"I think being in a bit more of a remote area, people will want to slow down, chill, talk to us, hang out, soak up the vibes, hopefully not bring their laptops," Luis Gonzalez told Mission Local in May. He was describing the move he and Nathan Kruse were about to make. They would leave a two-year pop-up on Clement Street, where weekend lines had become part of the act, for a corner storefront 16 blocks west at Geary Boulevard and 22nd Avenue.
HI NRG went looking for less foot traffic. Since the cafe opened in September, the stretch of Geary around it has kept changing in a consistent direction. The storefronts that have filled are places where people stay for a while. The ones that have closed along the same corridor this year mostly sold food.
The pop-up that outgrew its host
For almost two years, HI NRG served specialty coffee out of High Treason, the wine bar at 443 Clement St. near Sixth Avenue. Some of the proceeds went to the bar's owner. Gonzalez and Kruse were the only baristas. In the same Mission Local interview, Gonzalez called the collaboration "incredible." He also described the limits of borrowing someone else's room, including setting up and loading out heavy machinery every time.
Most of what they wanted from the new space depended on staying longer. They planned hours from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, with wine alongside the coffee and DJ sets on weekends. Gonzalez described the concept as "more of a wine bar that just happens to serve the best coffees in the world." The look they described was a European-style cafe "where you can go in at noon, grab an espresso and a glass of wine, or a vermouth and soda, and just chill." He told Mission Local he hoped the new location, away from Clement Street's heavy foot traffic, would shorten the lines and bring in a more "intentional" customer.
The location also has a history for the two owners. The move puts them closer to The Coffee Movement on Balboa Street near 19th Avenue, where Kruse and Gonzalez first learned the trade.
The Clement Street pop-up held its last-day celebration on Sunday, Aug. 9, with DJs and free drip coffee. Mission Local billed it as "one last dance."
A corner that sat empty over the winter
HI NRG's new address, 5801 Geary Blvd., didn't come to it as a going concern. In January, Mission Local reported that AyDea, the Tatar cafe at that corner, had closed indefinitely. Krave Salon next door at 5809 Geary had also shut, and its stylists had moved to Twin Star Salon.
So the corner of 22nd and Geary started 2026 with two dark storefronts. Over the following nine months, it became the anchor of a small cluster.
HI NRG opened without announcement early on Wednesday, Sept. 16. Mission Local's correspondent happened to walk past and found velvet curtains, a disco ball and bins under the seats. Gonzalez explained the bins: "You ever walk into a place with nowhere to put your jacket?" The official grand opening followed on Sept. 23. A cafe that plans for coats is expecting customers to sit down and stay.
Gyms on the same block
The same week HI NRG closed its pop-up, Mission Local reported that two gyms were coming to the north side of the 5800 block of Geary, between 22nd and 23rd avenues. A few blocks west, a third strength-training gym had been under construction since spring. Mission Local's September column called Ad Astra "part of a greater trend of gyms opening within a few-block radius in the area."
Here is the status of each storefront as of the most recent reporting:
| Address | Business | What it is | Latest reported status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5801 Geary, at 22nd Ave. | HI NRG | Coffee, wine, weekend DJ sets | Opened Sept. 16; grand opening Sept. 23 |
| 5820 Geary | Ad Astra | Boxing and strength training | Open per its Instagram; grand-opening party Sept. 26 |
| 5844 Geary | Roar | Women's strength training | Announced in August; not yet listed on Roar's own studios page |
| 5901 Geary | Rare Sparrow, Sharla Flock Designs and The School of Bloom | Shared florist, design and workshop space | Taking shape in January; no confirmed opening |
| 6101 Geary | Ascent Athletics | Strength training | Under construction in May in the former Past Perfect antiques store; no opening date |
| 6127 Geary, near 25th Ave. | Ocean Indian Cuisine | Restaurant | Operating |
Roar's own studios page lists locations in Noe Valley and on Ocean Avenue, and Geary isn't among them yet. Until the company confirms its Geary opening, treat 5844 as announced, not open. The same goes for Ascent Athletics at 6101 and the florist collective at 5901.
None of the reporting explains why gyms are choosing this block. What the businesses share is a long visit. A boxing class takes an hour. A floral workshop takes an afternoon. A cafe that serves vermouth until 11 p.m. is built for the same kind of customer. Mission Local's August column linked the two uses directly, noting that whichever workout people choose, natural wine and Ethiopian coffee would soon be on the corner at 22nd.
The food sellers that closed on the same corridor
The rest of Geary had a different year. Several food businesses within a few blocks east and west of 22nd Avenue have closed since June:
- Mainland Market, at Geary and 20th Avenue, had closed by the time Mission Local's June 12 column ran.
- Golden Edge Pizza, at 5351 Geary near 18th Avenue, had closed by late July after about five years at that address, according to city records cited by Mission Local.
- Pacific Cafe, at 7000 Geary near 34th Avenue, served its last meal on Aug. 30 after more than 50 years. Lines formed in the days before it closed.
- Topogato, the chocolate shop at 5203 Geary, made its final sales on Monday, Sept. 14. Its owner told the San Francisco Standard that high cacao and operating costs, along with shoppers cutting back on discretionary spending, were behind the decision. He plans to keep selling some products online.
Pacific Cafe's closing is the hardest one to replace. The space is now available. Mission Local asked whoever takes it over to keep the restaurant's custom of free wine, whatever concept they bring.
These closures are spread along the boulevard, and each has its own reasons. The pattern is still clear. In 2026, the storefronts that turned over on this part of Geary lost businesses that sold food to go and gained businesses that ask customers to stay.
October is a good month for the walk between them
The 22nd Avenue cluster is easy to visit on foot this month. Mission Local's Oct. 1 column called October "the sunniest time of year on our side of town." The same column noted that October also brings another weekend of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, the free festival Warren Hellman founded in 2001.
A Saturday built around the new block could go like this:
- Morning: espresso at The Coffee Movement on Balboa near 19th, where HI NRG's owners got their start
- Late morning: a class at Ad Astra, 5820 Geary
- Afternoon: a vermouth and soda at HI NRG across the street, with weekend DJ sets planned
- Dinner: Ocean Indian Cuisine, three blocks west at 6127 Geary
On Saturday, Oct. 17, the inner end of the district has its own event. Steins, at 731 Clement St., holds its 15th annual Steinfest. Mission Local reported that a $40 advance ticket covers a beer, all-you-can-eat German sausage and a champagne toast.
Pacific Cafe's dining room is still empty, and three of the openings in the table above are still unconfirmed. The changes that have already happened are at the corner of 22nd and Geary, where a cafe and a boxing gym now face each other across a block that held two empty storefronts in January.
Ana Dierkhising tracks those shifts block by block across the Richmond District. If you'd like to talk about how changes like these affect the streets you know, Let's Connect.
