Rob AriasBay Street continues to add new tenants to their evolving roster (and in this report, lose a tenant).
There is still no internal activity on the Grocery Store space as many have pointed out although Bay Street’s General Manager insisted that a tenant was still in place when we spoke with her at a recent function.
One revelation of the project shared in the latest City of Emeryville Progress report (page 6) includes that one of the terms of occupancy of the grocery space is the completion of the shifted plaza area.
According to the report, Emeryville Public Works and Building Division staff are discussing requirements to allow the grocery store shell to receive final inspection but remain not occupied as a condition.
Construction on the plaza and connected walkway appear close to completion so if they do in fact have a tenant in place, we should find out soon.
Copper & Malt
Copper & Malt has been actively stocking their shelves and are poised to open their doors in the former Francesca’s space at 5659 Bay Street.
Copper & Malt will sell premium spirits, wine, beer and cigars. They will also offer on-site pairings of their wines with artisanal cheeses, caviar, chocolates and truffles.
They are expected to open their doors to the public on Wednesday, May 1st (we’ll update this when we have final word).
Mumu Hot Pot Grand Opening
Mumu Hot Pot has finally announced a grand opening date for their location at the long vacant corner unit across from Tipsy Putt. Their initial announcement of a Bay Street location was made back in November, 2022.
For the unfamiliar, Hot Pot is a trending form of communal dining where tables are equipped with burners that allow patrons to cook their own thinly sliced meats in bowls of steaming broth and add a variety of vegetables and other ingredients from a self-service bar.
They currently have four other Bay Area locations including Pleasanton, SF, Sunnyvale and Foster City.
The Bay Street location will also have a connected “Mumu’s Tea” that will offer Boba drinks to go.
*UPDATE* Mumu has announced their Grand Opening date as May 3 on their Instagram.
Express Closing Bay Street Location
As first reported by the SF Chronicle, Clothing retailer Express has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will be closing 100 stores nationwide.
Among those announced closures are two stores in the Bay Area including the Bay Street and Valley Fair mall in Santa Clara.
Liquidation of inventory at the location has already began and they are currently offering 30% off.
They are expected to close their doors for good by mid-June. Employees that stay until the end are being offered financial incentives.
Jars Sweets & Things
As previously reported, “Jars” will be opening a Bay Street location at the most recent site of the Pier 39 Posters spot (Pier 39 was a seasonal pop-up).
The business is the venture of Italian chef and Top Chef Alumni Fabio Viviani.
Jars sells “classic deserts” like tiramisu and blackberry pie in a single serve jar.
Their initial location opened in Chicago in 2022 and their website indicates at least ten planned locations within California and several others in Texas.
They are slated to open this summer.
MINISO
Window coverings for a MINISO store were recently revealed at the empty location adjacent to the LoveSac store.
MINISO is a Chinese-owned variety store specializes in household and consumer goods including cosmetics, stationery, toys and kitchenware.
They operate over 4,200 stores outside of China covering six continents.
No timetable for their opening has been provided.
