Nike is based in Beaverton, Oregon, which is a substantial inner-ring suburb of Portland. It is the fourth-largest employer in the area and only one out of two large employers that is not a health care system.
So it was a big deal when the corporation temporarily closed its flagship store due to safety concerns. It was a huge symbolic hit to the reputation of the city and an economic hit to the neighborhood in which it was based.
After months of negotiations with the Mayor of Portland Ted Wheeler that failed to result in any promises to improve public safety, Nike has announced that the temporary closure has become permanent.
After closing its Portland, Oregon factory outlet store temporarily last fall, Nike has decided to close it permanently due to ongoing issues of theft and concerns for safety! pic.twitter.com/rIVLn7vfra
— Ronald Kelly (@RonK3l) September 10, 2023
The Nike store is hardly the first retail outlet to exit the city in recent years, but it is one of the most significant blows to the embattled mayor and city. The loss of an apparel store, even one as large as Nike’s, will hardly impoverish the city, and it’s not like Nike is going to pick up and move its headquarters.
What is so devastating is the fact that one of the key employers in the region, with deep ties to the community and a prominent political bent sympathetic to Portland’s leftward bent, has issued a major vote of no confidence in the city.
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R&I – TP
