Public Market Updates: New Seasons Back on Hunt for Subtenant, Minnie Bell’s ‘Close’ to New Lease, 2 Stalls Shutter

March 27, 2019
12
2 mins read

There has been persistent online ‘chatter’ about a possible replacement tenant at the former New Seasons Market (NSM) space at the Public Market for the past several months. The space has sat vacant for over a year after New Seasons announced they’d be pulling the plug on their California expansion plans.

“NSM had a signed LOI (Letter of Intent) with a major grocery brand, which had planned to open a new concept at Public Market,” confirmed the Public Market in a newsletter to their tenants.

“While this grocer liked the location, ultimately they did not think it was appropriate for the first unit of its new brand in the Bay Area and opted out. NSM is back in the market to secure a replacement sub-tenant as soon as possible.”

Market Owners’ City Center Realty Partners (CCRP) shared the frustrations with residents and tenants, but remained optimistic that something would ultimately come through. “We share everyone’s disappointment with this news, but remain confident that the property and project as a whole presents a prime opportunity for a major tenant.”

NSM is reportedly actively back in talks with a variety of potential operators for the space according to CCRP representatives.


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Super Duper Opens, Baby Cafe Coming, Minnie Bell’s Expected to Sign New Lease

Tempering the bad news slightly was the recent announcement that Minnie Bell’s appears to be close to signing a lease at a new stall to stay at the Public Market beyond their pop-up period. Lines at Minnie Bell’s have been consistently long and Chef Fernay McPherson appears to have found a home in Emeryville.

In addition, Super Duper Burger recently opened and appear to be thriving. Public Market also announced the recent lease signing of Hong Kong style Chinese food purveyor Baby Cafe. The renovated Christie Park has been heralded as an absolute gem in the community.

Mayo & Mustard, We Sushi Shutter

The Food Hall portion of the Public Market appears to be going through some growing pains as it tries to weather a transitional period awaiting new housing units and job centers to come online.

Two food hall tenants have sadly shuttered operations in the last two months. We Sushi was served an eviction notice shortly after the New Year for reportedly being delinquent with their rent payments. Last Sunday, Mayo & Mustard announced via Twitter that they have decided to cease operations.

The reasons for the failures are varied but increased competition, price-point, service, product offerings and operations are all important criteria. Public Market representatives were optimistic that the vacant stalls would be filled and they would continue to build on the synergy of their food hall tenants. “We are always striving to find and cultivate the best mix of tenants for our customers.”

In addition, Emery Bay Optics posted signs that it was going out of business and held a clearance sale on all its merchandise.

Public Market Rolls Out Brunch Service, Trivia Night, Weekly Live Music

The Public Market appears to be pulling as many levers as possible to attract and maintain new customers. They recently rolled out Trivia Tuesdays, live music every Thursday night and have continued their Second Friday Market Beats events. Additionally, four tenants – C CASA, Minnie Bell’s, Pig in a Pickle and Hot Italian – have launched weekend brunch menus.

 

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Rob Arias

is a third generation Californian and East Bay native who lived in Emeryville from 2003 to 2021. Rob founded The E'ville Eye in 2011 after being robbed at gunpoint and lamenting the lack of local news coverage. Rob's "day job" is as a creative professional.

12 Comments

  1. As long as they’re searching for a “concept” they’re going to fail. Bring back Crispy Fry! They weren’t terribly high on “concept” but damn those were some nice fried noodles.

    • Bring back Crispy Fry! Delicious and made to order.
      All the food available at the Public Market costs more than it should. I’ve tried them all once – no need to go back and pay exorbitant prices. Emeryville city council needs to stop taking bribes from the unions and retract minimum wage. Drop idea of installing parking meters to punish car owners. The socialism of Emeryville government results in businesses “pulling the plug” on Emeryville.
      Thank you to The E’ville Eye.com for representing normal people.

    • Bring back the entire old Public Market. Lower rents, better food, better prices, more choices, more variety, and real personality.

      The new Public Market sucks.

      • a lot of people think the new market is great. It’s more packed than ever. I miss a lot of the old stalls, but on average, the food is much higher quality. I find myself going there much more than before, especially on weekends.

      • Not packed enough to keep the restaurants open.

        The old market was consistently packed. I used to eat there 3-4 times a week. Haven’t been in over a year.

        The food isn’t any better. Just more expensive.

  2. How about a Grocery Outlet, especially since they had to close their Berkeley location a year or two and because their headquarters is very close by?

  3. I and several other people on the NextDoor site we’re noticing that there seems to be some movement at the market site in the last few weeks. New Seasons signage has been taken down and some of the grocery store furnishings inside seem to have seen some movement (installed/set up). Has there been a deal or are they just getting ready for any possible future deal?

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