops like Ikea and Banana Republic are transferring into Union Sq. – however nobody is masking that.
Marisa Rodriguez, Union Sq. Alliance CEO, stated within the article that whereas some shops left, luxurious retailers are right here to remain.
“The guts of the sq. is thrashing robust — it’s alive,” she informed the LA Instances. “There actually have been challenges postpandemic that quite a lot of main cities have been experiencing. We are attempting to place ourselves to fulfill the second and pivot the place we will.”
Breed echoed her sentiments and introduced a $6 million funding for 3 blocks close to Union Sq. the place shops closed like H&M, Uniqlo and Hole closed.
San Francisco’s metropolis officers are positioning their metropolis’s industrial space as unbeatable and undeterred. Whereas Union Sq. confronted (and nonetheless is dealing with) struggles and retailer closures, its reps are reminding others that there’s extra to return and to disregard the haters.
Regardless of adverse press surrounding a model, proceed to remind others concerning the realities of the state of affairs – discover and amplify optimistic information.
Enhance up your model and proceed shouting from the mountaintops about its resiliency, however don’t lean towards being delusional both. Strike the correct steadiness of positivity and talk that onerous fact to others.
Rodriguez acknowledged the problems at hand however didn’t solely dwell on them both.
In case you dig deep, there are at all times nice tales to inform. Give attention to discovering the optimistic and provoking tales of comebacks and other people triumphing over adversity. As a result of who doesn’t love an underdog?
Prime Headlines:
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Sherri Kolade is a author at Ragan Communications. When she shouldn’t be together with her household, she enjoys watching Alfred Hitchcock-style movies, studying and constructing an authentically curated life that features greater than often discovering one thing deliciously fried. Observe her on LinkedIn. Have a fantastic PR story thought? E mail her at sherrik@ragan.com.
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