Not such a long time ago in a galaxy called San Francisco, the only “Star Wars” gift shop in town required a special escort into Lucasfilm’s Presidio headquarters. That changed in early February with the public opening of the Skywalker Ranch General Store, which is already proving to be a pilgrimage for “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” fans.
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. The price point begins at $30 for bottles, many of which are adorned with a winged figure that was the original inspiration for the Skywalker name. Although the wines are available online, they’re not traditionally available via retail outlets. Scoring entry to the actual Skywalker Ranch compound is nearly impossible, adding an allure that’s particularly attractive to tourists.
“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, which include Indy’s signature hat and leather jacket…