The Rouse Co.'s Pioneer Place Sees Significant Ebb and Flow of Retailers

PORTLAND-Williams-Sonoma is climbing out of its Pioneer Place crib and walking across the street. The upscale cookware and furnishings store will close its 4,100-square-foot store on the third level of the indoor mall in mid-May. Two weeks later, it will open a larger store recently occupied by Brookstone, Sunglass Hut and Laura Ashley.

“They’ve established a position and can now come out and do it on their own,” surmised Steve Neville of New & Neville, a local retail brokerage firm that runs with several national players, though not this one. “It’s a natural evolution for some of the more successful retailers.”

Of the location, Neville says although downtowns can be hit or miss – “there is such a thing as being a block on and a black off,” he says – certain corridors have proven successful, and Neville believes the space Williams-Sonoma is taking is one of them.