Sample Sale Near Me: Downtown San Francisco's Market Street Rack Is Gone

At 11:30 on a Saturday morning in June 2023, shoppers pushed carts through the ground floor of the Nordstrom Rack at 901 Market Street, unaware that in four weeks the 45,496-square-foot space would lock its doors for good. By July 1, 2023, the two-story discount outlet—480 feet from the Powell Street BART and Muni station—had emptied its racks and ended a 35-year presence in downtown San Francisco. The building still stands at the corner of Market and Fifth, but the sample-sale floor that once turned over last-season designer stock at 30 to 70 percent off Nordstrom prices is gone.

Karpo tracks which discount retailers remain open in SoMa and Union Square, with live closures and alternative sample-sale floors within walking distance of Powell Street station.

Nordstrom Rack occupied 45,496 square feet across two floors at 901 Market Street, between Fifth and Fourth streets in the SoMa corridor bordering Union Square. The location sat 480 feet from Powell Street BART and Muni station, making it one of the most transit-accessible discount floors in the city. Nordstrom cited changing dynamics downtown and declining foot traffic as reasons for ending its 35-year presence in downtown San Francisco when it announced the closure in May 2023.

The store carried last-season Nordstrom inventory at 30 to 70 percent off original prices, a formula that worked for more than three decades but could not survive the post-2020 shift in downtown retail patterns. The closure left a gap in the Market Street shopping corridor that has not been filled by another discount retailer.

Before July 2023, San Francisco shoppers sorting through sample-sale needs had two Nordstrom Rack locations to choose from. The 901 Market Street store served quick lunch-hour runs and after-work browsing for downtown office workers and tourists staying near Union Square. The second location, in the Stonestown Galleria on the west side of the city, required a car or a longer Muni trip but offered parking and a suburban mall layout.

The Market Street floor suited tight schedules: drop in on the way to Powell Street station, scan two floors in under an hour, and continue downtown errands. Stonestown suited weekend hauls with more space to sort through racks and a food court for breaks. That division no longer applies—901 Market Street is closed, and the decision now is whether to travel to Stonestown or look elsewhere for discounted designer goods.

Nordstrom pointed to changing dynamics downtown when it closed the Market Street Rack in 2023. Foot traffic in the Financial District and Union Square shopping corridor dropped sharply after 2020 as office occupancy fell and tourism patterns shifted. The 35-year lease at 901 Market Street ended as fewer people walked past the entrance daily.

The closure was part of a broader retreat from downtown San Francisco retail. Nordstrom shuttered its full-line store in the Westfield San Francisco Centre the same year, consolidating its Bay Area presence in suburban malls and leaving the Market Street corridor with fewer anchor tenants.

The Nordstrom Rack at Stonestown Galleria, on the southwest edge of San Francisco near Sunset Boulevard and 19th Avenue, remains open. Other discount options in the city include TJ Maxx and Marshalls locations scattered across neighborhoods, though none sit as close to BART as the old Market Street Rack. For shoppers who relied on the Powell Street stop for sample-sale runs, the nearest equivalent now requires a car or a longer transit ride.

The 901 Market Street building still stands, but the retail space has not been reoccupied by a discount chain. The block between Fourth and Fifth on Market continues to see pedestrian traffic, but the two-floor Rack that anchored the corner for 35 years is not coming back.

Nordstrom Rack at 901 Market Street closed permanently on July 1, 2023. The address was 901 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. The store occupied 45,496 square feet across two floors and sat 480 feet from Powell Street BART and Muni station. Prices ranged from 30 to 70 percent off original Nordstrom prices. The closure ended a 35-year run in downtown San Francisco. The Nordstrom Rack at Stonestown Galleria remains open for shoppers willing to travel to the west side of the city. No discount retailer has replaced the Market Street location as of 2026.

• Address: 901 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 (closed July 1, 2023)
• Hours: Permanently closed
• Price: Historical range was 30-70% off Nordstrom prices
• Booking: Not applicable
• Getting there: Location was 480 feet from Powell Street BART/Muni station

Tags: #SampleSaleNearMe #DowntownSanFrancisco #MarketStreet #NordstromRack #SoMaShopping #UnionSquare #SanFranciscoRetail #DiscountShopping #WeekendPlans #PowellStreetBART #ClosedRetail #SanFranciscoHistory #DowntownSF #BayAreaShopping #SFWeekend

Sources

• sanfranciscodowntown.com
• bizjournals.com
• unionsquareshop.com
• chamberofcommerce.com
• unilocal.net

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Before planning a sample-sale trip in San Francisco, ask Karpo which discount retailers remain open near Powell Street station and how long it takes to reach the Stonestown Rack by Muni or car. Karpo checks live closures and maps alternative routes through SoMa and Union Square so you know what is actually open before you leave.