Prominent SLO building is being transformed into Cal Poly’s new downtown home
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- Cal Poly began renovating 1144 Chorro St. for a new store and innovation hub.
- The site will house the Mustang Shop, expanded Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
- Opening is targeted for winter 2026, with updates to infrastructure and retail space.
One of downtown San Luis Obispo’s largest vacant spaces is boarded up as construction work finally gets underway to transform it for a new tenant: Cal Poly.
The university announced plans in 2024 to renovate the space at 1144 Chorro St. into the new downtown Cal Poly store. It was most recently home to Sports Authority but has a sporting goods history reaching back decades to when Copeland Sports occupied the building.
The 24,500-square-foot two-level space will also be the new home of the university’s Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, which through its HotHouse helps students and community members as they workshop business ideas and pursue startups.
The Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship currently is located at 872 Higuera St. above the former Ross Dress for Less, while the Cal Poly Mustang Shop is just down the street at 767 Higuera St.
According to Cal Poly communications specialist Aaron Lambert, improvements in the space are currently underway, including “the basics like plumbing, flooring and more importantly to the electrical infrastructure, so the building can host the networking capabilities that our students and business community members now require.”
What will be in newly renovated Cal Poly spot?
The new center is expected to expand the HotHouse’s coworking opportunities through hot desks, dedicated desks, private offices and meeting rooms, as well as a new event space for networking events and meet-ups.
It will also feature expanded spaces for companies to test their products with local customers through retail popups.
On the store side, the new, slightly larger Cal Poly Mustang Shop is expected to continue to sell “a full suite of Cal Poly clothing, gifts, jams, chocolate, wine and cheese” though there will be “an increased assortment of merchandise,” the university said previously.
“This will be a great space where the Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship can offer opportunities for student innovators and local businesses to develop and create, as well as a beautiful space for the Mustang Shop Downtown,” Lambert said.
Lambert said if all improvements go as expected, the new building is expected to open in winter 2026.
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