Every New Arrival at City Center Bishop Ranch This Year Took Someone Else's Storefront
Several of City Center Bishop Ranch's best-known storefronts changed hands in 2026. lululemon now occupies the former Nike store. Rico Rico Taco is carving al pastor in the old C Casa Taqueria space beside Fieldwork Brewing. Lil Sweet Treat opened in the former Miette Bakery. Aly's Grace has been named to expand into the two downstairs shops that M by Maggie Rizer and Trader had held since the center opened in 2018.
Each of this year's arrivals moved into a space an earlier tenant had left, so the stops along the same walkways are now different. The Kristi Yamaguchi Holiday Ice Rink opens tomorrow night, Friday, Nov. 6, and this holiday season will be the first one with the new lineup.
| Former tenant | New tenant | Where things stand in early November 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Nike | lululemon | Open since late July in Suite 1400, about 5,448 square feet, as a one-year pop-up |
| C Casa Taqueria | Rico Rico Taco | Open since late July in Suite 1207, about 1,500 square feet |
| Miette Bakery | Lil Sweet Treat | Open by early October; construction signage was still up in July |
| M by Maggie Rizer and Trader | Aly's Grace expansion | Announced in August 2026; no opening date set |
The sizes matter. The lululemon space is more than three times the size of the Rico Rico Taco space, and it is also the only swap on a fixed term. The largest space came with a trial period, and the two smaller ones went to food and candy.
M by Maggie Rizer and Trader date back to the beginning of City Center. Maggie Rizer is a model married to Sunset Development CEO Alex Mehran Jr., and the two founded the boutiques. DanvilleSanRamon reported in August that both stores left their adjacent downstairs spaces this summer.
Jeff Dodd, Sunset Development's senior vice president of retail, told the outlet the change was "continuing the evolution of the retail lineup at City Center Bishop Ranch." He said the boutiques had helped "establish the center's distinctive mix of shops and brands."
The space is not going to a newcomer. Dodd said it will serve as an expansion for Aly's Grace, a contemporary women's fashion shop that is moving into the former storefronts. Of the four swaps, this is the one where a current City Center tenant takes on more room instead of an outside brand coming in.
The former Nike store was among the most visible empty spaces at City Center. According to the Bay Area Telegraph, lululemon opened there quietly in late July and held its official opening on Saturday, Aug. 8, with a morning run organized with the Unofficial Run Club.
The store is technically a pop-up. City Center had announced a full-year commitment, so if the term runs from the late-July opening, it would end around summer 2027. No closing date has been published. The same report lists the brand's other nearby stores at Stoneridge Shopping Center in Pleasanton, the San Francisco Premium Outlets in Livermore, and Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek.
That means the center's largest swap this year also has the clearest end date. The smaller swaps went the other way.
Rico Rico Taco started in Oakland as two restaurants near Lake Merritt, one serving meat and one vegan. The Mercury News reported that the San Ramon location opened in late July with a menu built on handmade tortillas and al pastor carved fresh from the trompo. The restaurant's neighbors are West Elm and Fieldwork Brewing Company.
The San Ramon menu goes further than tacos. It includes a huarachito, an oval fried tortilla topped with refried beans, meat or cactus and salsa; sopes with crema, pickled onions and cotija; and vegan fillings such as crispy cauliflower, mushrooms and plant-based chorizo. Drinks include aguas frescas, horchata, hard calamansi lemonade and spicy micheladas. City Center's directory lists it as open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Lil Sweet Treat took longer. The Bay Area Telegraph first reported the shop in May. Its windows were still covered in construction signage in July, and it was open by early October. Customers fill a bag with tongs and pay by the pound, choosing from gummies and sweets imported from Sweden, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany and France. The company says it refreshes the selection regularly, so the bins can change from one visit to the next.
In the Mercury News, Dodd described the new openings this way: "The demand for best-in-class retail and dining in this market is real, and these new and upcoming openings reflect that."
The trend of new names moving into existing spaces also shows up a few blocks from City Center. At 18070 San Ramon Valley Blvd., on the southeast corner of San Ramon Valley Boulevard and Bollinger Canyon Road next to the Sonesta Select hotel, Clementine's Restaurant has closed. Its building is being renovated for Casa Mia Restaurant, which will serve Mexican and American food.
DanvilleSanRamon reported that the owners are the same group that took over Clementine's in early 2025. Their Casa Mia restaurants already operate in San Jose, Mountain View and San Carlos, and this will be the brand's first East Bay location. The building has been through this before. Clementine's opened in 2012 in the space Marie Callender's had left about a year earlier. No Casa Mia opening date had been announced as of Oct. 21, though the Clementine's online ordering system still listed a reopening date of Nov. 5.
Erik's DeliCafe has also reopened at a new San Ramon address, 159 Market Pl., near Bishop Ranch.
City Center's holiday calendar runs straight past the swapped storefronts, so the season will bring the new tenants their first steady stream of rink and holiday visitors. Dates posted on City Center's events page and the individual event listings:
Rink tickets for the 2026 season are sold through City Center's ticketing page.
When a well-known storefront changes hands, it affects more than a shopping trip. It changes how a part of town functions day to day, and that is part of what we track when we talk with San Ramon clients about where they live and where they might go next. If you'd like a read on what City Center's new lineup means for your corner of San Ramon, Black Rose Real Estate is glad to compare notes. Let's Talk.
Stay up to date on the latest real estate trends.
You’ve got questions and we can’t wait to answer them.