Bi-Mart Closing Five Cascade Farm and Outdoor Stores This Spring, Including Springfield

Bi-Mart announced it would close its Cascade Farm and Outdoor stores this spring, a move that affects five locations and signals a strategic tightening of the company’s footprint as it pushes to expand its core Bi-Mart operations in the Northwest. The change matters locally because Springfield’s Cascade store, which opened in 2024, will be among those shuttered, altering shopping options and employment prospects in Lane County.

The Cascade chain began with a store in Walla Walla, Washington, in 2014 and later grew to include the Springfield location. Bi-Mart officials framed the decision as part of an effort to bolster the company’s retail presence and improve its financial position, prioritizing growth in the region. Todd Watson, Bi-Mart president, acknowledged the difficulty of the choice. "As an employee-owned company, our responsibility to our members and each other has led us to the difficult decision to close our Cascade stores to ensure that Bi-Mart continues to grow," Watson said.

For customers, the immediate effect will include inventory markdowns and clearance sales as stores wind down operations. Those sales may bring short-term bargains on tools, outdoor gear, and farm supplies that Cascade carried, but they also reduce the variety of retail outlets for those items in Springfield and other affected towns. For employees, Bi-Mart plans to offer Cascade staff positions at other Bi-Mart locations, providing internal opportunities rather than straight layoffs, though the company has not released specific hiring or transfer numbers.

The company also announced a reallocation of assets: the Hood River Cascade store will be converted into a Bi-Mart this spring, and a new Bi-Mart store is scheduled to open in Seaside later this year. Those moves suggest Bi-Mart aims to reorient its locations toward markets where it expects stronger performance or better strategic fit, including coastal and regional centers that may provide higher sales volumes.

Economically, the shift fits a broader pattern of regional retail consolidation, where firms streamline brands and real estate to achieve scale and stronger margins. For Lane County, the change could mean modest job reallocations and a reshaping of local retail competition, with potential benefits for shoppers seeking low prices through clearance events and for communities where new Bi-Mart stores open.

Residents should expect closure sales at Cascade stores in coming weeks and watch for job postings at Bi-Mart if they face employment impacts. In the longer term, the move underscores Bi-Mart’s bet on concentrating its resources in the Northwest to sustain growth and preserve its employee-owned business model.