Everyone in the market for high-end stuff will welcome news that Nordstrom is coming to Ross Park Mall. The far better news, however, is where the store is NOT going.
Recall that last December, there was some talk of the posh retailer locating downtown. But not without incentives: This is from a Tribune-Review story at the time:
With the Fifth-Forbes corridor redevelopment gaining traction after those false starts, speculation is building on major retail components.
Nordstrom is once again front and center of the talk.
"It is my understanding that representatives of Nordstrom, at the invitation of Federated Department Stores Inc., visited the Pittsburgh area several weeks ago to look at Federated's properties at Ross Park Mall and South Hills Village," said Herb Burger, chairman of the Pittsburgh Task Force, a private group charged with getting Fifth-Forbes redevelopment moving again.
Neither Simon nor Nordstrom could be reached for comment.
Millcraft's [Lucas] Piatt acknowledges that bringing a Nordstrom to Downtown would require public money, but he says it would be worth it.
Phew. That was close. Pitching in tax money so rich people could by cashmere downtown instead of Ross Park would have been too much to take.
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