Downtown Portland, ME experiences a 20-30% drop in lunch customers due to remote work, leading to a 7.5% office vacancy rate and small business challenges.

Downtown Portland, ME faces a 20-30% drop in lunch customers due to the pandemic-induced shift to remote work. This has resulted in an increased office vacancy rate from 4% in 2019 to 7.5% in 2023. The decreased foot traffic has made it challenging for small businesses to manage daily operations, and even led to Coffee By Design closing its flagship store.

February 25, 2024
2 Articles