Salem’s downtown Macy’s store will close in the spring of 2025, the company confirmed Thursday. It’s one of 64 locations the New York City-based department store chain said would close this year amid declining sales and continued customer shifts away from department store shopping. Company spokespeople repeatedly denied over months that Macy’s had decided to close the Salem store, even as employees reported being notified in the fall and the building owner confirmed plans for redeveloping the property. On Thursday, Macy’s spokesman Chris Grams said clearance sales will begin in January and run 8 to 12 weeks. He declined to say how many employees worked at the store or how many would be laid off. “We are committed to supporting our impacted colleagues with severance benefits for those who are eligible, or by offering opportunities across Macy’s, Inc. wherever available,” he said in an email. One other Oregon Macy’s store, the Streets of Tanasbourne in Hillsboro, will also close, the list said. The company has four other Oregon stores in Tigard, Clackamas, Bend and Eugene. The 188,000 square foot building occupies a city block downtown at 400 High St. N.E. The building is owned by a group of Salem real estate investors under the name OGSC Macy’s, which includes Salem Center Mall owners Kelly McDonald, a real estate developer, Patrick Carney, a real estate lender, and Mark Shipman, a real estate attorney, as well as several new investors. McDonald said the group intends to remodel the space into smaller retail and entertainment units, including a larger tenant that’s expected to occupy between 25,000 and 40,000 square feet. The attached parking garage will remain. McDonald declined to give other details earlier this week, saying leases are still being negotiated. The Meier & Frank department store opened in 1955 to throngs of shoppers and much fanfare. It was managed by Gerry Frank, who became a civic icon and fixture in Salem government in business life over the coming decades before his death in 2022. Meier & Frank was acquired by The May Department Stores Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, in 1965. In 2005, Macy’s parent company, Federated Department Stores, announced plans to acquire Meier & Frank. The store was renamed Macy’s by 2006. Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post Macy’s confirms plans to close 64 stores in 2025, including downtown Salem appeared first on Salem Reporter.