Come Sept. 19, Nordstrom Inc.'s got a brand new bag--and, well, shoes, hat and ensemble to match--as the department store opens a second Indianapolis location, in the Fashion Mall at Keystone. Residing in Parisian's former quarters, the new store is poised to burnish the mall's reputation as the region's highest-end shopping destination.

The locally based headwear retailer Hat World made a name for itself by snatching up competitors and opening hundreds of stores around the country. However, after sluggish sales in the fiscal year that ended Feb. 2, the company--a unit of Nashville, Tenn.-based Genesco Inc.--says it plans to open fewer stores than usual this year so officials can put their focus back on existing operations.

At a time when Starbucks is closing hundreds of stores nationwide, he and other local independent coffeehouse owners say they're doing just fine, largely because they're infusing their stores with personality and offering consumers an experience chain stores can't replicate.