Records show REI’s frustration with Portland officials ahead of planned closure

PORTLAND, Oregon -- Less than an hour before REI made public its plans to close its Pearl District store, the outdoor retail giant gave a courtesy notice to Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office, saying that operating a store within the city limits appeared untenable.

Cameron Janes, REI’s chief commercial officer, wrote that the company did “not believe a store in the city of Portland will be possible in the near term.” It acknowledged the mayor’s “city-wide priority for community safety and initiatives to address crime, homelessness and more” but said the company hadn’t seen “substantial progress … to give us the confidence to invest in another long-term lease.”

The terse message, and months of preceding emails that The Oregonian/OregonLive obtained through a public records request, offer a window into REI’s frustration over the city’s response to its concerns, even as city officials said they were moving expeditiously to keep the store where it was.

REI cited safety concerns and an increase in crime and theft among its reasons to close its flagship Portland store in early 2024. In its public announcement, the outdoor and recreation retail said its Portland store “had its highest number of break-ins and thefts in two decades,” despite making costly investments in store security.

As REI went public with its decision, city leaders sprang into action, records show.

Emails show that Andrew Fitzpatrick, Mayor Wheeler’s economic development director, scrambled to set up a meeting between REI and the mayor, along with Portland Business Alliance and the city economic development agency Prosper Portland, to “exhaust all possible options in how the City” could support the company to stay in Portland.

In response, Janes agreed to meet with city leaders but warned that the “likelihood of staying in our current location in downtown Portland is essentially zero.” Janes added that REI would only be willing to engage with the city as long as the discussions were “about longer-term ideas and opportunities for bringing back REI to Portland vs. solving for maintaining our presence in our current location.”

Since its announcement last month, REI may have softened its stance on Portland.

A company spokesperson repeated the company’s previous public statement that downtown Portland is not an option but that REI is “currently assessing what a long-term solution might be for the region.”

Cody Bowman, spokesperson for the mayor’s office, said last week that the “city is in continued conversation with REI and is developing other location options to keep REI within Portland.”

The city had been aware of REI’s woes for months. Emails indicate that REI had complained about rampant crime and safety issues for months and had been seeking help from the city as far back as July 2022, when the retailer applied for a permit to install surveillance equipment on a public parking space outside of its store.

REI wanted to install a mobile surveillance system near the store’s front doors off of Northwest Johnson and Kearney streets due to an “increase in criminal activity.” But the outdoor retailer struggled to navigate the city’s bureaucracy to get approval.

“The crime is extremely high in the area and we need to do more than what we are currently doing as its causing my team to feel severely unsafe in the store, on the property and in the area,” Erika Mamon, an asset protection manager for REI, wrote in an email to the Portland Bureau of Transportation last July. “I cannot move the store and need help with this.”

Months later, in early November, REI appealed to the mayor’s office for help in getting approval to install the surveillance system, records show. Although REI wanted the camera system near their front door, they got one on their loading dock instead.

Documents indicate that talks between the mayor’s office and the outdoor retail giant intensified after a car crashed through the glass front doors of REI’s Pearl District store in late November. REI asked to meet with the mayor to discuss the incident and other concerns regarding crime and safety in the area, according to emails.

Records of correspondence show that the mayor’s office tried to address REI’s needs by cleaning up encampments under Interstate 405 and increasing police patrols in the area. The mayor’s office also told REI to contact their office whenever the company “hit(s) a snag at the city.”

The city’s efforts ultimately proved insufficient. REI announced its decision to leave the city at the end of its lease next year.

Roughly 12 hours after REI made its public announcement, Wheeler sent a letter to the retailer, acknowledging that the city’s efforts were “not enough” and that the city is willing to work with the company to find “more creative solutions to address (its) immediate needs.”

In his message to REI, the mayor outlined strategies he thinks could help the outdoor retailer minimize theft and other crime.

For one, the mayor requested that REI report all incidents to the Portland Police Bureau and to detain shoplifters. The mayor also suggested that REI reconsider policies that prohibit its security and staff from participating in prosecutions that are referred to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.

Wheeler also advised REI to “communicate any physical security improvements (it) would like to implement” at the store so that they can secure any desired permits.