Last Oakland Gap store closing later this summer

Oakland residents will have one less place to buy khakis and hoodies this summer, with a major retailer pulling up stakes in the Bay Area metropolis.

Gap will close its last retail store in Oakland, located at 3277 Lakeshore Drive, will close sometime this summer, after the store’s lease expires, the corporation confirmed to SFGate.

The closure will leave Oakland without a Gap store, following the 2008 shuttering of a Gap on Broadway, that was ultimately turned into a Walgreens store.

The company also confirmed that it would provide opportunities for displaced employees to relocate to other stores within the Bay Area.

The Gap currently operates numerous retail locations in San Francisco, Marin County, and the South Bay, plus a Gap Factory Outlet located in Livermore.

Dallas-based CBRE will represent the 10,318 square-foot property, which features 8,344 square feet on the main level and 1,974 square feet on the upper level.

The property is nestled within a retail environment that includes neighboring tenants such as Trader Joe’s, Chipotle, Philz Coffee, Wells Fargo and T-Mobile, to name a few.

The listing mentions “boutique retail” as the top “ideal use” for the property, with other considerations including wellness/fitness, specialty food/beverage, financial services, fitness and service-based business.

The Gap on Lakeshore Drive opened in 2000, with Terri Ellis, the general manager of the Heath Company, calling the Gap store, “a staple on the Avenue.”

She also said the Gap closure was “very sad,” with her late husband originally developing the space for the Rubino Building in 1999, before the Gap moved in.

The first Gap store opened just across the Bay on Ocean Avenue in August 1969, founded by Doris F. Fisher and her husband Donald, the former of whom passed away at 94 last week.

That initial store only sold overstock Levi’s jeans and LP albums to attract a younger audience, with the brand growing swiftly throughout the years.

The corporation also operates Banana Republic, Old Navy and Athleta, and they will disclose their first quarter financial results on an earnings call on May 28.

Gap is just the latest national brand to completely pull out of the Oakland area.

In-N-Out closed its last Oakland location back in March 2024, citing, “issues of ongoing crime,” according to KRON.

The closing was historic as well, the first In-N-Out restaurant to close in the fast food chain’s 75-year history.

A Denny’s on Hegenberger Road also closed in February 2024, citing ongoing safety concerns.

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