PORTLAND, Ore. — Margulis Jewelers, a downtown Portland mainstay that has operated for 90 years, will permanently close in a few months.
Owner David Margulis said the store next to Pioneer Courthouse Square has faced declining customer traffic during the pandemic, and attempts to bring customers back with a recent major sale didn't pan out.
In a letter to customers, Margulis cited the pandemic, the homeless crisis, vandalism and a "general sense of nighttime lawlessness" as reasons for the struggles of downtown businesses.
He also blamed city and county leaders for the closure, saying officials haven't done enough to protect businesses and revive downtown office buildings.
"The perception of the people is that there's just a broken downtown, and people don't want to come downtown," he said. "The employees aren't coming to their buildings, the shoppers aren't coming down, and our city has done too little, too late to help downtown and the independent merchants."
The loss of Margulis Jewelers comes as Portland's downtown businesses have struggled with increased crime and garbage and sparse foot traffic during two years of unrelenting pandemic conditions.
In recent months, downtown business owners have spoken about their efforts to proactively communicate to customers that downtown is open and safe, and their hopes for a resurgence in visitor traffic.
There have been some encouraging signs, such as last weekend's highly successful return of the Portland Saturday Market for the summer season, which surpassed the expectations of the market's manager.
Even so, a recent poll conducted by the Portland Business Alliance backs up Margulis's concerns about downtown conditions and frustration with city leadership. Concerns about crime and homelessness have increased from 2020, the poll found, and 88 percent of respondents said quality of life is getting worse.