Thoughts on which Macy's might close in WA (Seattle, Spokane: wood floors, sales)

[pnwguy2]

Maybe none, maybe a few in the latest round of closings. Here is a list of current WA stores:

Macy's Locations in Washington

I think the smaller towns are most vulnerable, but the final list is still to come.

[Hemlock140]

Probably one in those cities with 2-3. We shop at the one in Bellevue, only because it's the only NW place with a Nespresso Boutique where we can try the coffee before buying and return the capsules for recycling, and they have the best selection of Fiestaware. They always seem to be busy there, as is all of Bell Square all year long. Redmond seems very quiet as is all of Redmond Town Center. It shows two there, but one is just a furniture store at Overlake.

[pnwguy2]

Yes, I was confused about the furniture stores, but they are counting them as store locations, as they should. For example, Tukwila counts three locations, two of them are furniture stores only.

[pnwguy2]

My predictions, (based on just my opinion and no inside information), is East Wenatchee and Walla Walla are at risk. I also have some worries about Burlington, but less so as they are still in the Canada travel corridor. I think the rest are safe. Again, just IMO.

[PS90]

I don't know anything about department stores, and I don't think I've ever actually been in a Macy's, but considering that the downtown Spokane store has already closed recently, I don't think the closures have anything to do with the market size around them - since that store had one of the the biggest market shares in Eastern Washington.

[poopskooper]

I heard that the downtown Spokane store was substantially under-performing expectations. I guess that's means that even though they may have appeared to be busy and prosperous, their sales evidently weren't strong enough to offset the expenses, write-offs, overhead costs, etc. --especially compared to their suburban stores.

It's too bad as the downtown store was iconic. However, from what I'm hearing, it's been a trend for sometime now for the traditional downtown department stores to be disappearing in favor of suburban shopping. Like Seattle's Macy's, it was a former Bon Marche.

Growing up in Seattle, it was always neat to shop at both the Bon Marche and Frederick & Nelson. Frederick & Nelson, especially, holds a lot of memories for me personally as I remember being dragged around the store as a kid growing up and then working for them when in high school and college as a retail clerk. The downtown Frederick & Nelson was the traditional department store that had 8-floors of merchandise from clothing, shoes, furniture, housewares, sporting goods (with a gun shop ..hunting & fishing supplies, camping supplies, ski shop that not only sold skiis but had a workshop that installed bindings and did repairs), electronics, stationery (with engraving services, and custom stationery), book department, candy (Frangos!!!), bakery, etc., etc. --and the Tea Room!

But across the street, the Bon also had a lot of departments but not nearly as extensive as Fredericks. Many referred to the Bon as "the poor-man's Fredericks" as they had much more reasonable prices and didn't carry the quality as their counterpart across the street. I remember Fredericks as the first place that had the "Nordstrom-style" return policies. Nordstorm at the time was just a shoe store.

At any rate, I'm getting off-topic. What I wanted to express is that I hope the Bon --now Macy's-- will not close in downtown Seattle. But again, the trend seems to be that the traditional downtown department stores are going away. Macy's also has closed many downtown locations through the recent years. Downtown Boise and Missoula are an example of those near Washington.
~amanda

[PS90]

Originally Posted by poopskooper

I heard that the downtown Spokane store was substantially under-performing expectations. I guess that's means that even though they may have appeared to be busy and prosperous, their sales evidently weren't strong enough to offset the expenses, write-offs, overhead costs, etc. --especially compared to their suburban stores.

It's too bad as the downtown store was iconic. However, from what I'm hearing, it's been a trend for sometime now for the traditional downtown department stores to be disappearing in favor of suburban shopping. Like Seattle's Macy's, it was a former Bon Marche.

Growing up in Seattle, it was always neat to shop at both the Bon Marche and Frederick & Nelson. Frederick & Nelson, especially, holds a lot of memories for me personally as I remember being dragged around the store as a kid growing up and then working for them when in high school and college as a retail clerk. The downtown Frederick & Nelson was the traditional department store that had 8-floors of merchandise from clothing, shoes, furniture, housewares, sporting goods (with a gun shop ..hunting & fishing supplies, camping supplies, ski shop that not only sold skiis but had a workshop that installed bindings and did repairs), electronics, stationery (with engraving services, and custom stationery), book department, candy (Frangos!!!), bakery, etc., etc. --and the Tea Room!

But across the street, the Bon also had a lot of departments but not nearly as extensive as Fredericks. Many referred to the Bon as "the poor-man's Fredericks" as they had much more reasonable prices and didn't carry the quality as their counterpart across the street. I remember Fredericks as the first place that had the "Nordstrom-style" return policies. Nordstorm at the time was just a shoe store.

At any rate, I'm getting off-topic. What I wanted to express is that I hope the Bon --now Macy's-- will not close in downtown Seattle. But again, the trend seems to be that the traditional downtown department stores are going away. Macy's also has closed many downtown locations through the recent years. Downtown Boise and Missoula are an example of those near Washington.
~amanda

Again, I don't know anything about this type of business, and what you posted makes a lot of sense.

But I guess I find it odd in Spokane, though, that the downtown Macy's would close even if they were under-performing, considering that Spokane's downtown area is supposedly becoming very "trendy" lately.

I am constantly reading articles about how Spokane's downtown is flourishing and how the malls and outer edges of town aren't doing as well - and that trend is expected to continue. Supposedly this is an urban trend in many mid-sized cities. Why wouldn't Macy's want to get in on that?

[poopskooper]

Originally Posted by PS90

Again, I don't know anything about this type of business, and what you posted makes a lot of sense.

But I guess I find it odd in Spokane, though, that the downtown Macy's would close even if they were under-performing, considering that Spokane's downtown area is supposedly becoming very "trendy" lately.

I am constantly reading articles about how Spokane's downtown is flourishing and how the malls and outer edges of town aren't doing as well - and that trend is expected to continue. Supposedly this is an urban trend in many mid-sized cities. Why wouldn't Macy's want to get in on that?

What you say definite makes sense. I would think the same thing. However, the trend nationwide is moving away from the full-service department store in downtown areas in favor of the trendy-type shops and stores. Studies are showing that overall, department stores are hurting and it wasn't by accident that Marshall Field went out of business ...remember the Crescent in downtown Spokane? The Crescent was part of Marshall Field at one time like Frederick and Nelson.

I'm a boomer so my memories go back to thriving downtown retail cores as i remember growing up and even as a young adult having lots of department stores to choose from downtown just before the start of the decline ...Seattle especially as that is where I grew up. We had in addition to the Bon Marche and Fredericks, such stores as a huge J.C. Penny's (2nd and Pike), and Rhodes which was an old department store with wood floors across Union street from Penny's. In addition, we had those iconic five-and-dime department stores like Woolworths and Kress in the downtown retail core.

I also remember that Nordstrom when I was a kid as a shoe store and the later when it merged with Best Apparel (a women's apparel store) to become Nordstrom-Best for awhile It wasn't until the early 70s that they changed the name to Nordstrom and really started to expand and change things.

Rhodes was purchased by M. Lamont Bean I believe in the late 60s and was shuttered shortly thereafter. However, Bean opened a chain of Lamont's stores in the suburbs. The Bean family also owned Pay 'n Save drug stores and Ernst's hardware stores which were scattered all over the area. The U-district also had smaller versions of Woolworth's, Kress, and Pay 'n Save which I remember fondly.

Ack, I'm getting off-topic. Thanks for letting me reminisce a bit. I miss the "old days" and those aforementioned stores! ...the five-and-dimes especially as they were fascinating to me as a child.

Back to topic: I hope the downtown Seattle Macy's doesn't disappear anytime soon!
~amanda

[Hemlock140]

The JC Penney at Bellevue Square closed not because they were in trouble, but the mall owner wouldn't renew their lease, to get more upscale stores in the space. Macy's is just a notch below Nordstrom so I'd bet they will stay there.

[pnwguy2]

Originally Posted by Hemlock140

The JC Penney at Bellevue Square closed not because they were in trouble, but the mall owner wouldn't renew their lease, to get more upscale stores in the space. Macy's is just a notch below Nordstrom so I'd bet they will stay there.

Yeah, I would think Macy's remaining at Bel-Square is a no-brainer. And even more of a no-brainer would be DT Seattle. Though you do have to wonder about the escalating real estate values there.