Nordstrom History

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The Company Description of Its Time

Nordstrom, Inc. is filed as one of the nation's leading fashion specialty retailers, with 159 stores located in 28 states at this snapshot: 105 full-line stores, 50 Nordstrom Racks, two Jeffrey boutiques and two clearance stores, serving customers through nordstrom.com and catalogs, and publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol JWN. Founded in 1901 as a shoe store in Seattle, the company is presented here through its founder's journey, because the historical record tells the history as a biography first and a store count second, and the philosophy that built the chain is stated in the same breath as the founding: exceptional service, selection, quality and value.

Wallin & Nordstrom, and the Sons Who Followed

In 1901 the two partners opened their first shoe store, Wallin & Nordstrom, in downtown Seattle, the start of what the filing calls the retail legend of Nordstrom, Inc. The company built a devoted customer base and added a second store in 1923. In 1928 John Nordstrom retired and sold his share to his sons Everett and Elmer; Carl Wallin retired a year later and also sold his share to the Nordstrom sons, and a third son, Lloyd, joined in 1933. Family succession here was literal and complete: within a generation, both founding partners' stakes rested with the founder's sons.

The company grew to become the largest independent shoe chain in the United States. By 1960 Nordstrom had eight stores in Washington and Oregon, and the downtown Seattle store became the largest shoe store in the country. The move beyond shoes came by acquisition: Best Apparel, a Seattle clothing store, in 1963, then a Portland fashion store in 1966 merged with the existing Portland shoe store under a new name, Nordstrom Best, with men's clothing and children's wear added the same year so customers could dress the entire family under one roof. In 1968 the three brothers retired and handed the company to the third Nordstrom generation.

Public in 1971, National by 1988

The company went public in 1971. Just two years later Nordstrom sales passed the $100 million mark and the company was recognised as the largest-volume West Coast fashion specialty store; the same year, 1973, the name was formally changed to Nordstrom, Inc. By 1975 the company had expanded into Alaska, and the first Nordstrom Rack was opened in Seattle as a clearance center for full-line store merchandise. Three years later came the competitive California market, and by 1988 Nordstrom had made the big move to the East Coast with a new store in Virginia, completing the arc from one Seattle shoe shop to a national chain.

The closing notes kept here add three later brand facts: the private label brand Treasure&Bond, SPACE at Nordstrom, a designer concept from 2015 curated by Olivia Kim in the blog coverage linked from this page, and Trunk Club, the personalised shopping service purchased by Nordstrom in 2014. The filing's final word returns to the founding promise: the philosophy has remained unchanged for more than 100 years, offer the customer the best possible service, selection, quality and value. For current stores and ranges, the official Nordstrom websites in the References are the authority; this page preserves the dated snapshot and the founder's story exactly as recorded.

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