MACY’S IS CLOSING ITS LANDMARK DOWNTOWN SEATTLE STORE IN FEBRUARY: Naturally, you have to wade through 12 paragraphs of this Seattle Times article before learning some of the reasons driving the closure:

Said Laura Heydrich: “My first thought is, is it closing for the same reason Bartell’s is closing?” she asked. “The crime?”

Last week, the locally owned drugstore chain announced it was closing its Third Avenue and Union Street location early next year because of the neighborhood’s crime rates and the city’s regulations on businesses.

“I come in (to Macy’s) when I get prompted, like when there’s a gift with purchasing makeup,” Laura Heydrich said. “The homeless people outside deter you from coming in. I feel safer at home (shopping online).”

Bad luck, I suppose. Or as this City Journal story I linked to last year notes:

Fed Up In Seattle: Citizens of the ultra-progressive city have lost patience with political leaders’ failure to address the homelessness crisis.

Oh, I think they still have some patience left — Seattle’s last Republican mayor left office in 1969.