🌟 Update on Sausalito’s Business Scene: Cultivar, The Pocket, and More!
Many of you have asked us if we have any updates on when the new restaurant Cultivar will open, what happened to Amour Vert, and whether another store might replace it, and what other businesses are planning to move in.
To help answer your questions, we recently spoke with key members of Sausalito’s Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC) about what’s happening with business openings across town and how we’re doing in our efforts to fill the city’s vacant storefronts.
We also asked: How can we make Sausalito more business-friendly? Keep reading to learn more.
Why do we care so much about businesses in Sausalito? Because like many of you, we want a thriving, vibrant town — one with shops, restaurants, and local services that we can enjoy visiting along with our visitors. But there’s more to it. Local businesses contribute roughly 44% of Sausalito’s tax revenue. When our businesses do well, our city has more resources to reinvest—whether that’s repaving streets, maintaining parks, or upgrading our aging infrastructure.A strong business community means a stronger Sausalito.
So here’s what what we learned:
🚀 Cultivar: A Work in Progress, Targeting June/July for work completion
Everyone’s excited about Cultivar, the wine-focused, farm to table restaurant coming to downtown at 690 Bridgeway/El Portal. The team is targeting a June/July opening, but getting there hasn’t been simple. The building was constructed in 1922 and had several aging related construction challenges, needing unexpected structural changes, sewer upgrades and code related adjustments.
The team is almost there, with plans submitted to the county health department which will hopefully be the last step toward completion.
They will be serving breakfast, lunch, happy hour, and dinner, with a spectacular outdoor parklet appealing to residents, ferry riders and tourists alike. Watch for opening info here!
🚀Wells Fargo Building/The Pocket in Sausalito
As you may already know, the old Wells Fargo building at 715 Bridgeway was purchased by an experienced restaurant owner who plans to open The Pocket, a restaurant with a three-room boutique hotel (The Pocket Inn) upstairs. He runs a similar, well-reviewed place in Carmel and has strong community support there, including praise from the Mayor.
The project was unanimously approved by both the Planning and Historic Preservation Commissions. However, it was appealed by a neighbor concerned about potential noise from the hotel’s deck. Some other neighbors have raised similar concerns.
To address this, the owner added 24/7 management and agreed to restrictions on hotel access and usage hours. Sausalito’s noise ordinance, which limits noise after 10 p.m., also applies.
We believe these steps address concerns about noise, and we hope the project can move forward soon. It’s due to be in front of the Planning Commission in the near future. We’ll let you know when it’s on the agenda. Read our blog on this project to learn more.
✨Other Exciting Updates:
LightHouse Restaurant at Former Sea Peddler Location: The restaurant is waiting for the County Health Department to give final approval. They hope to open in July or sometime this summer.
Franko & Co, 721b Bridgeway: The Franko & Co bakery and coffee shop is now open! Go by and say hi and buy a coffee and yummy pastry.
Tile Fever purchased at 2660 Bridgeway at Colma – With their old location, they were frequently flooded out of Gate 5 road. They have now found higher ground.
Bar/Barrel House ground floor – Owners have had positive and conclusive conversations with Bay Conservation & Development Committee (BCDC) and things seem to be moving forward in the right direction; could be open as early as late summer!
The Marin Merchant, 325 Pine St. – A fantastic showroom of home goods by founder/curator, Arielle Madilian,
Silverwork Studios, 305 Caledonia St. (the old Allstate Insurance Office near Tivoli) – Classes and hands on jewelry making.
Centered, 3020 Bridgeway – A pottery and wellness community. Take pottery and mindful-making classes and workshops.
Fogcorn, 723 Bridgeway — A Sausalito couple plan to open a new small batch popcorn shop here. On their website they say with a finalized lease, production machinery on site, and an architect developing plans for approval, they are pursuing financial partnership.
The Paint Art Collective, 6 Princess St. — A non-profit gallery dedicated to celebrating the creativity of artists of all abilities.
Franko & Co — New coffee shop & bakery at 721b Bridgeway.
đź‘š Amour Vert: A Local Hit, A Regional Loss
Many of you loved the Amour Vert store in town, and so did the company. It was actually their highest-performing location.
So what happened?
The brand expanded quickly, opening six new stores in Southern California in addition to expansion in our region. Then the fires in LA happened, which disrupted operations and cut off revenue
Sadly, the expansion couldn’t be sustained, and the company had to shut down all locations—including Sausalito
It was a real loss—especially given the store’s success and its outstanding local manager
While the space is still vacant, EDAC members told us there are several interested parties.
🥞 Suzette: A Local Business Win
One local business that’s thriving? Suzette, the beloved creperie and café.
It’s a true success story of city departments and local entrepreneurs working together
The City Planning Department was instrumental in making the process smooth and efficient
It’s become a staple in town and a model for how Sausalito can support great businesses
🏪 Making It Easier to Open a Business in Sausalito
EDAC explained that for years, Sausalito has had a reputation for being difficult for businesses to open here. Many brokers are discouraged from bringing tenants here due to the difficulty in planning processing. Contractors have similar hesitancies, but our new planning team has been removing the roadblocks that have traditionally mired the process like:
Improvement upon the complex permitting processes and modifying archaic codes and regulations
Inconsistent regulations that cause delays and confusion
Long approval timelines. Over the counter meetings have more frequency and the planning department is much more accessible.
At a recent City Council Meeting, Brandon Phipps, the director of the Community and Economic Development Department, when presenting the department’s annual budget report, said:
“There has been a tremendous and resounding improvement in the last two-and-one-half years. That doesn’t mean that the work is done. There’s still a lot of opportunities to take advantage of, a number of challenges to address, but that spirit that I’ve discussed, and that mindset that I’ve discussed, is pervasive within the department now.”
Read more about this: “Sausalito eases hurdles to revive downtown business” (Marin IJ)
Beyond what the City can control, landlords are reluctant to reduce rents from pre-covid levels. The churning economic environment with new tariffs, labor shortages and interest rates have also made it difficult for starting new businesses.
All of that has discouraged potential tenants and has left, until recently, many storefronts empty. But that is changing! We have good news to share — our contact at EDAC recently told us that there used to be ~ 17 empty storefronts but now at least 11 of them have been leased.
EDAC has been working with City Staff and the landlord community to take concrete steps to streamline permitting and partner more proactively. Discussions with landlords, brokers, and business owners are also taking place to bring all to a place of reality given today's real estate and economic conditions.
đź’¬ Final Thoughts
The message from EDAC is clear: change is happening—but it takes all of us.
Whether it’s restaurants like Cultivar navigating complicated upgrades, local heroes like Suzette finding their stride, or smart tweaks to our formula retail laws, Sausalito is moving forward.
Filling our storefronts won’t just make our town more vibrant—it will also bring in new tax revenue to improve infrastructure, support public services, and reduce financial pressure on residents.
We’re already seeing signs of progress. The Downtown Sausalito Business Improvement District Association is installing flower baskets, new lighting, and patio tables and chairs along Tracy Way—small upgrades that will go a long way in making downtown more inviting.
And people are noticing. In fact, the Marin IJ wrote this recent editorial about our downtown business environment: “Editorial: Sausalito turns the tide for downtown businesses” (Marin IJ)
And there are things we can all do to help. One of the most important ways we can support a thriving, business-friendly Sausalito is by:
🗣️ Supporting the City Council, Planning Commission, and the Planning Department as they streamline the business permitting process
🙌 Showing up to support businesses trying to open—at public hearings and in person
đź’¸ Shopping, dining, and spending locally to help keep the businesses we love afloat
When we show up, speak up, and shop local, we show future businesses that Sausalito is not only open for business—but that we want them here.
Let’s keep this momentum going—together.
