On Thursday, Sept. 24 the San Francisco Planning Commission will cast the decisive vote on whether Therapy Stores may open a new outpost at 32 Clement St just off Second Avenue. The application is classified as a conditional use permit because the city treats the shop as a formula retail operation – a category reserved for businesses that operate eleven or more locations worldwide.
Local merchants rally against a formula retail entry
The Clement Street Merchants Association has mobilized quickly. Hand-made flyers reading “No formula retail on Clement Street” now fringe windows from Tenth Avenue to Arguello Boulevard, and a petition has already gathered more than 300 signatures. Association president Chris Squire explained, “We would gladly welcome a chain pharmacy that could revive the long-empty Walgreens, but a gift shop isn’t needed. There’s a lot that fills that niche in the neighborhood.”
City rules and the chain’s current footprint
San Francisco’s planning code is designed to protect corridors dominated by independent retailers. A business is deemed a chain only when it operates 11 or more locations anywhere on the globe. Therapy Stores currently runs ten stores, the most recent of which opened in the Inner Sunset on March 14, 2026. The chain began 32 years ago in the Mission District and has steadily expanded without crossing the formula-retail threshold.
Planning department leans toward approval
City staff have prepared an extensive 83-page briefing for the Thursday hearing. Their analysis concludes that the proposed shop satisfies the statutory requirements for a conditional use and recommends that the commission grant the permit. The recommendation emphasizes that the application complies with zoning, and that the requested use would not fundamentally alter the character of the street.
Jing Chen’s timeline and the zoning hiccup
Entrepreneur Jing Chen purchased the 32 Clement St property in December 2025 for nearly $2 million, registering the business that month. An inspection in April triggered a notice of three planning-code violations, one of which stemmed from the building’s previous classification as a medical office after it had housed an eyeglass store. The notice informed Chen that a conditional use authorization was required to convert the space to a formula-retail outpost. She submitted the required application in May.
Neighborhood pushback and a prior precedent
Foggy Notion owner Alissa Anderson whose shop sits at 124 Clement St, only learned of Therapy Stores’ size after Mission Local reported the chain’s eleventh Inner Sunset location—though one site later closed, returning the total to ten. Anderson and other merchants complained that Chen had not filed a permit initially and had made unapproved alterations to the storefront. A similar controversy unfolded in 2020 when Chen sought a permit for a Placerville, California location; the city approved it despite local concerns that the chain could undercut existing gift shops, and that store eventually closed.
Chen’s public response and appeal for support
On Monday, Chen posted an 800-word Instagram statement addressed to supporters of the petition. She asked readers to email planner Manushi Mathur on her behalf and recounted her journey from emigrating from Guangzhou at age 18 to opening the first Therapy store on Guerrero Street with a $40 startup budget. Chen admitted, “I made a mistake, and moved too quickly to open the store without understanding the required approval process.” She concluded, “My desire is to bring more jobs and quality goods to Clement Street and to strive to be a good neighbor.”
