Downtown Mill Valley Has Fewer Empty Storefronts Than Its Windows Suggest

How many of the dark storefronts along Throckmorton and Miller are actually empty? In mid-August, the local newsletter 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.

So the papered windows mostly mark construction, not abandonment. Two months later, some of those tenants are open.

Seven Dark Windows, Nine Buildouts

The Briefing's count produced two figures. Counting only spaces with no tenant lined up, downtown's vacancy rate in August 2026 was 7.5%, seven of 93 storefronts. That's above the 6% national retail vacancy rate Cushman & Wakefield reported for the second quarter of 2026, and close to the 7.4% historical average.

Counting every space you can't walk into today, the rate climbs to 17.2%. That second figure matches what you see from the sidewalk. The first matches what the leases say. Some buildings, including 57 and 60 Throckmorton, had sat empty for years before their new tenants were confirmed.

As of the August survey, these seven spaces had no announced tenant:

• 23 Sunnyside, formerly Kim Eagles-Smith Gallery, where work was already underway inside
• 77 Throckmorton, formerly Mili
• 88 Throckmorton, formerly Peet's Coffee
• 108 Throckmorton, the former Chandler Gallery
• 111 Throckmorton, formerly Two Neat
• 153 Throckmorton, formerly Oska
• 32 Miller Avenue

That's the real list of empty spaces downtown. Every other dark window on the two main streets has a name attached.

Why So Many Leases Landed at Once

The cluster of signings came right after the City changed how a business gets permission to open. A November ordinance dropped new parking requirements for most changes of use under 5,000 square feet. In April, the City Council approved a zoning rewrite, effective May 20, that replaced the Conditional Use Permit process with a faster Administrative Use Permit for most ground-floor businesses.

Councilmember Urban Carmel told Mill Valley Briefing what he'd heard from prospective owners under the old rules:

"Putting $8,000 or $10,000 into the city coffers before I even sell one item is just a huge hurdle."

According to the same report, Senior Planner Daisy Allen said the new administrative permit fee was set at $1,954, and the standard use permit fee dropped from $7,339 to $5,647.

The First Doors to Open

Lima Nikkei, 17 Throckmorton Avenue. In July, the Briefing noticed a sign in the former El Paseo space naming Lima Nikkei as the incoming tenant. The alcohol license listing named Edwin Raul Sandoval and Ana Antonia Sandoval as owners. The restaurant is now taking reservations. Its website describes Peruvian-Japanese cooking: sushi, tiradito, ceviche, robata, katsu and cocktails. It's open 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. A September dining guide from Local Getaways recommends the ceviche Nikkei and the seafood tiraditos, and calls Lima Marin's first restaurant serving Peruvian fusion cuisine. The Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce called it a new restaurant when it announced the October 18 Milley Awards, where Lima was set to provide the appetizers.

Milkweed Kids, 12 Miller Avenue. The children's clothing shop took over the former Sprout space and held its grand opening on Saturday, September 12. It sells clothes, toys and gear for babies and children.

Mill Valley Mercantile, 167-A Throckmorton Avenue. The Chamber profiled the shop and its upper Throckmorton address in mid-October.

Still Behind the Paper

The rest of the August list is still in progress, and none has published an opening date. Here's where each one stands as of mid-October:

Delphine is the one most worth watching. WhatNow reported in March that the Troya owners were preparing it at 38 Miller Avenue. An April press release projected a summer 2026 opening. The restaurant's own site still says "coming soon" and describes a menu of mezes, seasonal vegetables, seafood and grilled meats.

Wonderhouse would bring weekday foot traffic to a building many people still know as the Post Office. The Marin Independent Journal reported in February that the City approved the project with proposed hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Mill Valley Chamber executive director Jim Welte gave the Briefing one reason some corners stay dark even with buyers involved: "Developers who have money to purchase, but don't yet have a vision for their space." The seven-address list above is where that applies.

The Openings That Went to Strawberry Village

Mill Valley's biggest food opening of the season landed off Redwood Highway, not on Throckmorton. Tartine opened at Strawberry Village, 800 Redwood Highway Frontage Road, Suite 125. The Ark reported that it served customers on and off starting August 13 before its formal opening on August 19.

For downtown, the opening is also a homecoming. As the Marin Independent Journal recounted, founders Chad Robertson and Elisabeth Prueitt started Bay Village Bakery in Point Reyes Station in 1995, moved it to downtown Mill Valley in 1999, and closed it in early 2002 before opening the first Tartine in San Francisco's Mission District. In the new café, bread comes from San Francisco, while pastries, cakes and savory dishes are made on site. The room seats 120 guests indoors and out, and 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. Owners Vanessa Chavez and Murat Sozeri got their start in 2008 at Oakland's Jack London Square farmers market, and the menu draws on Peruvian, Cuban and Mexican influences: Baja fish tacos, pescado frito with salsa criolla, and a Cubano. It's open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Between the two, Strawberry Village now covers daytime and casual dinners. Downtown's new arrivals lean toward evening dining with Lima Nikkei and, eventually, Delphine, plus specialty shops and work-friendly spaces.

Where Downtown Fills Up Through Winterfest

Several downtown and near-downtown dates fall in the weeks after this post goes up:

1. Halloween at the Center, Friday, October 30. Trunk or Treat runs 4 to 6 p.m. at the Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto, followed by a magic show with Brian Scott from 6:15 to 7 p.m.
2. The Addams Family, October 30 through November 15. Throckmorton Theatre, 142 Throckmorton Ave., stages the musical with 7 p.m. shows on October 30, November 5 to 7 and November 12 to 14, a 5 p.m. show on November 1, and 2 p.m. matinees on November 8 and 15. The theater is a short walk from Lima Nikkei, which opens at 4 p.m.
3. First Tuesday Artwalk, Tuesday, November 3. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 85 Throckmorton Ave., featuring local artist Kate Barrengos.
4. November Maker's Market, Saturday, November 14. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Mill Valley Lumber Yard, 129 Miller Ave., with 15 local makers and live music, a block from Milkweed.
5. Winterfest, Sunday, December 6. The Chamber's downtown event starts at 1 p.m. and includes a community tree lighting and a new holiday-light installation at Depot Plaza. One Chamber page lists the end time as 4 p.m. and another as 5 p.m.

For updates as more papered windows come down, the Briefing keeps a downtown storefront tracker and has said it will update each address as spaces open.

When a storefront on Throckmorton or Miller opens, the blocks around it change too, and that's worth knowing whether you're deciding when to list or which streets to look at. Emily Schaffer has followed downtown Mill Valley for three generations and is glad to share what she's seeing block by block. Request a Private Consultation.