Nordstrom — Attraction in Niles Township

1901 Our Start

In 1887, John W. Nordstrom, at 16 years old, left Sweden for the United States. He arrived in New York with $5 in his pocket, unable to speak a word of English.

The young immigrant labored in mines and logging camps as he crossed the country to California and Washington. In 1897, he headed north to Alaska and the Klondike in search of gold. Two years later, he returned to Seattle with a $13,000 stake, ready to settle down.

Carl F. Wallin, a Seattle shoemaker Nordstrom had met in Alaska, offered him a partnership in a shoe store. In 1901, they opened their first store, Wallin & Nordstrom, on Fourth and Pike in Seattle.

The business grew and, in 1923, the partners added a second store in Seattle's University District.

In 1928, John retired and sold his share of the company to his sons Everett and Elmer. Carl Wallin retired a year later and also sold his share to the Nordstrom sons. John's third son, Lloyd, joined the team in 1933.

1960 A Growing Reputation

By 1960, the downtown Seattle shoe shop had become the largest shoe store in the country, and the company, now with eight locations in Washington and Oregon, was the largest independent shoe chain in the United States.

Looking for new ways to spread its wings, Nordstrom ventured into the women's clothing market with the purchase of Seattle-based Best's Apparel in 1963. With the purchase of a Portland, Oregon, fashion retailer three years later, Nordstrom now offered Northwest customers a selection of shoes and apparel under the name Nordstrom Best. Men's and children's wear were added in 1966.

In 1968, the three Nordstrom brothers handed the company over to the third generation: Everett's son Bruce, Elmer's sons James and John, Lloyd's son-in-law Jack, and family friend Bob Bender.

Going public in 1971, the company was formally renamed Nordstrom, Inc. Two years later, annual sales surpassed $100 million, and the company was recognized as the largest-volume fashion specialty store on the West Coast.

2000 Extraordinary Partnerships

At the start of the new millennium, Nordstrom entered several strategic alliances. From 2000 to 2007, the company owned Façonnable, an upscale European apparel collection for men and women. In 2005, the company purchased a majority interest in Jeffrey, two luxury fashion boutiques in Atlanta and New York City. In 2011, Nordstrom acquired Los Angeles-based HauteLook, and also purchased minority stakes in kids' wear brand Peek. In 2012, Nordstrom became the only major U.S. retailer to sell a broad assortment from the renowned British fashion brands Topshop and Topman. In 2014, the company acquired Trunk Club, a personalized clothing service that serves customers online at TrunkClub.com and in its seven clubhouses.

From 2011 to 2013, Nordstrom operated Treasure & Bond, an independent charity-concept store in Manhattan that donated 100% of its profits to New York children's charities and raised more than $200,000. In 2014, Nordstrom launched its private-label Treasure & Bond brand, and in the spirit of the store's give-back model, announced it would donate a percentage of profits from sales to youth-empowerment organizations.

2014 International Expansion

In September 2014, Nordstrom opened its first Canada store at Chinook Centre in Calgary.

Nordstrom furthered its expansion in Canada in 2015, 2016 and 2017 with the opening of full-line stores in Ottawa, British Columbia and Toronto. The company has plans to open Nordstrom Rack stores in Canada starting in 2018.

In 2015, Nordstrom also opened a full-line store at The Mall of San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Nordstrom Today

Today, Pete and Erik Nordstrom serve as co-presidents of Nordstrom, Inc., and manage the company along with the executive team. From one tiny shoe store, Nordstrom has grown into a leading fashion retailer with global reach. It offers an unparalleled selection of shoes, clothing, accessories, home goods and gifts—and an extensive range of services to make shopping fun, personalized...

I went to Nordstrom yesterday to meet with a personal stylist and find some basic business formal pieces for when I return to the office next month. For reference, I’m a size 14 in women’s and XL in most tops. I’m 24 years old.

I had high expectations and was truly excited for the appointment… Unfortunately, I spent over an hour being “fat shamed” by my stylist (Karlene) and left the store feeling absolutely terrible about myself. I can honestly say I have NEVER been treated this badly by anyone at any retailer.

Here’s some of the things my stylist said to me:

One of the first things my stylist told me was, “It was difficult to find clothes for you because you wear a large size”….

Everything she picked out for me was baggy and the majority of it wasn’t work appropriate (ex. Short dresses, low cut jumpsuits, pajama tshirts, even pool cover ups). It felt like she just wanted to hide my body, instead of taking the time to teach me how to dress to flatter my body. After my appointment, I went and shopped the sales floor myself and found plenty of XL shirts and size 14 pants… With that in mind, I truly believe that Karlene does not think larger women deserve the right to dress nice.

My stylist told me REPEATEDLY “You’ll lose the weight”. I didn't need her unsolicited opinion, nor did I want it. I was already extremely embarrassed because according to her, i was hard to dress because of my size… I didn’t come to Nordstrom to get bullied, but that’s exactly what happened.

The final straw was when I was checking out. Out of nowhere she asked me what my favorite food was… I told her I liked a lot of things. She told me that I just “shouldn’t eat the bread at dinner” and that I should “just cut out all the carbs” and that would help me lose all the weight. Again, everything she said was unsolicited. I was already beyond embarrassed and my confidence was at an all time low… Then she has the audacity to tell me not to eat. Disgusting.

I have no words for how abhorrent her behavior was towards me and I hope that no one else has to go through what I did yesterday.

In conclusion, I left Nordstrom feeling crushed and worthless. It was the worst shopping experience of my life and the “fat shaming” has torn open wounds that I had forgotten about. I’ve been bullied about my weight my whole life… I just didn’t think I would get bullied as a grown woman shopping for work attire… Apparently...

A One-Star Experience: Nordstrom’s Hide-and-Seek Failures

My friends and I recently attempted to play a simple, innocent game of hide-and-seek at Nordstrom, expecting a fun and accommodating environment. Unfortunately, what we encountered was a complete letdown, and I feel obligated to share my disappointment.

First and foremost, Nordstrom severely lacks good hiding spots. We scoured the store, but there were few places to properly conceal ourselves. The options we did find were subpar at best—cramped, exposed, and, worst of all, some of them smelled really weird. Instead of a fresh, inviting atmosphere, we were met with an unpleasant mix of stale perfume and something vaguely musty. This completely ruined the immersive hide-and-seek experience we were hoping for.

Adding to our frustration, Nordstrom did not provide free refreshments or snacks for either the hiders or the seekers. A quality establishment should recognize that any activity, including an intense game of hide-and-seek, requires proper sustenance. We expected at least some complimentary water, cookies, or maybe even a small lounge area to rest between rounds. Instead, we were left parched and snackless, which was both inconsiderate and unacceptable.

To make matters worse, the employees were no help at all. Not only did they refuse to assist us in finding good hiding spots, but they also outright denied our request to be guided to the store’s power source so we could turn off some of the lights and make better use of my strobe light. A dimly lit environment would have really elevated the game, but instead of being cooperative, they dismissed our perfectly reasonable request without a second thought.

And then, just when we thought things couldn’t get worse, they kicked us out. Rather than working with us to create a memorable and enjoyable experience, the staff chose to remove us from the store entirely. This was a shocking and unwarranted response to a harmless activity, and it left us feeling unwelcomed and unfairly treated.

Overall, Nordstrom failed us on multiple levels. No quality hiding spots, strange smells, no free refreshments, unhelpful employees, refusal to accommodate lighting adjustments, and an unnecessary ejection from the store. We expected a fun, engaging environment but were met with nothing but...