The battle for the sole of Silicon Valley appears to be lost.
Allbirds (opens in new tab), known for woolen slip-ons that became a hallmark of tech-bro fashion, has shuttered its last brick-and-mortar location in San Francisco, at 425 Hayes St. in Hayes Valley.
The gates were drawn Tuesday, and a worker helping to clear out the inventory confirmed that the store had permanently closed — part of a near total elimination of Allbirds’ physical retail presence.
The retreat from brick-and-mortar operations is part of a steady decline for the once ubiquitous apparel brand, which last year closed its 8-year-old flagship San Francisco location in Jackson Square.
Once donned by Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Garner, and President Barack Obama, the brand struggled to find its footing as it attempted to branch out into other elements of the Silicon Valley uniform, including puffer jackets and performance fleeces.
The shoes gained a reputation for being “studiously unstylish. (opens in new tab)” Among the company’s designs was a foray into zero-carbon footwear.
Allbirds did not respond to a request for comment, but an announcement on its website stated that the company would close nearly every store by next month, retaining only two U.S. outlet locations and two stores in London.
The company went public in 2021, but sales dipped soon after. Allbirds has never reported a profit, and net losses peaked at around $101.4 million in 2022, according to SEC filings. In 2024, the company was nearly delisted from the Nasdaq after playing footsie with a share price under $1.
Allbirds later underwent a reverse stock split to reduce the number of outstanding shares and raise the stock price. The company is now trading at around $4 a share. It reported a net loss of $20.3 million in the three months to September.
Allbirds reported having 542 employees at the end of 2024, a significant decline from previous years.
According to its website, Allbirds has one remaining location in Northern California, at the San Francisco Premium Outlets in Livermore, 40 miles from the city. Other locations had been in Southern California.
Bernal Heights resident and Allbirds fan Andrew Oplinger, who works in software, was disappointed to find the Hayes Valley store closed. “Not awesome!” he said, adding that he’d worn out the tread on his 3-year-old pair. “They’re probably the most comfortable shoe that you can still wear outside.”
Update: This story has been updated with the news that Allbirds is closing nearly all retail locations.
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