On Friday morning during a Zoom meeting, Nike announced the permanent closure.
Mayor Ted Wheeler expressed his disappointment in a statement issued on Friday, September 8. He mentioned that his team and city staff had worked diligently for almost a year, striving to find innovative solutions to address Nike’s safety concerns.
However, due to the staffing shortages faced by the Portland Police Bureau, the city couldn’t provide Nike, or any other private business, with dedicated off-duty officers.
The abrupt departure of Nike has left the Soul District Business Association (SDBA) reeling, describing it as a “major economic blow.” John Washington, Director of SDBA, expressed his sentiments, remarking that the news landed like a “lead balloon.”
In a news release, the SDBA reiterated that the community had been dealt a severe economic setback following Nike’s confirmation of its departure from the store at 2650 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Nike acknowledged these developments in a statement to The Oregonian/OregonLive, claiming that they were “reimagining Nike’s retail space” and contemplating potential future locations as part of a broader community revitalization plan.
