Whistlestop Antiques has been at the corner of Fourth and Davis for close to 50 years, and in August its owners listed the building for sale. A block east, at 100 Fourth Street, The Batcave Comics and Toys runs out of a basement with its entrance on Wilson Street. Furniture Depot lists the same 100 Fourth Street address. On a Thursday in June, two high school students rode SMART down from Petaluma to find that basement shop.
Railroad Square has been known for furniture and antiques for decades. The younger crowd that has started showing up over the past few years shops in the same storefronts, and sometimes at the same street address. That's why one change on the square stands out right now. A sale at 130 Fourth Street could change what that corner is.
One Block, Three Addresses
You can see the whole change on one short walk west along Fourth Street from Wilson.
| Address | Business | What it's known for |
|---|---|---|
| 100 Fourth St. | Furniture Depot | Furniture, still listing current hours |
| 100 Fourth St., basement, entrance on Wilson | The Batcave Comics and Toys | Comics, collectibles, figurines; open Thursday through Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. |
| 110 Fourth St. | Old Town Furniture | Furniture, still listing current hours |
| 130 Fourth St., at Davis | Whistlestop Antiques | Multi-dealer antique collective, open daily 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; building listed for sale in August 2026 |
The Batcave isn't new to the square. A 2020 Press Democrat profile said the shop had opened three years earlier, so it has been in that basement for about nine years. Goblin Bros. Games and Gear, down the block, opened its Santa Rosa store in early 2024. Its Petaluma store has been open since 2021.
So the game and comic shops moved in alongside the furniture and antique stores. Furniture Depot and Old Town Furniture are still open. That leaves Whistlestop as the one place on this stretch where the future is unsettled.
What the Whistlestop Listing Means
The Press Democrat reported in September that four local families went in together on the collective about five decades ago. The building is 10,800 square feet and went up for sale in August. The owners told the paper they hope a buyer will take the building and keep the collective running as it is. Co-owner Tillie Botz said, "We are hoping, hoping, hoping that somebody will buy it and keep it as is." The paper also noted there are no guarantees.
The latest version of that story, updated September 16, names no buyer and no closing date. In the meantime the store still lists hours of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. The Historic Railroad Square Association also listed it among the businesses taking part in its October 23 trick-or-treat. A sale listing doesn't mean the store is closing. Until a buyer appears, Whistlestop is open as usual.
What happens to the corner depends on who buys it. A buyer who keeps the collective keeps the anchor at the square's western edge. A buyer with other plans would change the most visible antique storefront on the square. The new shops so far have filled rooms in existing buildings. A sale here could change a whole building.
Who Is Getting Off the Train
The newer shoppers are mostly coming by train. In June, The Press Democrat followed two high school sophomores who rode SMART from Petaluma, got off at Railroad Square, and went looking for The Batcave. One of them told the paper they ride the train to Santa Rosa "all the time." They also named the Wednesday Night Market and stores at Santa Rosa Plaza as reasons to come.
Free youth fares are a big part of the reason. A SMART spokesperson told the paper that youth ridership is "growing substantially." She added that the agency can't easily count riders under 18 because they don't pay. Goblin Bros. has built programs around those visitors. That summer it ran weeklong Dungeons & Dragons camps for ages 9 to 12, with sessions for ages 13 to 18 starting in July.
Goblin Bros. co-owner Ted Woolley told The Press Democrat how the older businesses reacted when the store arrived.
"We've won them over since then."
He said longtime Railroad Square tenants weren't sure about the store at first. They changed their minds once they saw it bringing in customers of all ages. The association has gone further since then. It named Goblin Bros. its Merchant of the Month for both September and October. Its fall shopping post put Goblin Bros. in the same list as Old Town Furniture, Whistlestop Antiques, Cast Away Yarn Shop and the 6th Street Playhouse.
What the Visit Counts Show
The association's own numbers show where the crowd goes. A.J. Trombetta, who chairs its business development committee, told The Press Democrat that hotels are still the square's biggest draw. The association's mobile analytics put Chevy's Fresh Mex at the top of its most-visited businesses, with 92,000 visits from January 1 to May 31, 2026. A'Roma Roasters came next at about 55,000. She also said the data can't fully capture visits by young people.
A restaurant and a coffee roaster drew the most visitors in those five months, and the specialty shops get their customers from that same foot traffic. Santa Rosa Plaza connects the square to the rest of downtown. A Simon Properties spokesperson told the paper the mall links Railroad Square to the Downtown District. This fall the Plaza put up a new sign pointing shoppers across to Railroad Square, and the association thanked the mall for it on its feed.
A train station on one side, a mall with a new sign on the other, and food places with steady traffic in between. The comic and game shops are doing well on that foot traffic. For an antique collective in a 10,800-square-foot building on the square's western edge, the question is whether the buyer is someone who wants to keep it going.
Wilson Street showed the same mix in September. The 10th Railroad Square Music Festival filled the block between Fourth and Fifth on Sunday, September 20, with free music from noon to 7:30 p.m. This year's lineup added songwriter-in-the-round sets and a DJ stage called the Electric Railroad Station.
Between Now and Thanksgiving Weekend
The October 23 trick-or-treat and the 6th Street Playhouse run of Misalliance, scheduled through October 25, close out October. Here's what comes next on and around the square:
- Through November 8: Nominations are open for the North Bay Bohemian's Best of the North Bay. The association is asking people to consider Railroad Square businesses.
- Through November 29: The Museum of Sonoma County's Día de los Muertos exhibition stays up at 425 Seventh St., a short walk from the square. Its October 10 block party has already happened, but the exhibition is still open, according to The Press Democrat.
- November 20: 6th Street Playhouse opens Meet Me in St. Louis. The playhouse's page doesn't list a closing date yet.
- November 26 and 27: SMART runs holiday schedules on Thanksgiving Day and the day after. Check them before taking the train to the square that weekend. SMART also lists holiday schedules for December 24, 25 and 31.
- November 27: The Santa Rosa Metro Chamber's free Winter Lights tree lighting takes place at Courthouse Square, on the other side of the Plaza from Railroad Square. The chamber says more details are coming.
On Wilson Street, The Batcave is open Thursday through Sunday from noon to 6. Whistlestop is open daily from 11 to 5.
If you own property near the square or are thinking about what a sale like Whistlestop's could mean for your own plans, Kaitlin Karkos Klein is happy to talk it through with you, calmly and without pressure. Let's Connect.
