I heard this a lot the past few weeks — “We need more shops,” or, “I’m bummed they closed,” or, my favorite, “I’m so sad, I went to buy a cake there every year.” There’s a reason why retail and “main street” storefronts in general have been on a decline the past nearly three decades, and that is this: a once a year (or periodic) purchase is not going to sustain any local brick and mortar business in today’s economy.
I walked the aisles at Draeger’s the day after I heard the news, and very much relished all of the different types of imported air dried specialty pastas, shelves of olive oils and vinegars, and an incredible selection of international chocolates. While I would love to be able to fill my pantry with all of these things, the cost of raising a toddler today is twice what it was less than a decade ago so we are a family that will gladly window shop but only periodically treat ourselves.
In our area, even with a 75% rise in median household income, the cost of living has surged ahead, outpacing income growth by 15% over the past decade. So, perhaps naturally, in efforts to stretch the value of take home pay, Americans and millions of other global citizens have flocked to the likes of Amazon Prime for free shipping to your doorstep, megastore e-commerce margins, and infinite inventory to the tune of $37.8 billion in revenue in 2024.
Draeger’s seemed to be a counterbalance to the three other wonderful grocers walking distance away — Suruki Supermarket, Dean’s Produce and Mi Rancho Supermarket — and served what in many ways is a completely different demographic. But years of changing consumer behavior and weighty macroeconomic forces have wielded themselves on “Main Street” retail so it’s fair to question if the 60,000 square-foot space in San Mateo still made sense. It’s for this reason that I was somewhat surprised to see such a strong reaction to Draeger’s announcement on Jan. 11, 2025, it was closing their San Mateo location. Was it nostalgia, or something else?
Regardless of the answer, stakeholders have made quick work once learning of the closure — San Mateo Chamber, the city of San Mateo, Lane Partners and others have been in conversation about how the space can be utilized in the shorter term so it doesn’t sit empty. Mentions of potential all-day night markets or hawker fares have been tossed around, and would be a welcome addition to the downtown scene.
When it comes time to a longer-term tenant for the near-future project, which includes the 17,000-square-foot retail space that was originally designed as a collaboration between Draeger’s and Lane Partners, there is hope that Lane will be able to find a business that fills the niche that Draeger’s embodied for the community — a special place where you could go to get lost in daydreams and perhaps treat yourself or a friend. As Marcus Gilmour from Lane describes the potential — “a space that adds to the community and feels like a benefit.”
Recommended for you
The question I have for you is this: What kind of downtown do we want for our cities? It will take time to put all the puzzle pieces of retail, restaurants and experiences together, starting with visioning through downtown plans like what San Carlos recently completed and San Mateo has plans for. But no plan, no matter how thoughtful, can succeed without the community. Local businesses rely on regular, reliable patronage to survive — they simply cannot compete with the convenience and pricing of e-commerce or big-box stores without it. To bring “vibrant” downtowns to life we, as a community, must choose to shop local, treat ourselves occasionally and invest in the businesses that make our cities unique.
As of tomorrow, we enter the year of the Wood Snake on the Lunar Calendar — and it feels fitting for the moment we are in. The year is a time of subtle transformations, strategic decision making, and long-term planning. Much like Draeger’s closure and the shifting landscape of downtown retail, this year invites us to reflect on where we’ve been and carefully plan for where we’re going.
Like the snake itself, this year is about wisdom, patience and adaptability — urging us to shed old skins and embrace new opportunities. The Wood Snake’s energy emphasizes thinking before acting, as well as embracing creative ideas and personal growth. This year isn’t about rushing into changes but rather laying a solid foundation for the future. Strategic moves and meticulous planning will reap rewards, while impulsive decisions and fear of failure can lead to unnecessary setbacks. How serendipitous that the Wood Snake blesses us as our downtowns undergo their own transformations — reminding us to be adaptable and intentional about what we hope to create.
Happy Lunar New Year to all!
Annie Tsai is chief operating officer at Interact (tryinteract.com), early stage investor and advisor with The House Fund (thehouse.fund), and a member of the San Mateo County Housing and Community Development Committee. Find Annie on Twitter @meannie.
It took me a few years to understand that this Lunar New Year is all about. Why is it celebrated by the worldwide Asian community? The new lunar year, not to be confused with the new calendar year, which the Western world adopted, starts here at 4:37 AM on Wednesday January 29. For those of you with a moon calendar on your clock, you may have to make an adjustment for the moon phase starting on January 30, which is Day 1 of the new lunar year.
Annie's welcome description of the Wooden Snake year's effect seems to blend with the new administration's objectives in DC. Throw out the old and start anew. Thank you!
fun fact, the Lunar Calendar dates back to Mesopotamian civilizations, circa 3,000 BCE. The Gregorian calendar, which is the calendar that we use today, was adopted in 1582 and slowly rolled out (but initially adopted by Roman Catholics) to correct the drifting that was created by the Julian calendar from 45 BCE. Today's calendar system is in place essentially because humans crave consistency. So while the lunar calendar was important for cultural and ritual (and it was fine to have dates that shifted with the lunar cycles), agriculturalists moved to solar calendars (the Gregorian calendar is also a solar calendar) which initially aligned better with river flooding along the Nile, for instance (Egyptians created the first solar calendar around the same time as lunar, 3,000 BCE).
The Gregorian leap year rule that fixes the issue with the Julian calendar is super interesting: Leap years happen when a year is divisible by 4 except for years divisible by 100 unless also divisible by 400.
Thanks for your column today, Ms. Tsai. Regarding your first paragraph, we always hear those sentiments, especially in news reporting, when a business is closing, or moving. My take is that after a while, people take these businesses for granted and assume they’ll always be there. How many of us in the Bay Area revisit the Golden Gate Bridge only when out of region/state visitors are in town? As locals, we take it for granted and assume it will always be there (I sure hope it will be). But as with closures/relocations, we’ll adjust and Draeger’s will become a, “I remember when Draeger’s was here and we had a wide variety.” Now folks will need to find another supplier. Any suggestions from you or others out there?
BTW, thank you for especially highlighting symbols for the Year of the Wood Snake. Happy Lunar New Year! Can you still get clean, crisp bills and Red Envelopes? And your take on who to give Red Envelopes to? I say all unmarried people, regardless of age (although it is more money out of our pockets). If answering the question will cause family strife, please don’t answer. The internet is forever.
Red envelopes are easy to get, but only a few banks in areas with a large Asian concentration will have new bills delivered, none in San Mateo but a few in SF. I was able to get crisp $2 & $5 bills at my San Mateo branch however! Once you are married, you are a grifter, and you gift to anyone who is unmarried. That’s the tradition we go with.
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO
personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who
make comments. Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. Don't threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Anyone violating these rules will be issued a
warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be
revoked.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
(4) comments
It took me a few years to understand that this Lunar New Year is all about. Why is it celebrated by the worldwide Asian community? The new lunar year, not to be confused with the new calendar year, which the Western world adopted, starts here at 4:37 AM on Wednesday January 29. For those of you with a moon calendar on your clock, you may have to make an adjustment for the moon phase starting on January 30, which is Day 1 of the new lunar year.
Annie's welcome description of the Wooden Snake year's effect seems to blend with the new administration's objectives in DC. Throw out the old and start anew. Thank you!
fun fact, the Lunar Calendar dates back to Mesopotamian civilizations, circa 3,000 BCE. The Gregorian calendar, which is the calendar that we use today, was adopted in 1582 and slowly rolled out (but initially adopted by Roman Catholics) to correct the drifting that was created by the Julian calendar from 45 BCE. Today's calendar system is in place essentially because humans crave consistency. So while the lunar calendar was important for cultural and ritual (and it was fine to have dates that shifted with the lunar cycles), agriculturalists moved to solar calendars (the Gregorian calendar is also a solar calendar) which initially aligned better with river flooding along the Nile, for instance (Egyptians created the first solar calendar around the same time as lunar, 3,000 BCE).
The Gregorian leap year rule that fixes the issue with the Julian calendar is super interesting: Leap years happen when a year is divisible by 4 except for years divisible by 100 unless also divisible by 400.
Thanks for your column today, Ms. Tsai. Regarding your first paragraph, we always hear those sentiments, especially in news reporting, when a business is closing, or moving. My take is that after a while, people take these businesses for granted and assume they’ll always be there. How many of us in the Bay Area revisit the Golden Gate Bridge only when out of region/state visitors are in town? As locals, we take it for granted and assume it will always be there (I sure hope it will be). But as with closures/relocations, we’ll adjust and Draeger’s will become a, “I remember when Draeger’s was here and we had a wide variety.” Now folks will need to find another supplier. Any suggestions from you or others out there?
BTW, thank you for especially highlighting symbols for the Year of the Wood Snake. Happy Lunar New Year! Can you still get clean, crisp bills and Red Envelopes? And your take on who to give Red Envelopes to? I say all unmarried people, regardless of age (although it is more money out of our pockets). If answering the question will cause family strife, please don’t answer. The internet is forever.
Red envelopes are easy to get, but only a few banks in areas with a large Asian concentration will have new bills delivered, none in San Mateo but a few in SF. I was able to get crisp $2 & $5 bills at my San Mateo branch however! Once you are married, you are a grifter, and you gift to anyone who is unmarried. That’s the tradition we go with.
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.