It’s tough being a retailer in San Francisco, what with all the druggies and homeless wandering around and defecating in your entry.
Nordstrom, based in Seattle, has thrown in the towel and joined the ranks of companies that are leaving or have left downtown in the city by the bay. Both of the store’s locations will close; Nordstrom is politely saying it’s because of “the dynamics of the downtown San Francisco market have changed dramatically over the past several years, impacting customer foot traffic to our stores and our ability to operate successfully.”
Nordstrom closed its Anchorage store in the fall of 2019, as the economy declined under the leadership of former Mayor Ethan Berkowitz and his community development appointee Andrew Halcro.
Nordstrom and its sister brand Nordstrom Rack will close 15 stores across the U.S. and Canada this year, with 13 closing in Canada. The only two stores in the USA that are closing are in San Francisco.
The Canadian stores closing are in Calgary, Edmonton, Langley, Ottawa (2 stores), Toronto (5 stores) and Vancouver.
Also leaving downtown San Francisco is T-Mobile and Saks, both leaving Union Square. Whole Foods announced in April it will be closing its San Francisco location just a year after it opened, due to employee safety concerns. Walgreens, CVS, and Amazon are also leaving.
