Nordstrom making return to San Francisco with new concept, mixed reactions
Nordstrom closed its Westfield Mall location in August 2023 after nearly 35 years in downtown SF
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Walk down a busy stretch of Fillmore Street in San Francisco's Pacific Heights neighborhood, and you'll be greeted by an array of restaurants and shops.
And soon, one more will be added to the ranks at 1919 Fillmore as Nordstrom makes its comeback in the city.
Eddy Salazar and her friend Shirin Djavaheri said, since Nordstrom left San Francisco back in 2023, there's been a gap in the city's retail scene.
"They need a presence here for sure. All the different departments they had. All really fun, very on trend clothes and shoes. We're kind of a sucker for the shoe department," Salazar said.
The new store will be a so-called "Nordstrom Local."
MORE: 'A sad day': Nordstrom officially closes SF flagship store, shoppers say goodbye
Different than a typical Nordstrom, it will not carry traditional retail inventory and will instead be a place for online pickups, returns, tailoring and personal styling appointments.
Following the pandemic, many stores in this area of the city left and never came back.
Colleen Delaney lives just a few blocks away and hopes Nordstrom's return will help the area's continued recovery.
"A lot of the stores have been sitting dormant for a very long time. So, as a neighborhood lover, we're really excited to see some stores coming back into the city," she said.
Many people who work in this neighborhood share a lot of the optimism about Nordstrom coming back.
But in addition to the hype, there's also some concern.
Nearby store SVRN says, while they think the Nordstrom could help increase foot traffic in the area, they also worry it could cause issues with traffic and double parking -- something that could actually prevent people from wanting to stop in the area and shop.
"I don't think it's the most healthy addition. I mean, particularly Nordstrom being this big company, I think there could be smaller businesses that would impact the neighborhood a little bit better," said Dwayne Pugh.
Despite some potential drawbacks though, many shoppers say they're just excited to have more options coming to their neighborhood.
"This is a world class city. Everybody needs to come back and reopen, bigger and better," Djavaheri said.
Nordstrom says it is working with city agencies to address traffic concerns.
As of now, no opening date has been set.
Nordstrom closed its flagship location in August 2023 after nearly 35 years in downtown San Francisco.
