Nintendo is set to open its second North American store in San Francisco, CA on May 15th, 2025. The other location is in New York City, NY. I’ve seen a variety of opinions in the community when the second location was announced, so I thought it would make a great conversation piece. Was the San Francisco, CA the best location for Nintendo’s second brick-and-mortar store in North America?
Firstly, I am no business expert, and I understand that there are several factors that must be considered when selecting a location for a brick-and-mortar store. With that said, I personally was intrigued by San Francisco as Nintendo’s choice. There has been stigma (although improving) with the city’s homelessness problem and Proposition 47 in the last decade. Steering away from any politically charged commentary, I treat those “concerns” as such–stigma, and minor factors in this conversation. In fact, I feel the question is less with San Francisco, but more about why not other seemingly more obvious choices.
I honestly am more surprised Nintendo didn’t select Seattle, WA or Los Angeles, CA. Seattle is where Nintendo of America is located, and Los Angeles is where the first Super Nintendo World is located in this country (with another soon to open in Florida). If Nintendo wanted a west coast location, I would have thought those two cities would’ve been the more obvious locations.
Less obvious and less common alternatives would be somewhere in the middle of the country where there is less “Nintendo representation”. The east coast has a Nintendo Store in New York and Super Nintendo World in Florida later this year. The west coast has a store and theme park as well. How about major cities like Chicago, Detroit, Dallas, or Houston? My vote would be for a location somewhere in central United States like Chicago, but hey, you never know. I can only hope for a successful grand opening in San Francisco. If they are successful, we may see more stores pop up in the future!
Do you think San Francisco was a smart choice for Nintendo’s next North American store? If not, what are some other cities you think would have been prime candidates?
Please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.
Pow Block Podcast – A Nintendo Podcast by Boss Rush
Nintendo Pow Block is the weekly Nintendo Podcast for Boss Rush Media and The Boss Rush Network. Each week, Edward Varnell and Corey Dirrig, as well as their friends from around the internet dive into the week that was in the world of Nintendo, including news, rumors, new games, discuss weekly pickups, and fan favorite segments like Question Block where they answer community questions, what they’ve been playing in Playing with Power, and their latest food quests in Snacktendo! New episodes every Monday on YouTube and podcast services.
Email the Show: nintendopowblock@gmail.com
Listen to Nintendo Pow Block:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Music | Amazon Music | Castbox | Overcast | Pocketcasts | RadioPublic | Spotify for Podcasters
Follow and Connect:
Bluesky | X (Formerly Twitter) | Instagram | Threads | Facebook | LinkedIn
Join Our Community:
Discord | Facebook | LinkedIn
Featured Image Source: Nintendo
Leave a Reply