Northwest Washington-based Evergreen Goodwill announced it will close two Seattle thrift stores, citing safety concerns, increased theft and rising rent as the main reasons. (FOX 13)
Secondhand shoppers will have to look for new outlets to find bargains in Seattle after the company announced it was closing two stores, citing “increased thefts, safety concerns” and “rising rent.”
Evergreen Goodwill in northwest Washington state announced the closure in a blog post on Friday, saying it made the decision because it could no longer “maintain a safe and sustainable environment for both employees and shoppers.”
“This announcement comes as an increase in thefts, safety concerns and rising rent costs make it increasingly difficult to maintain a safe and sustainable environment for both employees and shoppers,” the release said.
The two stores, in South Lake Union and University District, are scheduled to officially close on September 22nd.
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Two Seattle Goodwill retail stores are set to close next month. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Evergreen Goodwill senior vice president Deriontay Sparks cited an “alarming increase in property damage, trespassing and concerns about employee safety” as the reason for the decision.
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She said these “challenges”, combined with high rent costs, made it “unsustainable” to keep the store open.
“The decision to close these stores was not made lightly,” Sparks said in the release. “Both locations have experienced a sharp increase in property damage, trespassing and employee safety concerns. These issues, plus rising rent and operating costs, have made it untenable for us to continue operating in these locations.”
A homeless community lives in tents along Interstate 5 in Seattle. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The Goodwill store’s closure comes after Nike, Starbucks, Lululemon and other stores have closed locations in the city, citing rampant crime in the area.
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A recent report by the Seattle City Auditor said that in 2022, Seattle Police received 13,103 calls from the city’s top 100 retailers.
The report found that thousands of retail-related calls involved 18,615 officer hours – the equivalent of nine officers working a full year.
FOX Business has reached out to Goodwill Industries and the Seattle Police Department for comment.
