On May 29, a project manager at MBH Architects, the design firm representing Restoration Hardware, emailed Walnut Creek's planning department and asked the city to "cease any further activity" on the company's application for Broadway Plaza. The plan was for a four-building gallery and restaurant compound that would have replaced the former Neiman Marcus and Chico's buildings. It was about a week from its Planning Commission hearing. In the four months since, nothing has been announced for that corner. Meanwhile, at least six smaller storefronts around downtown have either opened or posted a coming-soon sign. For now, downtown Walnut Creek is changing one storefront at a time, many of them in spaces locals still know by their old names.
The biggest site downtown is back to waiting
The RH proposal would have been the company's fifth restaurant-and-retail combination in the Bay Area. The others are in San Francisco, Palo Alto, Yountville and Corte Madera. The plans called for at least 140 full- and part-time jobs.
The withdrawal came with no explanation. Mayor Kevin Wilk told the San Francisco Chronicle in July that "for it to be pulled so quickly without any further explanation was shocking." Mike Nimon, the city's economic development manager, said projects like this one "are subject to all kinds of external factors, such as interest rates, various risks, and the company's global policies." The Chronicle reported that if the project doesn't go forward, the vacant department store and clothing store "in the heart of downtown" could sit for many more years before anything replaces them.
So the corner of South Main Street and Mount Diablo Boulevard is unchanged this fall. The new activity is a few blocks away.
Familiar addresses, new names
A lot of this fall's news happened in spaces locals already know by their previous tenants. Here is where things stood as of early October 2026:
| Address | Previously | Now | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1105 S. California Blvd. | Genova Deli | MIXT | Open |
| 1366 N. Main St. | New permanent store | VICI Collection | Open since Sept. 10 |
| 1619 Mount Diablo Blvd. | New showroom | Saatva Viewing Room | Open since Sept. 14 |
| 1205 Broadway Plaza | Sur La Table's earlier Broadway Plaza store closed four years ago | Sur La Table | "Opening Late Fall" |
| 146 Broadway Lane | Aveda | Rowan | Coming soon |
| 1521 N. Main St. | Oyama Sushi | Salt & Lime | Coming soon, no date |
Half of these are already open. The other half range from a seasonal window to no date at all. The sections below follow that order.
Open now on California, Main and Mount Diablo
MIXT opened in the former Genova Deli space on South California Boulevard. Its announced opening day was Tuesday, July 14. The Walnut Creek location offers pickup, delivery and both indoor and outdoor seating, and it's open 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. The menu is built around salads. With those hours, it covers an early lunch through a late dinner.
VICI Collection opened its permanent store on North Main Street on Thursday, Sept. 10, two days before its grand-opening celebration. The 2,200-square-foot shop carries women's apparel and a jewelry collection sold only at the Walnut Creek store. Co-founder Aimee Dudum told the Walnut Creek Record the store marks a return to the brand's hometown. It's open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday until 7 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saatva opened its Walnut Creek Viewing Room at 1619 Mount Diablo Blvd. on Sept. 14. The 3,218-square-foot showroom displays the company's mattresses, bedroom furniture and bedding, and Sleep Guides are on hand to help shoppers. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
All three are freestanding street-front spaces outside the Broadway Plaza core. Within a few weeks of each other they added a lunch spot on California, a boutique on North Main and a showroom on Mount Diablo.
Three signs that still say "coming soon"
The next group is real but not ready. If you're planning a visit, here is what each business has actually published so far.
Sur La Table, 1205 Broadway Plaza. The kitchenware retailer is returning to Walnut Creek four years after its previous Broadway Plaza store closed. As of Patch's Sept. 28 report, the company's store page listed the location as "Opening Late Fall," with no specific date and every day's hours still shown as closed. If you're hoping to buy holiday cookware locally, the store page is the place to watch.
Rowan, 146 Broadway Lane. Rowan is moving into the former Aveda space at Broadway Plaza. The studio offers ear piercings done by nurses, including lobe and cartilage piercings, with hypoallergenic jewelry. Its Broadway Plaza page still lists hours as "Mon-Sun: Coming Soon!" Patch reported on Aug. 28 that no exact opening date had been announced.
Salt & Lime, 1521 N. Main St. Salt & Lime is taking over the former Oyama Sushi space. Bay Area Telegraph reported on Oct. 2 that it's planned as a full-service Mexican restaurant. Chef Chelsea Ozuna, a Diablo Valley College culinary alum, will lead a kitchen focused on made-to-order dishes, scratch-made sauces and salsas, and rotating specials. The same report names Saul David Tallarico and Antone Sean Dudum as the officers of the operating company. Dudum is also associated with 1515 Restaurant & Lounge next door. A full bar appears to be planned, but the report notes that an earlier liquor license application doesn't confirm the license has been approved. As of early October, the restaurant's website still read "COMING SOON."
Here is a quick checklist for these three:
- Sur La Table: a seasonal window, "Late Fall," on the company's own store page
- Rowan: no date, hours listed as coming soon
- Salt & Lime: no date, and liquor license approval not yet confirmed
Two familiar stops that are closed for now
Not every change this season added something. The Starbucks at the Mercer, 1663 N. California Blvd., closed for good after Saturday, Sept. 26. The Walnut Creek Record noted that the downtown Starbucks at 1340 N. Main St. is still open.
Lettuce Restaurant & Catering at 1632 Locust St., near Civic Drive, was badly damaged by a fire on Aug. 19. Before the fire, it served salads, soups, sandwiches and pasta, and it also ran a catering business. Berkeleyside's Sept. 9 roundup relayed an Aug. 28 update that the restaurant was closed indefinitely, with no word on if or when it would reopen. We haven't seen a reopening timeline since then.
What to watch before the holidays
Of everything above, the Sur La Table opening is the only one with a published season attached, and it falls right before the holidays. Rowan and Salt & Lime both still show "coming soon" on their own pages. The Chronicle reported in July that Macerich, which owns Broadway Plaza and was negotiating with Restoration Hardware, did not respond to its requests for comment, and no new plan for the former Neiman Marcus and Chico's buildings has turned up in the coverage we've seen since. For now, this fall's new arrivals are the storefronts listed above.
If you're keeping an eye on downtown because a move or a home sale is somewhere in your future, the Wendy Moore Real Estate Team is glad to talk through how these openings, and the quiet corner at Broadway Plaza, affect daily life in different parts of Walnut Creek. Contact Us anytime. We're happy to share what we're seeing around town.
