Recession Angst;Signs of Slowdown in Area Taking a Toll on Psyches
Times are getting so tough in the Washington area that even Nordstrom is facing the music: The upscale department store is laying off some of its celebrated piano players.</br></br>Four tuxedo-clad ivory-strokers, once a symbol of elegance on Nordstrom Inc.'s sales floors, received word last week that they are the latest additions to the area's unemployment rolls. From now on, Nordstrom customers will be serenaded only during peak shopping hours.</br></br>"It's a kick in the pants," said Arthur Lieb, who played at both of Nordstrom's Northern Virginia stores for 18 months. "To me, it's a sign of recession."</br></br>The metropolitan area may not exactly be in a recession, but it sure feels that way. Anyone who hasn't yet lost a job, filed for bankruptcy, experienced a drop in income or failed to sell a house probably knows someone who has-and wonders where the ax will fall next.</br></br>Call it Recession Angst. In less than six months, confidence in the prosperity of this region appears to have dissipated markedly, according to business executives, workers and economic experts interviewed in the past two weeks.