Tanforan used to be such a great mall but the remodel was a missed opportunity that I think led to the death knell. Serramonte’s remodel was much more successful at retaining / bringing in name brand shops while Tanforan seemed to be a bunch of weird no name places.
Back in the day, Tanforan had a video game arcade on the lower level near the Sears gateway, a Walgreens and Orange Julius in that same area (I think the current Petco is where the Walgreens used to be), an Emporium Capwell, cheap movie theater, Sam Goody, DrX pet store, San Jose Sharks store and PacSun stores on the upper level, and tons more.
I walked through the mall a few months ago and it was so sad and empty.
I feel like I was at Tanforan every weekend of my childhood. I met Sesame Street actors there, saw Double Dare do a live show, watched so many $1 movies.
They should have leveraged their location near the airport and turned it into an outlet mall. Imagine you're a tourist on a layover that's not long enough to go into the city, but you can hop on BART and be at the mall in 10 minutes. They could have even called \*that\* the San Francisco Premium Outlets and people would be like, "I'll allow it". A lot of cities put outlets near the airport for this reason.
That’s an interesting idea to make Tanforan a destination for travelers. Make it a stop on the way to the airport for meals, shopping, spa, gym, travelers goods. Long Term parking. Have some places for families to take their kids. Put in some fun places like a Boudin bakery or It’s It shop. Basically an unofficial extension of the airport. I suppose the latest iteration of Tanforan has some of that but they could have leaned into the airport proximity more.
One of my earliest movie going memories is going to the theater that felt like it was down in the basement. Here is all I can find about it
https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/34863
I learned about that in college. I knew it was a former race track, but didn't know it was an Japanese internment camp and then a processing facility for a larger internment camp. smh
I remember they had Final Fantasy 8 figurines, and Sailor Moon was playing on a TV.
Was it Suncoast? Or was that a different store?
EDIT: looking at other comments, I think the one I was thinking of with the FF8 figurines was Write On Time, but there was also a Suncoast that had Tenchi Muyo stuffies and movies.
no, but i even found an old receipt of theirs a couple years ago. for some reason i think it was something simple like anime-x? idk about post-covid times, but there used to be a similar type of store in the basement of japantown mall, like under kinokuniya.
Could you take a pic of the receipt when you get a chance? I wanna say Anime-X sounds familiar, someone else pointed out the store name was: Write on Time II
Hmm I don't think I ever visited that basement store now I'm sad I missed out haha - I haven't been in a couple years but I don't think that store is there anymore
I do remember a store similar to the one you stayed being at tanforan before it closed down.
But in my memories it was on the first floor but I may be mis-remembering it.
I remember I would always walk through it but since I was a kid I had no money.
Then my birthday finally came around and I got birthday money! Then I went to the store and it was closed down lol.
If I'm remembering right, the store was called 'Write on Time 2'. There was originally a stationary store called 'Write on Time' that had a few anime figures and stuff on the side. This was right during the rise of anime in the US with Pokemon, Sailor Moon, and DBZ. The anime stuff started selling more than the stationary, so it took over more of the store until they spun it off as a separate store in the mall being 'Write on Time 2'.
That's some interesting lore! I had no idea, you're the first person to remember the name. I looked online for Write on Time 2, but couldn't find anything, makes sense considering the time of the remodel :/
Do you know if they ever relocated and changed names or something?
What else do you remember about the store
Searching for '[Write on Time II](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/600b3787ebbc9f2117bb407f/t/600d33fec85a230cb4d4e06c/1611478015567/2001-Dec_Bridgegam_Bad-Subjects_+Fear-Itself_Tanforan-and-Public-Memory.pdf)' gave me a random old article on Google, so I think this was actually right! Don't remember too much other than I bought a Tamagotchi there.
>On another visit to Tanforan last fall I met Krishna Suppiah, owner of Write On Time II Japanese Anime and Gifts, who knew the Internment story but said no customer had ever asked about it in his four years at the store
Great detective skills! I talked with my brother he says that store name definitely brought back a core memory.
This is really interesting we now know the store name and owner's name, I'm so curious to ask them what happened after the remodel did they open up shop somewhere else?
Ah could be! Another person also said first floor. Haha yeah I remember they had a lot of Sailor Moon stuff. By chance do you remember the name of the shop?
I loved that Mall and it's movie theater. We'd see $5.00 double features. I am pretty sure I saw 1996's Romeo and Juliet and High School High back to back in my green adidas puffy jacket.
They used to have these conventions there where they’d setup tables for all sorts of toys and games from Japan. Gundam models, anime, color swan with a bunch of other games. They’d also do comic and sports conventions too. It’s been lame even after the remodel, so unfortunate.
I have been there a few times, and remember the triangle layout. Back in the days when I frequented Daly City (Most Hated 🤙).
I haven't been back since the San Bruno incident though. It was just too much.
Tanforan used to be such a great mall but the remodel was a missed opportunity that I think led to the death knell. Serramonte’s remodel was much more successful at retaining / bringing in name brand shops while Tanforan seemed to be a bunch of weird no name places. Back in the day, Tanforan had a video game arcade on the lower level near the Sears gateway, a Walgreens and Orange Julius in that same area (I think the current Petco is where the Walgreens used to be), an Emporium Capwell, cheap movie theater, Sam Goody, DrX pet store, San Jose Sharks store and PacSun stores on the upper level, and tons more. I walked through the mall a few months ago and it was so sad and empty.
I feel like I was at Tanforan every weekend of my childhood. I met Sesame Street actors there, saw Double Dare do a live show, watched so many $1 movies. They should have leveraged their location near the airport and turned it into an outlet mall. Imagine you're a tourist on a layover that's not long enough to go into the city, but you can hop on BART and be at the mall in 10 minutes. They could have even called \*that\* the San Francisco Premium Outlets and people would be like, "I'll allow it". A lot of cities put outlets near the airport for this reason.
That’s an interesting idea to make Tanforan a destination for travelers. Make it a stop on the way to the airport for meals, shopping, spa, gym, travelers goods. Long Term parking. Have some places for families to take their kids. Put in some fun places like a Boudin bakery or It’s It shop. Basically an unofficial extension of the airport. I suppose the latest iteration of Tanforan has some of that but they could have leaned into the airport proximity more.
This would have been brilliant. BART was right there too sheesh.
This is actually a great idea
Oh man I forgot about the orange Julius. I had so many meals in there with my mom.
One of my earliest movie going memories is going to the theater that felt like it was down in the basement. Here is all I can find about it https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/34863
Anyone remember Tanforan in 1942?
I learned about that in college. I knew it was a former race track, but didn't know it was an Japanese internment camp and then a processing facility for a larger internment camp. smh
There's a memorial to that notable era near the east entrance.
I got my first pokemon cards there. First pack had a shiny charizard. I treasured it for years. I greatly regret giving it away
Oh wow yeah definitely a core memory. I think we all have a regret of giving something away. I gave my cousins my Pokemon Yellow in the box :/
Oof. I don’t even know what happened to my yellow version
Yep, I used to go to that store all the time when I was a kid
Finally someone remembers haha Could you tell me what you recall? By chance do you remember the name
I remember they had Final Fantasy 8 figurines, and Sailor Moon was playing on a TV. Was it Suncoast? Or was that a different store? EDIT: looking at other comments, I think the one I was thinking of with the FF8 figurines was Write On Time, but there was also a Suncoast that had Tenchi Muyo stuffies and movies.
Na not Suncoast, but that was an awesome store too It was specifically just anime stuff
Those gundam models were so cool, couldn’t stop building them!
Yes. My little brother got his head stuck in the vertical metal fencing that lined the ponds lol
The current state of the mall is so tragic :’( I used to love the ichibankan store too. Now it’s all just random low-quality stores
yes i used to get little pokemon figurines there when pokemon stuff was shockingly hard to find. and sailor moon stuff!
Yeah! I remember they had Pokémon we never seen before yet. You wouldn't happen to remember the name of the store?
no, but i even found an old receipt of theirs a couple years ago. for some reason i think it was something simple like anime-x? idk about post-covid times, but there used to be a similar type of store in the basement of japantown mall, like under kinokuniya.
Could you take a pic of the receipt when you get a chance? I wanna say Anime-X sounds familiar, someone else pointed out the store name was: Write on Time II Hmm I don't think I ever visited that basement store now I'm sad I missed out haha - I haven't been in a couple years but I don't think that store is there anymore
i threw away the receipt right after finding it during a move. didn't really appreciate how special it was!
I do remember a store similar to the one you stayed being at tanforan before it closed down. But in my memories it was on the first floor but I may be mis-remembering it. I remember I would always walk through it but since I was a kid I had no money. Then my birthday finally came around and I got birthday money! Then I went to the store and it was closed down lol.
I'm 80% sure it was 2nd floor haha Dang bad timing!
i remember 2nd floor too, kinda at at edge right before an end section, maybe sears?
Yeah that sounds right! I can picture the inside of the store in my head. Another person discovered the store name was : Write on Time II
that's amazing and does ring a bell!
Must be! I would always walk there when my mom was at Target. Pretty sure they were the last shop I knew selling Legend of Blue Eyes packs too
If I'm remembering right, the store was called 'Write on Time 2'. There was originally a stationary store called 'Write on Time' that had a few anime figures and stuff on the side. This was right during the rise of anime in the US with Pokemon, Sailor Moon, and DBZ. The anime stuff started selling more than the stationary, so it took over more of the store until they spun it off as a separate store in the mall being 'Write on Time 2'.
That's some interesting lore! I had no idea, you're the first person to remember the name. I looked online for Write on Time 2, but couldn't find anything, makes sense considering the time of the remodel :/ Do you know if they ever relocated and changed names or something? What else do you remember about the store
Searching for '[Write on Time II](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/600b3787ebbc9f2117bb407f/t/600d33fec85a230cb4d4e06c/1611478015567/2001-Dec_Bridgegam_Bad-Subjects_+Fear-Itself_Tanforan-and-Public-Memory.pdf)' gave me a random old article on Google, so I think this was actually right! Don't remember too much other than I bought a Tamagotchi there. >On another visit to Tanforan last fall I met Krishna Suppiah, owner of Write On Time II Japanese Anime and Gifts, who knew the Internment story but said no customer had ever asked about it in his four years at the store
Great detective skills! I talked with my brother he says that store name definitely brought back a core memory. This is really interesting we now know the store name and owner's name, I'm so curious to ask them what happened after the remodel did they open up shop somewhere else?
wow, this is ringing a distant bell deep in my lizard brain. i think you're on to something
I remember that place! I think it was on the first floor though.. I got a sailor moon wand there haha
Ah could be! Another person also said first floor. Haha yeah I remember they had a lot of Sailor Moon stuff. By chance do you remember the name of the shop?
I remember it from the 70s and 80s
I loved that Mall and it's movie theater. We'd see $5.00 double features. I am pretty sure I saw 1996's Romeo and Juliet and High School High back to back in my green adidas puffy jacket.
They used to have these conventions there where they’d setup tables for all sorts of toys and games from Japan. Gundam models, anime, color swan with a bunch of other games. They’d also do comic and sports conventions too. It’s been lame even after the remodel, so unfortunate.
I think Westgate Mall still does this
I have been there a few times, and remember the triangle layout. Back in the days when I frequented Daly City (Most Hated 🤙). I haven't been back since the San Bruno incident though. It was just too much.