But it took on a life of its own from there.

The possibility of Nordstrom, the Seattle-based, high-end department store chain, coming to Sarasota County was too good to keep quiet for too long.

But it’s not exactly the story one would expect.

Nordstrom, along with its luxury competitor, Neiman Marcus, were slated to anchor the Mall at University Town Center when plans for the $315 million mall were still in its infancy six years ago. But both brands abandoned those notions during the Great Recession as their interest in expanding into the Sarasota market fizzled out.

Southwest Florida residents would continue to drive to Tampa’s International Plaza to the north, or Naples’ Waterside Shops to the south for Nordstrom’s one-of-a-kind customer experience, as they’ve always done.

But now, people are talking about Nordstrom opening a department store in Westfield Group’s Southgate Mall. Nordstrom would reportedly take over the 97,000-square-foot anchor shell left vacant by Dillard’s, which departed Southgate late last year after opening a new two-story store in the Mall at University Town Center.

Read more here.