Say good-bye to Frederick's of Hollywood. The lingerie merchant is leaving Ross Park Mall this week. The Limited is already gone, as is The Children's Place, Ritz Camera and Radio Shack. Carlton Cards will sell its last sympathy card by the end of the month.

The mall is abuzz with talk about what may be coming in to replace exiting stores. Merchants have heard names such as Louis Vuitton, Vera Wang, Juicy Couture and Burberry, all high-end brands.

Mall officials won't confirm store names but they don't deny the North Hills shopping center is changing in preparation for the arrival of retail star, Nordstrom, scheduled to open Oct. 24. "This is the biggest year in the mall's history," said Lisa Earl, mall manager.

If it's odd to think one department store could re-shape a mall, remember Seattle has drawn many supplicants seeking the favor of the well-reputed merchant whose home base is there. Mall owners, real estate brokers and even government officials have all envisioned economic development hope kick-started by cute shoes from Nordstrom.

But change can bring pain along with the gain, and that trade-off has stirred up more than a few debates -- not to mention some tears -- among the merchants, customers and even bloggers who take an interest in Ross Park Mall.

In the last couple of months, some managers learned their stores would close. Other retailers will move into new locations as space near the long-awaited anchor is re-positioned. Customers have seen an outbreak of signs in recent weeks.

A LensCrafters near the mall entrance closest to the coming Nordstrom is open, but a sign near Macy's indicates the optical store will move there, as will Wilsons Leather. Other tenants changing locales include Pacific Sun, Claire's, GNC, Charlotte Russe and Finish Line.

Some movement is natural in the retail business where leases expire regularly and a rough holiday can convince chains to shutter locations. The Limited clothing chain had a change in ownership last year. The bankrupt Bombay Co. ran liquidation sales in its stores late last year, including the one at Ross Park.

Indianapolis-based mall owner Simon Property Group had been using every opportunity to tinker with the mix and layout of Ross Park Mall even before the coming of Nordstrom was officially announced two years ago, but that added a different focus to the process.

This latest round of changes is unusual in how many stores are affected. A number had 10-year deals that recently ended, said Ms. Earl. "None of this would be possible if we didn't have the benefit of lease expirations."

As a shake-up alters the inside of the mall, construction continues outside, where additional retail and restaurant space is being built. Rumors for those sites have included a P.F. Chang's restaurant, Crate & Barrel and even a bookstore.

Mall operators hope to minimize disruption for customers, but there's no way to do that for merchants who are affected by the changes or at least live in the retail neighborhood filled with debates over the strategy.

"It's sad to see this go," said Shannon Moscickis, manager of the Frederick's of Hollywood store for the past several years. The store is the lingerie chain's only location in the region and did well.

She said announcements that Nordstrom, Tiffany & Co. Jewelers and other high-end shops would be coming were cheered by many who thought the moves would help their businesses. Yet the new neighbors seem to be bumping up property values to levels that, in Frederick's case anyway, seemed too high to justify staying.

"It's understandable they'll be able to charge more for the rent with these stores coming in," said Ms. Moscickis.

At home furnishings store LoveSac, a manager said he thinks the customers Nordstrom draws will be good for the mall but he's heard plenty of concerns. In addition to complaints that longtime tenants are being pushed aside, there are fears the whole strategy is going too upscale.

Ms. Earl has heard that talk, too. "A lot of people do think the mall is going to be too expensive for them to shop," she said. "This is not the case."

Recent openings include new tenants known for value-priced, yet stylish clothing, including Old Navy, H&M and Forever 21. In addition, longtime mid-priced anchors such as J.C. Penney and Sears aren't going away,

"I think the [latest] deals that we have, their price points are a little higher," said Ms. Earl. "But it's not going to be the whole mall."

The theory is that a concentration of luxury establishments not found elsewhere in the region could increase the customer base beyond its North Hills concentration. Officials expect shoppers from the South Hills and the East End might find their way up McKnight Road more often.

Some stores once represented in the mall have locations in nearby shopping centers at this point. There's a Ritz Camera shop not far away at the Shoppes at Northway and a Lane Bryant clothing store in a shopping center across the street from the mall.

The Ross Park retooling has the unabashed support of some tenants. "I'm excited about the changes in the mall," said Windie King, manager of the Swarovski Crystal store.

She takes the view that some tenants might not have been the best fit for the mall anyway and thinks management has the right idea. "If they want to make the mall the up-and-coming place to be in Pittsburgh, they have to do this."