"Step one, really, is getting to know our community," Justin Massei told The Ark in June. His Scottsdale-based hospitality group, Clive Collective, had just taken over the Bungalow Kitchen at 5 Main St. He said prices would "come down a little bit." He also said he wanted the waterfront restaurant to be somewhere diners could visit several times a week, and somewhere families came weekly instead of only for special occasions.
That goal describes most of downtown Tiburon's turnover this year. Since June, two places built for a special night out have closed or announced they are closing. The businesses arriving are a lunch service, a bike shop, a coffee trailer, a clothing store and two gyms. Several of the gyms and shops are moving into storefronts that had sat empty for years.
Two Occasion Spots Left in the Same Season
On June 22, 2026, Petite Left Bank closed at 1696 Tiburon Blvd. Its parent company, Vine Hospitality, was shutting down all seven of its Bay Area restaurants in stages, and the Tiburon location was the one that closed that same day. The Ark reported that the scaled-down French brasserie had been open for nearly four years. A reservation request for the next evening brought up a message thanking diners "for being part of our story." The Tiburon restaurant closed because the whole group shut down, so the closing says little about Tiburon itself.
In October, The Caviar Co. announced it would close its tasting room at 46A Main St. after service Oct. 18. That ended more than five years on lower Main Street. According to The Ark, the last weekend ran noon to 7 p.m. on Oct. 16 and 17 and noon to 6 p.m. on Oct. 18. Owner Petra Higby of Belvedere planned to serve hot dogs and other treats as a thank-you. The company's local delivery continues, and orders still go through thecaviarco.com.
Caviar service and a French brasserie both suited a celebration or a visiting guest. Most of what came downtown afterward is meant for regular, everyday use.
Bungalow Kitchen Now Serves Weekday Lunch
Massei's lunch plan has happened. In June he aimed to add weekday lunch by mid-July or early August, depending on staffing. The restaurant's Tiburon page now calls its lunch service "newly launched." These are the hours it currently posts:
- Monday: closed
- Tuesday: 5 to 9 p.m.
- Wednesday through Saturday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Sunday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
From Wednesday through Sunday, a table on the Main Street waterfront is now available at midday as well as at dinner. That is the clearest example this year of a downtown business deliberately changing its approach for repeat visits.
The Boulevard's Longest-Dark Storefronts Are Going to Gyms
The bigger change is on Tiburon Boulevard, where the Planning Commission has approved two gyms in two months.
On Aug. 12, the commission voted 3-0 to grant Five Points Fitness a conditional-use permit for an 8,090-square-foot gym across two floors at 1620 Tiburon Blvd. The space had most recently been offices and has been vacant since 2022. Recreation uses are allowed in that mixed-use zone only with a use permit, which is why the gym needed a commission vote. The Ark reported that the plans include free weights, cardio equipment, self-adjusting strength machines and a recovery area with two kinds of saunas. Co-owners Tom MacDonald and Bryan LeFebure bought their Corte Madera gym from World Gym about 21 years ago and have run a Novato gym for 11 years. Tiburon would be their third location. They are targeting a February 2027 opening, depending on construction permits and schedules.
On Oct. 14, the commission voted 4-0 to approve Pelican Pro Fitness for the 1,800-square-foot storefront next to CVS at 1599 Tiburon Blvd. No one spoke during public comment. Town staff estimate that space has been empty for at least 20 years. Owner Nick Price subleases it from CVS, and Zelinsky Properties, which owns the building as well as Ark Row and other downtown buildings, approved the sublease. The Ark describes the studio as membership- and appointment-based. It will offer one-on-one personal training and a few weekly group classes, between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily, within the pharmacy's own hours. Price has said he aims to open as soon as the town's permitting process allows.
A gym brings members back several times a week, which a once-a-year dinner does not. Both of these are going into spaces that brought no foot traffic at all. Pilates Tiburon Firon Fitness at 78 Main St. already offers instructor-led Reformer Pilates, barre and circuit classes. Its equipment-circuit sessions meet at 72A Main, and its online calendar is booking November classes. Once the two Boulevard gyms open, downtown will have workout options on both Main Street and the Boulevard.
The Rest of the Year's Additions
The smaller arrivals follow the same pattern. Each is something a person could use on an ordinary weekday.
| Business | Location | What it is | Status this November |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paradise Coffee | Point Tiburon Plaza, 1775 Tiburon Blvd. | Trailer serving coffee, breakfast burritos, waffles and sandwiches | Open since late April |
| Marin Service Course | The Boardwalk | Bike sales, service, fittings, coaching and rides | Opened July 25 |
| F.L. Woods | 21A Main St. | Nautical clothing, the brand's first West Coast store | Open since at least mid-June |
| Bungalow Kitchen | 5 Main St. | Waterfront restaurant under Clive Collective | Lunch Wednesday through Sunday |
| Pelican Pro Fitness | 1599 Tiburon Blvd. | Personal training and small group classes | Approved Oct. 14 |
| Five Points Fitness | 1620 Tiburon Blvd. | Two-floor gym with saunas | Approved Aug. 12, targeting February 2027 |
The Ark's profile of Paradise Coffee shows a grab-and-go menu built around breakfast. Marin Service Course's second shop, as reported by The Ark, offers coaching and group rides in addition to repairs, so customers keep coming back after the first purchase. F.L. Woods is managed by Tiburon residents Josh George and Marie Bergsund, according to The Ark.
Salt & Pepper Shows the Model Already Works
The downtown business the Tiburon Peninsula Chamber of Commerce chose to honor this year already works this way. Salt & Pepper at 38 Main St. was named the Chamber's 2026 Business of the Year. The award is scheduled to be presented at the Chamber's awards celebration on Nov. 17. The restaurant is open daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and again from 5 to 9 p.m. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week, which is the schedule Bungalow Kitchen has just moved toward.
Dec. 5 Brings the First Holiday Season With These Changes
The Tiburon Holiday Festival runs Saturday, Dec. 5, from 2 to 5 p.m. downtown. The Chamber's listing includes gingerbread decorating, photos with Santa, face painting on Ark Row, a toddler train and treats from merchants. It is the first holiday festival since Petite Left Bank closed and since Bungalow Kitchen began serving lunch. A walk from Main Street along the Boulevard to the CVS block will pass both the old frontages and the ones being prepared for new tenants.
Two of the storefronts on that walk, 1599 and 1620 Tiburon Blvd., have been empty for years and now have approved gym tenants. If you would like to talk about how this year's changes on Main Street and Tiburon Boulevard relate to your own property, Stephanie Pratt is happy to arrange a private consultation or a confidential home valuation.
