Trading Post, a store that sells crafted arts and gifts, is set to take over the sprawling former Valencia Street location of Stuff, the beloved consignment and vintage reseller that closed after 13 years there in January 2024.
The building has been vacant since. Recently, an offshoot called Stuff de Lux opened at 1830 Harrison St., a little less than a mile away.
James Morelos, the owner of Trading Post, said he couldn’t be more excited about opening in the Mission District — the store’s second location in San Francisco. Morelos opened the Fog City Flea Trading Post at the Ferry Building, first as a pop-up in 2019, and then as a permanent brick-and-mortar three and a half years ago.
“We feel like it’ll be very much an extension of our store in the Ferry Building, but definitely a more relaxed environment,” said Morelos during a phone interview from Palm Springs, where he opened his first store in 2021.
The Ferry Building store offers T-shirts, hats, stationery, handmade jewelry, candles, coffee mugs and smaller home goods such as pillows and glassware. The company prides itself on prizing local and regional producers.
But Morelos also wants the new store’s catalogue to be “deeper and wider”— and perhaps pricier.
“I believe we could sell more expensive things, because people will be able to spend a little bit more time to try things on,” said Morelos, adding that his new space, at 17,000 square feet, is four times the size of his Ferry Building location, which largely sells and caters to tourists.
“I think we could offer more art and more housewares, things that are for locals as well as tourists,” he added.
In addition to the two sites in San Francisco and one in Palm Springs, Trading Post has another in Yucca Valley near Joshua Tree National Park. Morelos also owns Market Market in Palm Springs, which specializes in vintage clothing.
Morelos attributed the rapid success of the company to its ethos of prizing local creatives.
Trading Post, he said, “is truly dedicated to the creatives in the region, women, people of color, queer people. We love to celebrate diversity and authenticity.”
Since its inception, Trading Post has collaborated with local brands such as Baby Cats of California, Kris Nations, Open Editions and Gravel & Gold, which opened within Trading Post at the Ferry Building location in 2023.
When it comes to opening a new store, Morelos said he doesn’t “just find a space to rent … there has to be something more to it.” The right building, he said, “has to come to me serendipitously.”
In the case of the Valencia Street spot, it was the cavernous space, the neighborhood — and the parking lot.
“Someone from Napa Valley or someone from Silicon Valley can drive to our store and park. That is essential,” said Morelos. “We want to be a destination that is accessible.”
Morelos declined to comment on the cost of the monthly rent, but said the lease is “nuanced” and the commitment is “long.”
And he hopes to continue the legacy left behind by Stuff.
“I do like that there was a legacy brand there.” Hopefully, he said, Trading Post “could sort of carry that torch.”
I like the Ferry Building shop, but wonder how that will translate. First, the new space is cavernous – what will it be filled with? Second, that is a zero-foot-traffic part of Valencia. The Ferry Building has a built-in audience; this will have to draw people all on its own. I’ll certainly check it out.