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On Tuesday, May 13, our Editor-in-Chief, Robert, and I had the opportunity to preview Nintendo SAN FRANCISCO before it opened to the masses two days later. It was a bit surreal. I was a little kid when Pokémon Center opened in New York back in 2001, and then a teenager when it became Nintendo World in 2005. I remember reading the news about it longingly, wishing desperately that a store would open near us in the Bay Area, convinced it would never happen.
It took a couple decades, but last week I was finally walking through the doors of our very own Nintendo store. The marching Nintendo mascots on the windows facing both Geary and Powell are intended to guide guests straight into the doors. They were already doing a good job of it despite the store not yet being open to the public; passersby would stop in their tracks at the sight of the characters, lured to the glass to peek in. As we stood in line waiting to get checked in, people on the sidewalk were asking us for info on when the store would finally be open. The buzz of excitement was in the air — a welcome change to the never-ending news of one store closure after another in the area.
The store is two levels — ground floor and lower level — with merchandise on both and gaming and interactive experiences downstairs. I’ve been to Nintendo TOKYO, Nintendo OSAKA, and Nintendo New York (when it was still Nintendo World), and feel that this store most closely resembles the clean, modern, simple interior of the Tokyo location. Nintendo brought all of the statues from their other locations to San Francisco, so expect to see Mario greet you at the door, Isabelle, Timmy, and Tommy welcoming you to the Animal Crossing section, Link guarding the Zelda area, and the Inkling Girl parading through the Splatoon merchandise. The bonus is Pikachu sitting on a Poké Ball in the Pokémon section, which is essentially a mini Pokémon Center.
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We were given a tour of the store before being set free to shop and gawk. A lot of thought was put into all of the collections, starting with the target audience for each IP and the types of products they’d likely want to buy. Items in the store that have a red, square Nintendo logo or label are exclusive to Nintendo stores and can’t be found anywhere else.
As guests enter the store, the first collections available to browse are the Nintendo collection and the Nintendo SAN FRANCISCO merchandise. The Nintendo merchandise features the marching mascots seen on the store windows. I was a big fan of the cotton tote. The Nintendo SAN FRANCISCO line has two shirts, two hoodies, two hats, and two water bottles, available in either red or gray.
The Super Mario collection had a lot of housewares, like kitchen accessories, blankets, and pillows, as well as clothes and accessories. Some of the items featured artwork from Nintendo employees that was created especially for this collection and captured the whimsy of the Mushroom Kingdom. Small collections dedicated to Princess Peach (which debuted in stores with the launch of Princess Peach: Showtime!) and Yoshi are available. The Yoshi tea set, with an egg-shaped teapot and saucers featuring Yoshi, was especially adorable.
Nintendo seems to be particularly proud of its Animal Crossing collection, which has some outstanding pieces. The Dodo Airlines flight jacket and The Roost French press are not to be missed. Nintendo also partnered with Sanrio to produce the artwork on some of the items. This section has a sizable stationary selection, all of which was imported from Japan. Because Animal Crossing is so closely associated with coziness and relaxing at home, many items are centered around home goods, loungewear, etc. that would likely appeal to fans of the genre.
The Zelda collection was described as being “elevated” compared to the others due to the games’ E10+ ESRB ratings, which is just their way of saying “Zelda games can have some more mature content, so we created merchandise to appeal to those customers.” This collection had items like button ups, ties, leather-bound notebooks, wine glasses, and enameled keychains, all very much in line with the series’ more serious tone.
However, the Korok collection introduced some light-heartedness to the Zelda collection (and was really popular with everyone), with embroidered clothing and jewelry featuring the mischievous woodland sprites.
The Splatoon collection was clearly very inspired by Japanese and American streetwear (as is the entire Splatoon aesthetic), with some items taking inspiration from Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo. Guests can buy tote bags, shirts and jackets, and blind box collectibles, among other items. The Splatoon and Pikmin collections both offer blind box items, and I thought it was great that they allow guests to either buy boxes individually or buy the whole set if you want everything.
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When I was at Nintendo TOKYO, I was very surprised to see a small selection of Metroid merchandise, and even more surprised (in a good way) to see it come to Nintendo SAN FRANCISCO. One of the coolest things in the whole store, which I grabbed without a second thought, is a metal water bottle designed to look like Samus’s armor. The box also has a piece of artwork and some lore from Metroid for NES. There were tees, a reusable tote, a Metroid Dread lapel pin, and a Samus hoodie rounding out this collection. Much like Zelda, it had a darker theme, with items geared toward a more adult audience.
The Kirby section is the only one in the store to feature items that aren’t exclusive to Nintendo stores. However, Nintendo worked with their licensees to create items that are exclusive to their stores, including the San Francisco location, which is why the Kirby section is significantly bigger than one you might find at a place like BoxLunch or Hot Topic. There were also some Japanese imports, like a large number of the Muteki! Suteki! Closet plushes. The Kirby merchandise has some particularly adorable designs worth checking out.
Next to Kirby is where you’ll find the Pokémon merchandise, all of which comes from the Pokémon Center. There’s a wide array of things here, from plushes to clothing, kitchenware to home goods, and high-quality figures, including from First 4 Figures. The Pikmin collection has a couple particularly creative items, like an embroidered button up with a Pikmin carrying away a button, and a pocket tee with the pocket being carried away by a group of Pikmin.
If you’re an amiibo collector but you missed one (or a few) over the years, you’re in luck: this store has a massive selection of amiibo, especially ones that haven’t been available for some time. Sora, Little Mac, Sephiroth, the Zelda anniversary amiibo, and many, many more are here.
The store has also incorporated some interactivity for guests, like the floor-to-ceiling gaming screen where guests can play game demos, and the My Nintendo kiosk, where you can earn platinum points by scanning a QR code. With every scan, visitors earn one of 18 mascot stickers. You can also customize an OLED Switch here, including your Joy-Con and dock colors, and receive your creation on-site during your visit. No shipping required! The Nintendo stores are also the only physical locations where you can buy the Nintendo Switch Online controllers, which were in stock at San Francisco.
Nintendo is obsessed with maintaining brand image, and it was clear that the staff had been trained to be as kind, welcoming, and helpful as possible. They were just as friendly as the staff in the Japanese stores and went out of their way to greet you and answer questions. It was a really nice change from the typical unfriendly, unprofessional retail experience that seems to be the norm these days (and before anyone jumps down my throat, I worked retail for five years).
This was a wonderful experience and felt like a dream come true — a Nintendo store right in my backyard. But I was surprised back when Nintendo announced the location of this store. It’s no secret that organized retail theft is out of control in the Bay Area, and that ramming cars through storefronts to loot or steal registers has businesses on edge. It’s even pushed some to pull up stakes and close entirely. San Francisco has also seen a mass, continued exodus of stores from Union Square and downtown in the last handful of years, impacting overall foot traffic. I worked in San Francisco for six years. Right now, downtown is a shadow of its former self and what it was like when I was growing up and when I was commuting and shopping.
I worry about the longevity of this location. I want Nintendo SAN FRANCISCO to celebrate its 20th anniversary just like Nintendo New York did recently. I just don’t know if this is the spot in the Bay Area to make that happen. I hope it can be. For now, I’m just thrilled that I don’t have to buy tickets to fly to another seaboard or country to buy some amazing Nintendo merchandise.
