In August, the Mill Valley Briefing walked every block of downtown and counted 93 street-level storefronts. Sixteen had no open business. Nine of those sixteen already had a confirmed new tenant that hadn't opened yet. That leaves seven, or 7.5% of downtown, with nothing lined up.
Cushman and Wakefield puts the historical average retail vacancy at 7.4%, so as of mid-August 2026, downtown Mill Valley sat almost exactly on it. On foot it doesn't feel that way, because more than half of the dark windows on Throckmorton and Miller are leased spaces in the middle of construction. Most of that construction got moving at the same moment, and the city's permit rules are the reason.
Seven empty storefronts, and nine more under renovation
The Briefing reported both numbers. Counting only the spaces with no tenant, downtown's vacancy was 7.5%. Counting the nine storefronts under renovation as well, it rose to 17.2%, because you still can't walk into any of them.
The higher figure is also typical for a small walkable downtown. A similar block-by-block survey of downtown Evanston, Illinois, found 21% vacancy earlier this year. Vacancy in Union Square and Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco runs near or above 10%. Downtown Mill Valley isn't losing tenants faster than comparable places. It has a cluster of new tenants who all started building out at once.
The rules changed in the spring
That cluster has a cause. In November, the city passed an ordinance that dropped new parking requirements for most changes of use under 5,000 square feet. In April, the council approved a zoning rewrite, effective May 20, that replaced the old Conditional Use Permit with a faster Administrative Use Permit for most ground-floor businesses.
The fees changed too. According to Senior Planner Daisy Allen, the new administrative permit costs $1,954. The standard use permit fee fell from $7,339 to $5,647. Councilmember Urban Carmel summed up what prospective owners had told him about the old system:
"Putting $8,000 or $10,000 into the city coffers before I even sell one item is just a huge hurdle."
Lowering that barrier made it easier for tenants to sign. Signing comes well before opening, though. Between the two come build-out, inspections and fit-out, so a lease signed this summer can leave a window papered over well into the fall. That's the gap the Briefing's count captured.
Behind the paper, address by address
Here's what's going in where, based on the latest reporting. Only two of these are confirmed open. The rest were signed or announced as of August, and no newer reporting confirms they've opened.
Throckmorton Avenue
- 17 Throckmorton, Lima Nikkei. This is the old El Paseo space. Founder and owner Edwin Sandoval describes the restaurant as Peruvian-Japanese, with sushi, tiradito, ceviche, robata, katsu and cocktails. Lima Nikkei's website was taking reservations for October 5, 2026. Listed hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
- 60 Throckmorton, Treehouse MV. This is the former Bank of America building, one of the spaces the Briefing noted had been empty for years. The City Council approved the building's conversion in November 2023. In December 2024, the Planning Commission amended that approval, dropping the original restaurant and roof deck in favor of retail, a gallery, coworking space and private offices. A $2,297,000 tenant improvement permit was issued in January 2026, the third-largest permit in the city in the first half of the year.
- Near 55 Throckmorton, Indoorra. A kitchen systems retailer has signed next door to a new office tenant at 55 Throckmorton. Indoorra's website markets bespoke kitchens and wardrobes and names both Palo Alto and Mill Valley.
Miller Avenue
- 38 Miller, Suite 9, Delphine. This is the old Gravity Tavern space. Fatma and Berk Kinalilar, who own Troya Mediterranean Kitchen, are behind it. In mid-August, the Briefing described it as preparing to open.
- Former Urban Remedy storefront, Bootjack bakery. It was reported as the incoming tenant in August. No opening date has been reported.
- 12 Miller, Milkweed. This is the former Sprout space. The Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce describes Milkweed as a shop for natural clothing, toys and gear for babies and children, and listed a grand-opening event for Saturday, September 12.
- 38 Miller, Dorado 806. This one is already open. Its current show, "Lesser Known Monsters," runs through October 17.
Sunnyside Avenue
- 55 Sunnyside, Wonderhouse. The former downtown post office is becoming a family coworking space. It received a $1,798,346 conversion permit in May. The approved plan, as the Marin Independent Journal described it in February, divides the building into private offices, conference rooms and areas for children's learning and play. Proposed hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. As of August, the opening was expected this fall.
Taken together, the list leans heavily toward places you stay a while: a dinner restaurant, two coworking spaces, a gallery and a bakery. The two biggest projects, 60 Throckmorton and 55 Sunnyside, both replace a single institutional tenant with several smaller uses under one roof.
The seven with no tenant yet
These are the storefronts with no announced tenant as of the August count:
- 23 Sunnyside, formerly Kim Eagles-Smith Gallery, where work is underway inside
- 77 Throckmorton, formerly Mili
- 88 Throckmorton, formerly Peet's Coffee
- 108 Throckmorton, formerly Chandler Gallery
- 111 Throckmorton, formerly Two Neat
- 153 Throckmorton, formerly Oska
- 32 Miller, a former office
Six of the seven are on Throckmorton. Jim Welte, executive director of the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce, points to ownership as part of the reason some corners stay dark: "Developers who have money to purchase, but don't yet have a vision for their space." Cheaper, faster permits help tenants who already know what they want to open. They do less for a building whose owner hasn't decided what it should be.
Strawberry Village filled up a different way
Down at Strawberry Village, one owner controls almost every space. Edens, a Washington, D.C.-based developer, bought the center in 2022. In March, The Ark reported that 5 of its 55 leasable spaces were vacant. At the time, residents on Nextdoor were calling the center a "ghost town" after several longtime tenants left: Pizza Antica in 2023, Spanish Table and Woodlands Pet Food & Treats in 2025. Woodlands relocated to The Cove shopping center. Edens said seven new businesses would open there in 2026, which would leave three spaces vacant: the former Pizza Antica, Spanish Table and Mike's Camera.
The two restaurants Edens had promised arrived in August, a few months after the spring target it gave The Ark. Tartine Mill Valley opened on Wednesday, August 19, at 800 Redwood Highway Frontage Road, Suite 125. For founders Chad Robertson and Elisabeth Prueitt, it's a return to the area. They moved Bay Village Bakery to downtown Mill Valley in 1999 and closed it in early 2002 before opening the first Tartine in San Francisco's Mission District. The new cafe makes its pastries, cakes and savory dishes on site, bakes its bread in San Francisco and seats 120 guests indoors and out. It's open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
Across the roadway, Cholita Linda opened its sixth location and its first in Marin, at Suite 801. Owners Vanessa Chavez and Murat Sozeri started in 2008 at the Jack London Square farmers market in Oakland. The Mill Valley restaurant seats about 70 indoors, with more tables outside, and is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Also announced for the center are Hydration Room, Club Pilates and LuLu Dae's, a sweetshop going into the former Woody's Yogurt space.
The difference is in how decisions get made. At Strawberry Village, one landlord with a leasing plan can line up tenants for several spaces at once. Downtown, each building has its own owner and its own timeline. That's why the spring permit changes mattered more on Throckmorton and Miller.
A fall evening on Throckmorton
This month, several finished projects sit within a couple of blocks of each other. The 49th Mill Valley Film Festival runs through Sunday, October 11, with screenings at Sequoia Cinema, 25 Throckmorton Ave., and events at the Outdoor Art Club, 1 West Blithedale Ave. During the festival, box offices open one hour before each venue's first screening. Sequoia Cinema is a short walk from Lima Nikkei's doors at 17 Throckmorton. Dorado 806 lists Monday gallery hours of 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and its current show at 38 Miller closes October 17. Later in the month, the Chamber calendar lists the fourth annual MV Howl-O-Ween for Sunday, October 25, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
The Briefing says it will keep its downtown storefront tracker updated as spaces open and new tenants are confirmed. The next confirmed openings will show up there.
Pricing a house works a lot like reading a storefront window. A quick look misses most of what's happening behind it. Linda Ngo prices Mill Valley homes the way the Briefing counted downtown, one address and one detail at a time, so your number reflects what's actually there. To see what your home would bring in today's market, Linda Ngo offers a Free Home Evaluation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
