The CEO of Nordstrom has warned the department store chain’s future in Portland is in doubt.
Erik Nordstrom raised his concerns with Mayor Keith Wilson, who is working to address the city’s struggling retail climate.
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Mayor Wilson spoke on Monday at a community meeting for a proposed homeless shelter in the Pearl District.
He discussed Portland’s empty downtown shops and the upcoming closure of a Fred Meyer store, according to a report by Oregon Live.
Wilson revealed he had spoken to Nordstrom’s CEO about the future of the Seattle-based company’s three locations in the city.
“I met with Erik Nordstrom the other day, and he says, ‘Keith, I don’t know how long we can continue to operate in Portland,’” the mayor said.
“How many of our signature businesses do we have to lose before we say ‘enough, enough, enough’?”
A Nordstrom spokesperson wrote in a statement on Thursday that there are “no planned changes” to the chain’s Portland stores.
“We continue to work with the city to explore how we can best serve our customers and the Portland community,” they added.
In Portland, the retailer has a full-line store, a Nordstrom Rack downtown and a second Nordstrom Rack at Cascade Station.
The chain closed its Clackamas Town Center store in 2020 – one of 16 Nordstrom stores that shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There have been concerns about the future of downtown Portland’s Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack stores in the past.
During the first four months of 2023, the downtown Nordstrom Rack was among Portland’s top three businesses to report theft and burglary, according to Oregon Live.
Theft and crime have reportedly been one of the main reasons that retailers in the area have previously shut stores.
Outdoor retailer REI shuttered its Pearl District store last year, citing rising security costs due to break-ins and theft.
The closure followed Target’s decision to axe three Portland stores in 2023 – also due to theft.
Macy’s also closed its downtown store in 2017.
Meanwhile, The Sun recently reported that Portland’s Lloyd Center is staging one of the most unlikely comebacks in US mall history.
The 65-year-old mall, which went into foreclosure in 2021, now houses about 90 tenants.
Sixty of them are small businesses, nonprofits and activity spaces that now breathe new life into storefronts once occupied by national chains.
Jason Leivian, owner of Floating World Comics, which moved into the mall nearly three years ago, told Oregon Live: “We’re almost just squatting in this capitalist temple.
“It’s a beautiful space, so we might as well use it.”
While Barnes & Noble and GameStop remain, other familiar names have been replaced by unlikely newcomers.
The former Spencer’s is now a pinball museum, the old Brookstone hosts magic shows and the former Foot Locker has been converted into an art gallery.
“It really is like a startup incubator for new creative retail, and I think Portland really needs that,” said Matt Morrison, owner of Legion Sabers, a shop that sells Star Wars-inspired light sabers near the ice rink.
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