No one wants American society to be defined by how it shops, yet there's no denying this consumer culture likes retail choices.

That helps to explain the buzz around Pittsburgh over the recently announced coming of two merchants -- JetBlue and Nordstrom -- that are consumer hits in other parts of the country. As fate would have it, one is a discount operator and the other appeals to the high end of its market, but both will be welcome in this region -- and the people who lured them deserve credit.

Cut-rate JetBlue Airways is the latest evidence that there's life after US Airways at Pittsburgh International Airport. The fast-growing, budget carrier will begin service here this summer with six daily flights to Boston and New York. Cost of a ride? As little as $64 each way. (JetBlue is no dummy -- the routes have little competition and are among the most expensive for Pittsburgh flyers.)

Unlike another discount carrier, Southwest Airlines, which began Pittsburgh service last year, JetBlue doesn't sell itself as strictly no-frills. It has assigned seats and satellite TVs for all passengers. But price and choice will be its chief selling points for this market, which for decades lived under the double-edged sword of former regional-hub carrier US Airways.

With the arrival of new competitors, the uncertainty and anxiety that had confronted this market are now abating. For that, flyers can thank the Allegheny County Airport Authority and its chief, Kent George.

In contrast, the public sector had nothing to do with landing Nordstrom. That deal was hatched by the Seattle-based department store chain and Simon Property Group, which owns Ross Park Mall. According to plans announced Thursday, Nordstrom, the tony retailer that eluded Downtown developers years ago, will open for business in the North Hills mall in the fall of 2008.

The addition of the 144,000-square-foot Nordstrom -- known for its shoes, high fashion and personal service -- will be part of a larger redevelopment of the 20-year-old mall. Though Downtown could use another such reputable, stand-alone merchant to spur its own revival, local shoppers who have been making the pilgrimage to Nordstrom in the Cleveland suburb of Beachwood will be just as delighted to access the store from McKnight Road as Fifth Avenue.

In fact, the arrival of JetBlue and Nordstrom in southwestern Pennsylvania means two things for the state to our west -- fewer Pittsburghers driving to Cleveland to catch a low-fare plane or buy a high-priced outfit.