SEATTLE — Two Goodwill locations in Seattle will close in late September due to "escalating theft, safety concerns" as well as rising rents, the company announced last week.
The South Lake Union location on Westlake Avenue North and the University District store on University Way Northeast are the two impacted. The locations, open since 2008, will be open for donations and shopping until September 22.
“The decision to close these stores was not made lightly,” said Derieontay Sparks, Sr. Vice President, Customer Experience, Retail, and Revenue Growth at Evergreen Goodwill in a release. “Both locations have experienced a troubling rise in property damage, break-ins, and safety concerns for our employees. These challenges, coupled with rising rent and operational costs, have made it unsustainable to continue operating in these areas.”
All impacted employees will be offered positions at other Goodwill locations in the region, the company announced. There are 23 other Goodwill retail store locations in western Washington according to its website, including four others in Seattle.
Goodwill is not the first major store chain to close Seattle locations citing theft or safety concerns. Target announced several stores in Seattle were closing in 2023 due to theft issues and nearby crime, but a CNBC investigation appeared to show that crime data did not support that assertion.
Nike and Amazon also shuttered retail locations in the downtown Seattle area in 2023.
A July 2023 report from the Seattle City Auditor showed that in 2022, Seattle police got 13,103 calls from the top 100 retail locations in the city. Responding to those calls cost police officers more than 18,000 hours of time, which the report said is equivalent to the annual work of nine full-time patrol officers.