Future of Pittsburgh Beauty Academy leaves questions for downtown Charleroi

A map on the wall of Charleroi Main Street Manager Donn Henderson's office tracks storefronts in the community's downtown.

Henderson keeps close tabs on the few empty storefronts and makes them his personal challenge.

But the near future for one building in the heart of the Magic City's downtown business community remains a mystery - at least for now.

Henderson admits he still isn't certain if the building housing the Pittsburgh Beauty Academy will reopen, or of the storefront will become a new challenge for him.

Classes at the facility have been canceled since the 70-member staff walked out May 5. Paychecks they received that day - the first since March 28 - bounced.

Students, like Henderson, feel they are in limbo. Although students have been told the school will reopen, they are being offered help if they prefer to transfer to another school. Last month, students wishing to transfer were given copies of their transcripts.

Although the lights have been out and the doors have been locked since then, Henderson said he has been assured the school will reopen its doors.

Henderson said he has been in contact with PBA owner Arthur DeConceliis on many occasions, and was told applications for the fall are being accepted.

"I've gotten the same story: that they plan to reopen," Henderson said.

"Charleroi was his most successful location; we would like to see him reopen. Anything we lose is not good."

Nearly 50 students attended class at the facility. The pupils, Henderson said, were "good partners" for the downtown business community in which their school was located.

"They created a lot of activity in town," he said. "They were always vibrant downtown."

The ambiance wasn't the only thing affected by the school's closing.

"I think it probably hurt restaurants more than anything else in town," Henderson said. "They were almost always going to lunch somewhere every day."

Located just blocks from PBA, R.D.L. Dugout was one such business.

An employee there said the students came in for lunch often - maybe two or three times a week.

The same went for the faculty.

"I know some of the teachers there came in once or twice a week," she said. "Every little bit helps."

Henderson said his department has offered whatever assistance it can to help DeConcelliis reopen the business, an offer he hasn't, to date, taken up.

"We have offered whatever Main Street can do for him," Henderson said. "He said he would take me up on the offer, but I have yet to hear from him."

Henderson said he hopes the building doesn't fall into a trap he's seen others succumb to.

Buildings that have been out of use for long periods of time often sustain damage because they sit - air tight - without regular maintenance.

This often makes it only more difficult to revamp buildings when they are finally ready for use.

"This is a typical scenario of what happens to property," Henderson said. "We are hopeful he doesn't fall into that vicious cycle that we fight on a day-to-day basis."

DeConceliis did not return telephone calls placed by The Valley Independent to his office.

Henderson said all he can do it sit and wait.

"We're anxious for some decision to be made so we can move on," Henderson said.