Ross Dress For Less latest retailer to flee downtown Seattle

Ross Dress for Less is the latest retailer leaving downtown Seattle, adding to a growing list of stores and restaurants that have pulled back from the city’s urban core in recent years. The Seattle Times reported that the discount retailer will close its downtown location, with a sign posted on the door stating the store will shut down on Jan. 16. The newspaper also noted the retail space has been listed for sale since Dec. 17.

Ross now joins a lineup of well-known brands that have already left downtown Seattle, including Nike, The North Face, Saks, the Hard Rock Cafe, and Vans, as the area continues to struggle with reduced foot traffic, elevated costs, and persistent crime and homelessness issues. While some companies were driven out during the worst of the pandemic-era drop in customer traffic, the closures have persisted long after the reopening period, increasingly tied to economic headwinds and rampant crime.

In November, Pike Brewing announced the closure of the Pike Pub and Pike Fish Bar near Pike Place Market, ending a 35-year run for one of Seattle’s best-known craft beer destinations. Whole Foods closed its Capitol Hill store in June, and Amazon shut down its Amazon Fresh grocery store on Pike Street, citing performance challenges.

Across industries, many businesses have pointed to a familiar set of pressures: increasing operating costs, labor challenges, property crime, and worsening street conditions. The hospitality sector has been especially hard hit. Seattle restaurateurs have increasingly cited wage increases, inflation, and increased taxes as the reasons for closing.

James Beard Award–winning chef Renee Erickson closed two General Porpoise café locations and temporarily shut down Bateau and Boat Bar, pointing to the same set of issues affecting restaurants citywide. Skillet, Pablo y Pablo, and several other well-known businesses closed or scaled back in November 2025, with rising costs and reduced demand repeatedly cited.

Seattle’s commercial real estate market has further intensified these problems. A 2025 downtown office market report showed vacancy reaching 33 percent in 2025 and no new office construction. With fewer workers commuting downtown, retail and restaurant demand remains weaker than in pre-pandemic years. Microsoft recently released future bookings and moved its Build developer conference out of Seattle beginning in 2026.

Starbucks has also cited safety concerns in prior rounds of closures, and the continued loss of prominent retail anchors has deepened debate around what Seattle must do to restore confidence in its downtown core.