Goodwill stores shutter doors, citing 'escalating theft, rising rents'

Thrift shoppers will need to find a new location to score deals in Seattle, after the company announced that it will be closing two locations due to "escalating theft, safety concerns" as well as "rising rents."

Evergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington announced the closures Friday in a blog post, saying that the decision came after they were unable to "maintain a secure and sustainable environment for both employees and shoppers."

"The announcement was made as escalating theft, safety concerns, and rising rents have made it increasingly difficult to maintain a secure and sustainable environment for both employees and shoppers," the announcement said. 

The two locations — South Lake Union and University District — will officially close Sept. 22.

Derieontay Sparks, senior vice president at Evergreen Goodwill, blamed the "troubling rise in property damage, break-ins, and safety concerns for our employees" for the decision. 

She said that these "challenges," combined with the sky-high rental costs, made keeping the doors open "unsustainable."

"The decision to close these stores was not made lightly," Sparks said in the announcement. "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."

People living in a homeless community of tents along Interstate 5 in Seattle. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The closure of the Goodwill stores comes after stores such as Nike, Starbucks and Lululemon, have shuttered locations within the city, citing the area's pervasive crime.

A recent report from the Seattle City Auditor says that in 2022, Seattle police received 13,103 calls from the city's top 100 retail outlets.

The report noted that the thousands of retail-related calls cost officers 18,615 hours of time, which is equivalent to the full-time annual work of nine officers.