Nordstrom, the very first store to open at Providence Place and one of the mall's anchor establishments, will close its Providence location on Jan. 4, to be replaced next fall with Boscov's, part of family-owned department store chain headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Nordstrom, the very first store to open at Providence Place and one of the mall’s anchor establishments, announced Tuesday that it will close its Providence location in January.

Next fall, Boscov’s, a family-owned department store chain headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania, will open a store in its place, according to a mall spokeswoman.

Some said the departure of Nordstrom, a department store known for high-quality fashion and excellent customer service, represents the end of an era for retail in the capital city.

“This is a major, major problem, and it cannot be underestimated,” said Joseph Paolino, a real estate investor and former mayor of Providence. “This is as serious as the Superman building closing.”

Nordstrom opened in Providence on Aug. 20, 1999, before Providence Place mall was entirely finished, according to a Patriot Ledger article from the time. Nordstrom had promised eager New England customers that it would open its second store in the region on that date and wanted to stay true to its word, the article says.

The Jan. 4 closure will affect 187 non-seasonal employees, according to the company. A Nordstrom Rack at Warwick Mall will remain open.

Before the Providence Place mall was built, Paolino accompanied then-mayor Vincent A. “Buddy” Cianci Jr. and then-Gov. Bruce Sundlun to Seattle, Washington, where Nordstrom is headquartered, to meet the Nordstrom family and convince them to bring the store to Providence.

“It was a store that Rhode Islanders had never witnessed before,” Paolino said. “It became very successful.”

But the store likely didn’t find enough shoppers in Providence who could afford its clothes, said Diane McCrohan, an associate professor in the college of business at Johnson & Wales University.

“They didn’t get the response that they thought they were going to,” she said.

When asked why the company decided to close its Providence store, Nordstrom spokeswoman Emily Sterken responded in an email that the company looks at its business market by market to see how it can operate most efficiently.

“When we look at our business in the Providence market, we determined it made most sense for us to end our lease,” she said in an email.

The closure could also be indicative of wider problems for brick-and-mortar stores, which have suffered from an increase in online shopping.

But McCrohan said malls just need to adapt to changing times. People will always want to go shopping, she said, but malls may have to start dedicating more space to entertainment, restaurants and other attractions.

“Malls as we know them today are going to change and evolve and are going to look different,” she said.

Before Providence Place was built, the developers secured a 30-year tax-stabilization agreement with the city that will save it about $161 million in taxes, according to the agreement.

When the Providence City Council approved this agreement 20 years ago, council members couldn’t have predicted the difficulty that retail stores would face in the future, said Ward 10 City Councilman Luis Aponte.

The mall has still been a good investment for the city over the long term, he said, and the council will have to make sure that it continues to be successful.

“I think the council’s position will likely be, what can we do?” he said. “How do we ensure that this structure, this massive structure, remains an important and vibrant part of our cityscape?”

Boscov's at a glance

Website: https://www.boscovs.com/

Number of stores: 47

Headquarters: Reading, Pennsylvania

Store Locations: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania

Sells: Men's, women's and junior apparel; accessories; shoes, jewelry; beauty products; bed and bath items

— mlist@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7121

On Twitter: @madeleine_list