The new 'Star Wars' store in San Francisco is already a tourist destination

"Just a short walk from the Yoda Fountain next to the Presidio Starbucks, the tightly curated store has a fair share of "Star Wars" merch but is a far cry from a toy shop. The first thing you see upon entering isn't the $2,000 replica Darth Vader helmet but rather a room full of wine from grapes grown at the exclusive Skywalker Ranch estate in Marin County, plus satellite vineyards in Italy and France."

""We had a Japanese tourist in yesterday that bought a rolling suitcase to take back a case of wine," said Skywalker Ranch executive director of hospitality Tom Johnson. He said that some tourists have told them that visiting the gift shop was their sole reason for coming to San Francisco."

"The shop features an extensive array of Skywalker Ranch-branded clothing available to the public for the first time, ranging from hat and button-down collabs with local companies like Bart Bridge and Roark to a wide array of patches. It also offers all-over-print "Star Wars" bomber jackets, but the coolest wearable items in the store are definitely the "Indiana Jones" replica pieces."

The Skywalker Ranch General Store opened to the public in early February near the Presidio in San Francisco, becoming a destination for Star Wars and Indiana Jones fans. The store prioritizes exclusive Skywalker Ranch wines produced from grapes grown at the estate in Marin County and satellite vineyards in Italy and France, with bottles starting at $30. The shop also offers Skywalker Ranch-branded clothing through collaborations with local companies, all-over-print Star Wars bomber jackets, and replica Indiana Jones pieces including the signature hat and leather jacket. The store's exclusivity and limited public access to the actual Skywalker Ranch compound attract tourists worldwide, with some visitors traveling to San Francisco specifically to visit the gift shop.

Read at SFGATE