Nordstrom's Paseo Nuevo store is closed for good.
Employees say the closure became permanent a few weeks ago.
The decision was made to close 16 Nordstrom locations due to impacts of COVID-19, according to the company, which said, "We selected these 16 stores based on a variety of factors, including the unique needs of the market, the current state of our business and real estate agreements."
Nordstrom served as an anchoring business of the Paseo Nuevo mall off State Street in downtown Santa Barbara for decades and had been closed since mid-March when stay-at-home orders went into effect.
Paseo Nuevo management says it will work to acquire the building from Nordstrom and make future plans from there.
The mall lost its other main department store, Macy's, in 2017.
The open air shopping center tells KSBY it plans to complete construction of its common area by the end of July and will then begin working on redeveloping the former Macy's building, which remains vacant.
