PCC Says It Will Close Its Downtown Store Less Than Two Years After Opening It | Eater Seattle

"I'm bummed for downtown residents who favor the high-quality, high-priced groceries sold by PCC: its downtown store at Fourth Avenue and Union Street inside Rainier Tower — which opened with a big ribbon-cutting in early 2022 — will close on January 31 of next year, the Seattle Times reports. The closure wasn't totally unexpected; PCC reported losing $250,000 in 2023, and about a third of that loss was due to the poor performance of the downtown location. The store had leased the space in 2018 but suffered several setbacks: Amazon changed its plans to occupy Rainier Tower (which would have been a big boost), then the pandemic lockdown effectively emptied the downtown core. Though many workers have returned, downtown is still at around 50 percent of pre-pandemic levels, producing busy lunch hours Tuesday through Thursday and almost nothing on weekends. The opening had been viewed by some as a sign downtown was being revitalized amid struggles with high crime rates and public hard drug use; its closure is now seen by some as a sign things are trending the wrong direction—"This is a sobering reminder that city officials must do everything we can to ensure that conditions within our purview contribute to a thriving business climate, starting with public safety," said City Council member Sara Nelson. Others note signs of life downtown — Pioneer Square has been thriving and the return of cruise lines and stadium events has brought tourists — though apparently few of them shopped at the PCC, and with few other grocery options nearby (other than the H Mart on Second Avenue) more people will presumably be making the trek to the Interbay Whole Foods." - Harry Cheadle