Neiman Marcus to pull the plug on experimental Westlake store

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Neiman Marcus has decided to end its gallery-store experiment at Westlake Center after anchoring the downtown mall's southwest corner for more than two years.

Officials at the Dallas-based upscale retailer confirmed yesterday that the company is shutting down its Galleries of Neiman Marcus store in Seattle, one of three prototype jewelry-and-gifts stores nationwide.

Jim Skinner, Neiman Marcus' chief financial officer, said the Westlake store will close on or about March 1, affecting just under 20 employees.

The company opened its 12,000-square-foot store in fall 1999 to much fanfare as one of three test sites for the Galleries concept.

The store offers much of the same high-end jewelry, gifts and home accessories sold at full-line Neiman Marcus stores.

"It continues to be an experiment," Skinner said. "But the performance up in Seattle just didn't work, unfortunately."

Skinner said it's difficult to pinpoint whether sluggish sales at the Seattle store were tied to the location or to the concept. He noted, however, that the other two Galleries prototypes — in Phoenix and the Cleveland suburb of Beachwood, Ohio — have fared better than the Seattle store and will stay open.

"It's very hard to isolate (the cause) when you're into this new concept," he said.

Neiman Marcus' departure comes during the same week that another upscale jeweler announced plans to expand in the area.

Tiffany & Co. announced Tuesday that it will open a second Seattle-area store later this year, this time in Bellevue. Tiffany said its downtown Seattle store in Pacific Place, just two blocks away from the Galleries of Neiman Marcus, has been very successful.

In 1998, a year that saw the grand openings of Pacific Place and Nordstrom's new flagship store, Neiman Marcus' arrival at Westlake Center was hailed as the latest step in the revitalization of downtown Seattle.

Yesterday, Skinner said Neiman Marcus would consider returning to the Seattle market in the future.

"Demographically, it would still be an attractive economy," Skinner said.

"The Northwest is a booming area, despite the fact that we're in a little dip at the moment."

Jake Batsell can be reached at 206-464-2718 or jbatsell@seattletimes.com.