Ghost Mall: Lululemon is latest store to abandon Seattle’s Pacific Place

On a sunny Wednesday morning in downtown Seattle, you could count the number of shoppers at Pacific Place mall on two hands.

Most of the customers who did show up were there to shop at Lululemon, begging the question: What will draw people to the mall when the athletic retailer closes later this month?

RELATED: How's business in Downtown Seattle? Depends on who you ask

Ann Marrs said she does most of her shopping online, but she visited Pacific Place to lay eyes on a present for her picky 11-year-old granddaughter.

“If she didn't love Lululemon, I would not be downtown today,” Marrs said.

Marrs used to be a frequent visitor of the mall when she worked a few blocks away at Virginia Mason. That was before the pandemic.

“Just the entire mall has changed since I worked here," she said. "When I walked in, I thought, it used to look vibrant and alive and [now] it looks deserted,”

A spokesperson for Avison Young, which owns Pacific Place, said the mall is still “a vibrant and unique place to visit,” thanks to its pop-up retail program. Businesses like Midnight Cookie Co. have set up a temporary shop in the mall using this program. Dumpling chain Din Tai Fung and the AMC movie theater also continue to draw customers.

“Lululemon’s decision to leave Pacific Place is unfortunate,” the spokesperson said in an email. “Avison Young’s leasing team is actively seeking tenants that will best serve and appeal to the community and provide long-term stability for Pacific Place and downtown Seattle and there is keen interest from prospective tenants.”

Lululemon did not respond to questions about why it is closing the Pacific Place location, but an employee at the store said business has slowed.

“It just has kind of dimmed down,” Cam Fakava said. “I think that's just downtown Seattle in general.”

RELATED: Seattle voters are in a 'back-to-basics' mood, according to latest poll

The store is set to close April 21, according to Fakava, who said employees will be busy packing up shop until then.