San Francisco Store Closures Continue

The closure of the Westfield Nordstrom in Downtown San Francisco is a major blow to the city as the major department stores anchors the city’s shopping district. The future does not look rosy for the beleaguered mall. Nordstrom will close at the end of August leaving a gaping vacancy that will be difficult to fill because the store covers 312,000 square feet and five floors.
35 years ago, locals welcomed Nordstrom when it opened, believing that it could be a sort of magnet that lured visitors to downtown San Francisco.
The Westfield mall was opened in 1988. In 2018, there were plans to convert 50,000 square feet at the Nordstrom into offices but the pandemic derailed that.
There is a narrative that the closure of all these retailers in major cities is the result of the internet. However, I will argue this is not the sole reason. In the Chicago suburbs, we have numerous large shopping malls that are doing quite well. I can think of several that are a pleasure to shop at and are crowded on the weekends with shoppers.
Since 2020, there have been more than 20 retailers in or near SF’s Union Square that have closed or announced closure plans including Nordstrom, Banana Republic, The Container Store, and Crate & Barrel.

Works Cited:
https://sfstandard.com/business/nordstroms-exit-from-san-francisco-calls-downtown-malls-future-into-question/
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