Nordstrom closes Friday at Salem Center with no fanfare

When Nordstrom held its Salem grand opening in March 1980, a hot-air balloon soared above downtown, clowns entertained shoppers and customers vied to win a trip to Mexico.

Don't expect any fanfare when the store shutters at 6 p.m. Friday.

"We will not be holding any special events for the store closure and it'll be business as usual through our close," Nordstrom spokeswoman Ariana Lopez said.

Iconic "Nordstrom" signs on Salem Center's exterior are expected to come down Saturday. Mall officials will update directories.

The upscale Seattle retailer joins other major department stores who've closed Salem locations in recent years, such as Macy's at Lancaster Mall and Kmart on Mission Street SE.

Salem Center General Manager Dana Vugteveen said change is unsettling for everyone but opens the door for something new.

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With customers increasingly choosing online retailers over brick-and-mortar stores, Nordstrom's decision "is not surprising or unique," said Kristin Retherford, Salem's urban development director.

Other communities are dealing with the same transition, finding such losses can still lay the groundwork for reinventing what those spaces are used for, Retherford said.

"I think that is an opportunity for us, as well," she said.

Elsewhere, Retherford said, similar spaces have: turned into groceries stores; been divided into creative office spaces or smaller retailers; been used for healthcare-related and fitness businesses; or transformed into entertainment venues with food and bowling.

When Nordstrom announced the closure in January, President Jamie Nordstrom offered little in the way of explanation other than, "We don’t think investing in Salem Center is the best approach for us moving forward." Company officials have said the store was profitable.

Retherford said she traveled to Nordstrom's Seattle headquarters to speak with company officials following the announcement.

"The decision to close the store was firm and not up for reconsideration," she said. "Unfortunately, what was shared with me is that this is their smallest market and their lowest volume store and just didn't fit well enough with the rest of their portfolio or brand to justify additional investment."

Salem Center's Vugteveen said he looks forward to seeing what happens with the property. In the meantime, however, all other shops remain open.

No agreement has been reached on whether customers can use the sky bridge connecting the Salem Center food court and Nordstrom. It's an ongoing conversation, Vugteveen said.

As Nordstrom leaves, it's hard to overstate how important its arrival was 38 years ago. Former city officials remember Nordstrom becoming a linchpin of downtown redevelopment.

"We wrote down that property by about a million, but then we recouped that in property taxes in four, five years and also ended up with a really nice downtown shopping center," former mayor Kent Aldrich told the Statesman Journal earlier this year. "It cleaned up downtown and incentivized people to upgrade other properties in the area."

Now, shoppers are left with a mixed bag of memories.

Jackie Chittick, of Salem, said she was surprised to hear of the closure. She bought blouses, pants, skirts and shoes there. "I just loved all their stuff."

Meanwhile, Elke Bruton, also of Salem, said the slim number of special sales made the store more prohibitive. "A lot of times, Nordstrom was an afterthought."

However, Charlotte Brulotte, of Keizer, recalled Nordstrom employees saving the day from a fashion mishap.

For a spring auction for her children's school, Brulotte wanted to wear a nice green-and-blue dress. But because the season can be chilly in Oregon, she needed matching leggings.

After failing to find a navy blue pair at two other stores, Brulotte called Nordstrom.

"They called me back and told me that they found a few different lengths of leggings and made sure they were on the right track," she said. "I was able to sprint over to the store and they had them waiting for me to pick from."

Brulotte said Nordstrom's customer service is unmatched. "Their employees were always willing to help find a specific item, help me match outfits for a family picture or give suggestions on what might go well together."

Email jbach@statesmanjournal.com, call (503) 399-6714 or follow on Twitter @jonathanmbach.

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