The hopes and dreams of area fashionistas were granted last week as Seattle-based Nordstrom announced that they had signed a letter of intent to open their first store in Alabama at The Riverchase Galleria. The announcement was one of two from the high-end department store on the day. They also announced plans to open a second Nordstrom in Minneapolis, MN; the company also operates a Nordstrom and a Nordstrom Rack at the Mall of America.

The folks at General Growth Properties must be extremely excited, as both of the new locations are in shopping centers owned by the publicly traded, Chicago-based company. The lucky cities may have to wait for a while before they can enjoy their new shopping destinations: the 143,000 square foot store at The Galleria is scheduled to open by Spring 2012; the folks in Minneapolis don’t have to wait quite as long for their new 172,000 square foot store at Ridgedale Center (Fall 2011). In both cases, the stores may open earlier.