Former Chairman of Seattle Based Department Store Dies at 90
Bruce Nordstrom, grandson of the popular retail store founder, died on Saturday.
The former chairman of the Nordstrom empire passed away at the age of 90 comfortably at home with his wife Jeannie at his side.
Nordstrom began in 1901 located in downtown Seattle.
Bruce Nordstrom became president of the family run company (co-founded by his grandfather) in 1963. Nordstrom is known for taking the store from local to national under his leadership. Nordstrom grew from five original stores into 105 stores in three decades. Bruce Nordstrom led the department stores known for its extensive selection of products, providing excellent customer service, an a very liberal returns program.
Bruce Nordstrom's focus was to provide customers the very best shopping experience.
Live pianists played on baby grand pianos at many of the stores. Dressing rooms were spacious, and tired customers were able to relax on plush furniture in the stores. Some of the Nordstrom locations employed 50% more sales people than their competitors to reduce customers' wait times. This made for more sales than their competition.
Bruce Allen Nordstrom was born in Seattle on October 1, 1933.
At age 9 he began working at the Nordstrom shoe store in downtown Seattle on Saturdays in during the summers. He was paid 25cents an hour to sweep and break down cardboard boxes. Nordstrom earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Washington in Seattle. He met and married Fran Wakeman. They had 3 sons, Blake, Peter, and Erik. Fran Nordstrom died in 1984. 4 years later Nordstrom married Jeannie O'Roark. Blake died of cancer in 2019.
Peter and Erik continue to help run the Nordstrom empire with other family members, as well.
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Gallery Credit: Liz Barrett Foster