To be clear, not all lenders are out on the San Francisco office market. But those who are active are inclined to make smaller bets compared to the financing deals of the previous decade.  

For example, ASB Real Estate Investments, which sold 989 Market to BH Properties under pressure from its lender, also unloaded another office building this month at 795 Folsom St. According to property records, Alaska-based Fountainhead Development group borrowed from First National Bank of Alaska to execute the $48.3 million deal, which closed at less than half the previous price of $109.6 million the building last traded for in 2013. 

Meanwhile, at San Francisco’s famed California Street corridor, a private commercial real estate credit manager called Prime Finance helped the local group of Redco and GCI Contractors close on a $28.5 million deal for the eight-story tower at 300 California St. in May, according to property records. A decade ago, the building traded for twice as much, for $58 million. 

SAN FRANCISCO – A longtime San Francisco hardware store went up in flames Sunday morning, sending one person to the hospital and causing major damage.

Plywood now covers up the former glass front door to Great Wall Hardware, next to the 76 gas station on Taraval, near 29th in San Francisco’s Sunset District.

Firefighters battled the flames around 4 a.m. Sunday after a neighbor heard a startling sound.

“I was up around 4 a.m. to use the bathroom and I heard an explosion,” said Dominik Mosur, who lives across the street, “It was a really loud boom.”

Owner Albert Chow tells us the fire gutted his family business, which has served the Sunset neighborhood since 1983.

“Looks like a train wreck in there, and that’s kind of hard,” Chow told KTVU.

The fire sent smoke into the two apartments above the store, forcing three people out of their homes, including Chow’s mother, the founder of the store, who was taken to the hospital after inhaling smoke.

“But she, she’s okay,” said Chow who showed KTVU the damage inside the front of the store.

He believes the flames broke out around a now boarded-up display window, but can’t figure out how.

“You got me,” said Chow. “I don’t know.”

Chow estimates the damage at around a quarter million dollars.

“The hardware stores in the city, if you’ve been inside, they usually have lots of items piled up the aisle ways are very narrow,” said Rescue Capt. Justin Schorr of the San Francisco Fire Department.

The store supports three employees and serves countless customers, with some stopping by to console Chow after the fire.

“Oh, it’s devastating. It’s very sad to see,” said Angie Petitt. “It was really heartbreaking to get the news. He’s a very active and very involved community member.”

Chow is also a contractor, and after surveying the damage, feels confident there’s nothing inside he can’t handle fixing.

“I think Great Wall Hardware’s going to be back,” said Chow.

The fire department said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Chow said the building is still in good shape structurally.

He plans to reopen as soon as possible, but he doesn’t know how long it will take to clean up the mess.

Right now, all the focus is on the San Francisco Giants getting into the playoffs.

After spending tons of money to overhaul this roster in the offseason, there could be major ramifications coming if this group isn’t able to win enough games to be playing fall baseball. What that could mean for the roster is unclear, but there is a chance Farhan Zaidi won’t be leading the charge this winter if the Giants aren’t able to earn a Wild Card spot.

Some reports have started to come out that Matt Chapman and San Francisco are continuing some extension talks, and based on how he’s played this year in addition to his relationship with manager Bob Melvin, that seems like a no-brainer.

Beyond him manning third base for years to come if something gets finalized, there are questions about how their infield might look going forward.

In a perfect world, their top prospect Marco Luciano would become their full-time shortstop, allowing Tyler Fitzgerald to be used as a superutilityman. And since second baseman Thairo Estrada has two more years of club control, the hope is he can get his OPS+ back to over 100 like in 2022 and 2023 instead of his figure that is 72 this season.

But, there is no guarantee any of those things will happen.

There is still time for Luciano to emerge at just 22 years old, but the concern was always about his defense, and that could persist for a while.

If the Giants feel like he may be better served playing another position, or even getting the majority of his reps at designated hitter, then they might turn their attention to a full-time shortstop option this winter.

One player who could become obtainable is a familiar name.

According to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, there is a possibility that two-time All-Star Bo Bichette is made available for trade.

“Well, we’ve been talking about a Bo Bichette trade, I don’t know, almost going back to the offseason. And the reason for that is the same reason why we talked about a trade with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. before the deadline. They have not signed either of these players to an extension, and both are up after the 2025 season. So, if you’re not going to sign them to an extension … then sure, a trade is possible, and I would expect they’re going to revisit [trading Bochette] in the offseason, yes,” he said during an appearance on “Foul Territory.”

Considering the young star might be viewed as a rental with him only being under club control for another season, it might not take much for San Francisco to acquire him.

Maybe they feel like Bichette is their preferred option there going forward, willing to trade Luciano in a deal to get him. If they are able to get something worked out with Chapman, they could turn their attention to doing to same with Bichette, solidifying the left side of their infield for years to come.

Of course, this is all speculation.

Zaidi might not even be around to make these decisions if the Giants aren’t able to get into the playoffs, so for now, all the attention within the organization remains on the task at hand this season.