Shoppers beware.
The building that once housed Hills, Ames and now Steve & Barry's will once again become vacant.
The Port Washington, N.Y., based clothing store chain known for selling licensed clothing -- like college sweatshirts and Sarah Jessica Parker's Bitten line --- will be closing its doors.
Company spokeswoman Rachel Brenner said no final closing date has been set.
The Lower Burrell store opened in late April 2007.
With Steve and Barry's closing, it will make six store fronts vacant in the Hillcrest Shopping Center along Leechburg Road.
Steve & Barry's filed for Chapter 11 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York in early July. The privately held parent company and 63 of its affiliates filed for protection from its creditors.
Brenner said the clothing store chain was recently purchased out of bankruptcy by BH S&B Holdings, a newly formed affiliate of investment firms Bay Harbour Management and York Capital Management.
She said the buy-out will "better position Steve & Barry's to reach its profitability goals."
"BH S&B Holdings is going to run the chain as a smaller base of stores of approximately 170 stores," Brenner said.
Steve & Barry's had 276 pre-bankruptcy stores in 39 states.
The clothing store chain's officials blamed a cash crunch as a result of tighter credit markets and sluggish economic conditions.
Also hurting the chain are higher costs of materials and fuel prices.
In addition to the store in Hillcrest closing, the stores in Westmoreland Mall in Greensburg and Morgantown Mall, Morgantown, W. Va., also will close.
However, the stores in Beaver Valley Mall in Monaca, Century III Mall in West Mifflin and Norwin Hills Shopping Center in Irwin will remain open.
Bill Rusiewicz, of Harrison, said he shopped at the retailer last week.
"This happened so suddenly," he said. "It's the cheapest clothing place I know."
Rusiewicz said he is concerned for the future of Hillcrest Shopping Center.
"That place is history," he said. "Who knows what will go in there in the future?"
Leslie Tedesco, of West Leechburg, said she wasn't surprised.
"Businesses in Lower Burrell have been dropping at incredible speed," she said. "First Montgomery Wards, then Blockbuster. There are very few businesses left."
Tedesco said she didn't think that Steve & Barry's collapse will single-handedly be the demise of Hillcrest Shopping Center.
"Businesses of that type just don't seem to flourish in that area," she said.
Brenner said store closing sales at each of the three stores began over the Labor Day weekend and will continue for a limited time.
The Lower Burrell store has placed smaller items such as jewelry and socks on sale.
