A2 THE BULLETIN • MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2022
The
Bulletin
LOCAL, STATE & REGION
How to reach us
CIRCULATION
Didn’t receive your paper?
Start or stop subscription?
541-385-5800
PHONE HOURS
8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday
7 a.m.-11 a.m. Saturday-Sunday
and holidays
GENERAL
INFORMATION
541-382-1811
8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.
ONLINE
www.bendbulletin.com
EMAIL
news@bendbulletin.com
AFTER HOURS
Newsroom ................................541-383-0348
Circulation ................................541-385-5800
NEWSROOM EMAIL
Business ........business@bendbulletin.com
City Desk .............news@bendbulletin.com
Features..................................................................
communitylife@bendbulletin.com
Sports ................. sports@bendbulletin.com
NEWSROOM FAX
541-385-5804
OUR ADDRESS
Street .............. 320 SW Upper Terrace Drive
Suite 200
Bend, OR 97702
Mailing ........... P.O. Box 6020
Bend, OR 97708
B
ADMINISTRATION
Publisher
Heidi Wright ..............................541-383-0341
Editor
Gerry O’Brien .............................541-633-2166
DEPARTMENT HEADS
Advertising
Brian Naplachowski .................541-383-0370
Circulation/Operations
Maria Johnson ..........................541-617-7830
Finance Wendy Dougherty ...541-383-0324
Human Resources ................541-383-0340
TALK TO AN EDITOR
City Julie Johnson ...................541-383-0367
Business, Features, GO! Magazine
Jody Lawrence-Turner ............541-383-0308
Editorials Richard Coe ...........541-383-0353
News Tim Doran .......................541-383-0360
Photos .........................................541-383-0366
Sports Mark Morical ...............541-383-0318
TALK TO A REPORTER
Bend/Deschutes Government
Brenna Visser .............................541-633-2160
Business
Suzanne Roig ............................541-633-2117
Calendar .....................................541-383-0304
Education
Bryce Dole .....................................541-617-7854
Fine Arts/Features
David Jasper .................................541-383-0349
Health
Suzanne Roig ............................541-633-2117
La Pine ........................................541-383-0367
Public Lands/Environment
Michael Kohn ............................541-617-7818
Public Safety
Garrett Andrews ......................541-383-0325
Redmond
Joe Siess..........................................541-617-7820
Salem/State Government .. 541-383-0367
Sisters .........................................541-383-0367
Sunriver .....................................541-383-0367
REDMOND BUREAU
Mailing address ..................P.O. Box 6020
Bend, OR 97708
Phone ......................................... 541-617-7829
CORRECTIONS
The Bulletin’s primary concern is that all
stories are accurate. If you know of an
error in a story, call us at 541-383-0367.
TO SUBSCRIBE
Call us ......................541-385-5800
• Home delivery
and E-Edition ..........................$7 per week
• By mail .................................$9.50 per week
• E-Edition only ...................$4.50 per week
To sign up for our e-Editions, visit
www.bendbulletin.com to register.
TO PLACE AN AD
Classified ......................................541-385-5809
Other information ....................541-382-1811
OBITUARIES
No death notices or obituaries are
published Mondays. When submitting,
please include your name, address
and contact number. Call to ask about
deadlines, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Phone ..........................................541-385-5809
Email .......................obits@bendbulletin.com
LEGAL NOTICES
Email .....................legals@bendbulletin.com
OTHER SERVICES
Back issues ..................................541-385-5800
Photo reprints ............................541-383-0366
Apply for a job ..........................541-383-0340
All Bulletin payments are accepted at the
drop box at City Hall or at The Bulletin,
P.O. Box 6020, Bend, OR 97708. Check
payments may be converted to an
electronic funds transfer. The Bulletin,
USPS #552-520, is published daily by
Central Oregon Media Group, 320 SW
Upper Terrace Drive, Bend, OR 97702.
Periodicals postage paid at Bend, OR.
Postmaster: Send address changes to The
Bulletin circulation department, P.O. Box
6020, Bend, OR 97708. The Bulletin retains
ownership and copyright protection of
all staff-prepared news copy, advertising
copy and news or ad illustrations. They
may not be reproduced without explicit
prior approval.
The new
economy
Downtown Seattle considers a future
with lots of tourists, few office workers
PAUL ROBERTS • The Seattle Times
L
ike many small businesses in downtown
Seattle, the Pure Food Fish Market has had to
adjust to an economy that’s still missing some
of its pre-COVID-19 players.
Those estimates are prob-
While cruise passengers
ably missing some returnees.
and other tourists are back to
snapping up Pure Food’s fresh The Placer numbers, for ex-
ample, only count people in
salmon and halibut and crab,
the office workers who used to the office three or more days
a week. But they do track with
come to the Pike Place Mar-
low office occupancy rates in
ket fish shop before heading
several other U.S. cities, in-
home have been largely ab-
cluding San Francisco and San
sent.
Jose, California, both of which
So much so that owners
were at 33.4% as of May 18,
Carlee Hollenbeck and Isaac
according to Kastle Systems,
Behar have changed their
a security firm that measures
schedule. Pure Food, which
office occupancy by employ-
for 70 years stayed open till
ees’ key card usage. They also
6 p.m. for commuter sales,
echo national office occu-
now closes at 5 because office
pancy rates, which have hov-
workers “just aren’t showing
ered around 43% since March,
up as often,” Hollenbeck says.
Kastle data shows.
Pure Foods’ changing cus-
“Everybody’s trying to fig-
tomer mix highlights an
ure out, ‘What can I do to get
emerging, not entirely ex-
my people back in the office?’”
pected pattern in downtown
says Gurry. “And I can tell you
Seattle’s pandemic recovery.
that buying everybody lunch
Early in the pandemic,
some business leaders and ex- doesn’t cut it.”
perts imagined a downtown
Two different economies
recovery led by returning of-
fice workers followed by a re-
To some degree, the split-
surgence of tourism and other screen recovery between
leisure seekers.
tourism/leisure and the office
But to some degree, the re-
economy reflects the very dif-
verse is happening. Even as the ferent drivers behind these
repatriation of office workers
two sectors.
has stalled, downtown tour-
The most obvious differ-
ism and other leisure activi-
ence: Tourism and leisure are
ties, including sporting events pursued for pleasure rather
and live performance, has
than necessity, which may ex-
steadily come back, despite
plain why they’ve been fairly
persistent stories of downtown quick to pop back up when-
crime and a recent uptick in
ever COVID-19 restrictions
COVID-19 cases.
are eased or case counts fall.
Visits to Pike Place Market
Consider: While national
between late March and early
office occupancy is 43%, at-
May averaged 74% of 2019
tendance at NBA games is
levels for the same period, ac-
back to 95% of 2019 levels and
cording to cellphone location
the volume of passengers at
data from Placer.ai posted by
airport security checkpoints
the Downtown Seattle Asso-
is at 89%, Kastle data shows.
ciation. Downtown hotel oc-
(Passenger volume at Seat-
cupancy in the March-to-May tle-Tacoma International Air-
stretch averaged 84% of 2019
port is at 84% of 2019 levels,
levels.
according to Port of Seattle
“The leisure comeback has
statistics; Seattle doesn’t have
been stronger than I think a
an NBA team.)
lot of us would have
Another big differ-
projected,” says
ence: downtown
Craig Scha-
tourism and
fer, whose
leisure are
two
benefit-
down-
ing from
town
pent-up
hotels,
demand
Inn
by con-
at the
sum-
Market
ers who
and Hotel
postponed
Andra, are
activities in
at around 80%
2020 and 2021.
and 70% occu-
“We didn’t go
pancy, respec-
Copper River salmon, even at anywhere for,
tively, for May. high prices, is selling well at Pure like, two years,”
After a slow
says Denver
Food Fish Market in Seattle’s
January and
resident Chad
Pike Place Market.
February due
Chisholm,
to omicron, he says, “March
who was visiting Pike Place
just took off.”
Market in May.
“We’ve heard a lot about Se-
The impulse to make up for
attle and we wanted to see it
lost time shows up across the
for ourselves,” said Shirley El-
board downtown. As of May
lis, an Ohio resident who was
22, roughly 155,000 cruise
at Pike Place Market in May
ship passengers had come
with her family.
through Seattle this season,
They’re not alone, appar-
up 50% over the same period
ently. Seattle is the second
in 2019, despite a COVID-19
most popular domestic desti-
outbreak, according to Port of
nation for Memorial Day trav- Seattle statistics.
elers, after Orlando, Florida,
Theaters, nightclubs and
according to booking data by
other venues, some of the
AAA.
hardest-hit businesses in the
By contrast, downtown’s of- city, are also benefiting from
fices are getting a lot less love
consumers catching up.
this spring.
In January, the 5th Avenue
Since late February, down-
Theatre’s first show in two
town office occupancy has
years, “Beauty and the Beast,”
stalled at around 33%, accord- drew 15,000 attendees a week,
ing to Placer estimates, and
more than 2018’s popular
that’s despite efforts by many
“Mamma Mia!” The first per-
employers to lure workers
formances of “Beauty” were
back with everything from hy- “very emotional for the audi-
brid schedules to free food.
ences and for the artists,” says
Some observers say it’s even Bernie Griffin, the theater’s
lower. David Gurry, a senior
managing director.
vice president at commercial
And, paradoxically, many
real estate agency Colliers,
of the workers who don’t want
who covers downtown office
to be back in the office seem
properties, says office occu-
OK resuming business travel
pancy “on any given day is
and conventions. The Seattle
about 22% right now.”
Convention Center, which lost
Alan Berner photos/Seattle Times
Joydie Ellis, visiting Seattle’s Pike Place Market, wanted to take a souvenir photograph at the Pure Food Fish
Market’s stand on May 25. Co-owner Isaac Behar suggested adding a king salmon to the image.
Carlee Hollenbeck is co-owner of Pure Food Fish Market in Seattle’s
Pike Place Market. The fish market has seen an uptick in tourist sales
but has basically stopped expecting the business it used to get from
office workers.
most of its bookings in 2020
and 2021 due to COVID-19,
will be back to roughly 70%
of its pre-pandemic numbers
in 2022.
All those returning busi-
ness and leisure travelers have
brought a much-needed boost
for many downtown busi-
nesses. Downtown hotels,
for example, are seeing those
higher occupancy rates with-
out having to cut prices like
they did in 2020 and 2021. In
April, the average downtown
room rate was $195, up nearly
60% from a year ago and
roughly even with April 2019,
according to Visit Seattle, a
trade group.
Although visitor-dependent
businesses know those gains
could vanish with another
COVID wave, they’re “very
cautiously optimistic” about
2022 and “bullish about sum-
mer in particular,” says Visit
Seattle’s John Boesche. “It’s go-
ing to feel a lot like a pre-pan-
demic summer.”
But tourists aren’t enough
Still, even if downtown
tourism were to fully recover
this summer, that won’t begin
to compensate for the loss of
office workers, whose length-
ening absence creates more
uncertainty by the month
across the entire downtown
economy.
Many office landlords and
developers aren’t sure what to
expect from a downtown mar-
ket with a 20% vacancy rate
as of March, up from 11.4%
in March 2020, according to
Colliers.
Many employers with expir-
ing office leases “don’t know
what they need long term,”
says Colliers’ Gurry. Prospec-
tive clients may ask to tour
50,000-square-foot spaces
one day “and then a week
later, they want to come tour
20,000-foot options,” he adds.
Likewise, restaurants and
shops that once counted on
office workers at lunch or af-
ter work have no idea when,
or whether, to staff back up or
return to a full schedule. That
means even fewer workers
coming downtown, which af-
fects still other businesses, and
further reduces the downtown
workforce, which numbered
348,000 before the pandemic,
according to Downtown Seat-
tle Association estimates.
Office workers ‘have
considerable leverage’
Some employers cite safety
concerns as a key reason
downtown workers don’t want
to come back. But another
reason is that COVID-19 has
undercut the case for being in
an office at all.
If the pandemic reminded
tourists that things like Pike
Place Market and the Space
Needle are best experienced
in real life, it also showed “a
good slice of the American
labor force, as well as the peo-
ple who manage them, that
work can be ... a digital expe-
rience,” says Margaret O’Mara,
a University of Washington
historian who has written ex-
tensively about tech hubs like
Seattle.
That discovery, coupled
with the tight labor market,
has given remote office work-
ers leverage over their employ-
ers that could last long past
COVID-19, some business ex-
perts and employers say.
Eric Johnson, CEO of Nin-
tex, a Bellevue, Washing-
ton-based process automation
company that often competes
for talent with Seattle tech
firms, says many of those firms
have had to relax their return
plans to avoid losing workers.
Employers “who might want
more people to come back
have been a little reticent to re-
ally push it,” he says.
Some other observers think
that leverage will fade if a re-
cession comes and the job
market cools.
If employers start to rein in
hiring or look for ways to cut
costs, any attrition caused by
a return-to-office mandate
might come to be seen as “an
approach to right-sizing head
count,” Gurry says.
That may be a conservative
scenario, but it’s one many
downtown businesses seem to
be planning for.
Back at Pure Food, Hollen-
beck and Behar say they aren’t
counting on a return of office
workers.
“There’s a lot of people that
are going to be permanently
work from home,” says Hol-
lenbeck. “We’ve kind of ad-
justed our business plan.”
❝
We received almost
$8,000 from the ad campaign
on the first day! The eblast
was extremely effective; a
lot of the donations were
made through the linked
page in the ad. In addition,
many of the donations
were from new donors
so we are expanding our
donor base as well. We
are immensely grateful
for The Bulletin’s support.
THANK YOU!!!
541-383-0384
sales@bendbulletin.com
www.bendbulletin.com
❞
— Gia Hartmeier
Vice President
Marketing Communications
Assistance League of Bend
www.assistanceleague.org/bend