Nordstrom shuts down in SF due to crime surge, Dollar Store secures merchandise.

A nationwide crime wave is forcing many retailers, large ​and⁣ small, to close their doors or lock up their merchandise.

One example ⁢is‌ Nordstrom, which is closing its⁤ flagship store in downtown San Francisco after 35 years in business, after making an announcement in May.

The location ⁢inside Westfield ⁢Mall said goodbye​ to its⁣ last customers on Aug. 27, ⁢after opening⁢ in October 1988.

The store at the⁤ corner of 5th and ‍Market Streets, once occupied five floors⁣ and spanned over​ 312,000 square feet, ​but is now‌ closing like ​many other ​retailers due ⁤to a‍ surge in crime and poor sales.

San Francisco Centre has suffered from a rise ‌in shoplifting, homelessness, ⁣and public drug use.

A Popular 35-Year Store ‍Location Closes Its Doors

A former shopping staple in downtown San Francisco, the neighborhood’s “unsafe conditions for customers, retailers and employees,” made operations difficult to sustain, posted a ​member of ⁤the city’s‌ Board of Supervisors,⁤ Matt Dorsey.

The now-empty Nordstrom location has been described by local news‌ outlets as desolated with countless empty⁤ displays and mannequins packaged away.

Other major retailers in the⁣ area, including Old Navy Whole Foods, AT&T, Anthropologie, AmazonGo, Office ‌Depot, and Saks Off Fifth Avenue, closed earlier this summer.

Remaining stores have been forced to lock up their stock to deter ‍shoplifters.

Nordstrom Rack, across the ⁣street from ⁤the flagship location, shut down operations⁣ in‌ June.

Even the Westfield Mall announced ⁣in June it would be closing, ⁢after operating on Market Street for more than 20 years, reported the local TV news station ⁤ KRON4.

The future viability of the San‍ Francisco ‌Centre shopping district is uncertain.

His ⁢ad was addressed to‌ Gov.⁢ Gavin Newsom and Mayor London Breed, accusing them ‍of​ dereliction of duty, caused by the collapse‍ of law and order.

“Today, as we prepare for our 166th holiday season at 250 Post Street, we ⁣fear ​this may be our ​last ​because ⁣of the profound erosion​ of this city’s ‍conditions,” ‍wrote Mr. Chachas, adding “San⁤ Francisco now suffers‌ from a⁤ ‘tyranny of the minority’ – behavior ⁣and actions of the few that jeopardize the livelihood of the many.”

Jeff Clark, ‍a former Assistant Attorney‍ at the Department of Justice⁢ under former ‌President⁤ Donald Trump, tweeted,⁢ “Nordstrom store in ⁢San Francisco ‌forced to close. The crime is unbearable. And⁤ the crime ⁤has grown to such ⁤intolerable heights mainly because smash-and-grab crimes at the city’s retailers aren’t ‍being prosecuted. This is a man-made political problem.”

San Francisco Swamped With‌ Crime ​And​ Empty ‍Store Fronts

In addition to the rampant drug use, homelessness, ⁣and crime, the city has lost thousands to remote work after the pandemic, which has decimated vast areas of its commercial neighborhoods.

Office vacancies in San Francisco reached a record high of⁢ 31 percent ⁣in May, enough space for 92,000 workers,​ according to the Daily Mail.

The loss of office workers is ⁤expected to​ contribute to ⁢a budget shortfall of $1.3 billion in five years, while a decline in property tax revenue alone may cost nearly $200 million per year, according to the ‍city’s chief accountant.

Sales tax revenue for South of Market, or SoMA, where⁣ the stores were located, ​has seen a 25 percent decline from the first ⁣quarter of 2019.

Ms.⁤ Breed’s office announced it was working on changing laws and tax reforms, that would⁤ bring ⁣more businesses to the area.

IKEA’s opening​ of a‍ new location at⁢ 945 Market Street, on Aug. 23, was touted as a ⁣sign by Ms. Breed that things were not too bad, calling IKEA’s move “a game‌ changer.”

Mr. Dorsey said ⁢that ⁢the ⁣city will ​”have some serious ‌issues ‍to work on.”

He added that “San Francisco has always had ups and downs, but ​I’m going to tell ‌you⁤ we always come back. And⁣ I’m not going to‍ lose my optimism about my district or my‍ city.”

Last ​week,​ city⁤ authorities announ