"Ghost town" was the phrase circulating on Nextdoor in March, when The Ark reported empty storefronts and a run of departures at Strawberry Village. Seven months later, two of the empty storefronts have become a 120-seat Tartine. Cholita Linda is open directly across from it, soft serve is back in the old Woody's Yogurt space, and a new Pilates studio has joined the fitness tenants already there.
Most of the new names have one thing in common. Nearly everything that opened this year does its busiest business early in the day. The 1964 Town & Country-style center has been rebuilt as a place for the hours between a sunrise workout and a late lunch. The evening half of the plan hasn't arrived yet.
The Two Storefronts That Sat Empty for Years
Tartine sets the center's hours. The bakery formally opened its first North Bay store on August 19, filling two storefronts that had sat empty for years. It's in the same cluster as Safeway, Calico Corners and High Tech Burrito, and it's open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
It was a long wait. Tartine announced the location in March 2025. In March 2026, EDENS said Tartine and Cholita Linda were still on track for spring. The doors opened on and off from August 13 while staff trained. By the morning of August 17, a line had formed before the 8 a.m. opening and the cafe was full by 8:30. A cashier told The Ark the bakery sold out of baked goods within a few hours on both August 15 and August 16.
The 3,091-square-foot room was designed by San Francisco firm Studio BBA to match the center's Mediterranean look. It has high ceilings and sightlines into the bakers' workspace. The bread is baked in San Francisco and delivered daily, and the pastries are made on-site in Strawberry. The menu covers the morning buns and sourdough the brand is known for, plus soft-scramble tartines and breakfast sandwiches on a sweet potato bun. Lunch brings ham-and-Gruyere sandwiches and a double smash burger with celery remoulade and fennel confit.
The business has local roots. Founders Chad Robertson and Elisabeth Prueitt moved their baking to 17 Madrona St. in Mill Valley in 2000, then left for San Francisco in 2002 and opened the first Tartine at 18th and Guerrero.
"Strawberry Village is an ideal home for us — a neighborhood gathering place with a strong sense of community," Tartine CEO Dar Vasseghi said in an August 14 statement.
A Weekday Here Now Starts Before 8 a.m.
Put the new tenants on one schedule with the center's recurring events, and most of it falls before mid-afternoon:
- 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday. On September 26, Hot Yoga Republic, StretchLab Mill Valley and the trainers at Jake and JT held a morning of back-to-back sessions starting at 7:30, with proceeds going to Play Marin.
- 8 a.m. daily. Tartine opens.
- 8 to 9:30 a.m. on the second Saturday. Marin's Motor Social takes over the center every month. The next two dates are October 10 and November 14.
- 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. The farmers market runs every week. The October calendar lists it for Tuesday, October 6.
- Midday. Lulu Dae's, a locally owned cafe in Suite 802, serves acai bowls, matcha, juices, musubi and soft serve. Cholita Linda serves Baja fish tacos, Cubano sandwiches and aguas frescas.
- 4 p.m. Tartine closes.
The renovation EDENS finished last year was designed around this kind of daytime use. It added outdoor seating areas and a reimagined central plaza and green space for live music and community events.
Cholita Linda is the one new opening built on a menu that reaches past lunch. The restaurant started at Oakland's Jack London Square farmers market in 2008, and Strawberry Village is its sixth location. Its menu includes craft cocktails, and it draws on founders Vanessa Chavez and Murat Sozeri's Peruvian, Cuban and Mexican heritage.
Six Fitness Studios and an IV Clinic
The other half of the morning is exercise, and that cluster got bigger this summer. Hydration Room, an IV-therapy business started by Dr. Brett Florie, opened June 12. Club Pilates followed on June 25, with Emma Roberts as general manager.
They joined a group that already included Pure Barre, Orangetheory and StretchLab, plus a second studio from San Rafael-based Hot Yoga Republic, founded by Jessica Smith and Kathryn Keown. That makes five studios today. Barry's Bootcamp will be the sixth. EDENS's directory lists it at Suite 475, a 3,983-square-foot space. As of late August, no opening date had been announced.
Put these together and Strawberry Village has more places to work out than places to sit down for dinner. A 7:30 class, a stretch session and a pastry run can all happen without moving the car.
The Turnover Behind the New Names
The new tenants arrived after several departures. Nextdoor posts cited in The Ark's March report listed Bella boutique earlier this year, Woodlands Pet Food & Treats and Spanish Table in 2025, and Pizza Antica in 2023. Mike's Camera, a tenant for five decades, closed in 2023 after lease negotiations failed.
Some current and former tenants told The Ark that rents rose significantly after EDENS bought the center in 2022. Rob Hansen, owner of Woodlands Pet Food & Treats, said his move to The Cove shopping center came down to cost and to a directive to vacate his longtime space to make way for Barry's. EDENS says the property is performing well.
Rent pressure here also predates EDENS. Woody's Yogurt, a tenant for 20 years, closed in 2020 citing rent increases under the previous landlord. Lulu Dae's now occupies that space.
Between those departures, EDENS added Bluemercury, CP Shades, Spot Pet Care, Modern Animal and Citizens Bank, along with new lighting, landscaping and signage.
Dinner Is the Part Still on Order
The openings planned so far haven't filled the evening, and the vacancies show why. In March, 5 of the center's 55 leasable spaces were empty. EDENS expected three to stay empty after this year's openings: the former Pizza Antica, Spanish Table and Mike's Camera spaces. EDENS's current directory lists Units 150, 170 and 400 as available, without saying which former tenant used each one.
In March, EDENS also said it had signed two more retailers it had not yet announced, one in wellness and one in interior design.
The clearest evening addition on the schedule is Baan Thai Reserve. It's coming to 615 Strawberry Village with Thai staples like pad Thai, curries and pad see ew, plus an elevated bar with an Asian-inspired cocktail menu. Its announced timing is 2027.
Until then, this fall's center opens at 8 with a bakery line, holds the farmers market on Tuesdays and Motor Social on October 10. Tartine closes at 4.
A remade Strawberry Village changes what nearby homes are close to. If you'd like to know how your home sits in today's market, Phillipa Criswell will prepare a clear, local valuation for you. Get Home Value.
