The company was founded by a Swedish gentleman, John W. Nordstrom in 1901. He was an immigrant from Northern Sweden, who moved to the United States in search of better opportunities in 1887. The business started out as a shoe store and was trading under the name Wallin & Nordstrom. The company started to pick up that by 1958, they already have 8 stores that are selling shoes. When the company acquired Best Apparel of Seattle in 1963, the diversification of their product offerings started. Six years after, the company changed its name to Nordstrom Best.
It was in 1971 that the business made its initial public offering on the NASDAQ. After almost 28 years, it moved its stocks on the New York Stock Exchange. By then, the company was already marketing its offerings under its current brand name. Nordstrom has been consistently making it to the list of Fortune 500 companies and in 2013, the business was named the top fashion retailer by WWD. As of, there are 271 store locations of Nordstrom that operate in 36 states. These stores bear the names Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack and Jeffrey.
Nordstrom carries a wide variety of consumer products. Their offerings include high end clothing, handbags, accessories, cosmetics, fragrances, jewelries and home furnishings. The company continues to compete against luxury retailers like Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale. Of these luxury stores, the company remains to hold the largest number of store locations.