The Route 19 corridor of the South Hills has lost a once-popular dining destination and will be bidding adieu to a longtime retailer a mile-and- a-half away.
BRGR, a gourmet hamburger restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, has closed at Galleria of Mt. Lebanon after an eight-year run. And a short jaunt to the east, Bed Bath & Beyond in Village Square is one of three area stores the company is shutting down.
The close – and convenient – proximity of these locations enabled some patrons to visit both on the same day, chomping and shopping.
Brian Pekarcik and Rick Stern launched BRGR in East Liberty in 2010, and eventually opened four other sites in the Pittsburgh region: downtown Pittsburgh, Cranberry Township, PNC Park and Mt. Lebanon. A sixth restaurant is still in business in State College.
The Galleria location, which opened in November 2014, ultimately was the last of the five to close in Western Pennsylvania. The owners did not renew their lease.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Bed Bath & Beyond was striving to pay off debts and fend off bankruptcy and liquidation. The Union, N.J.-based home goods retailer was in survival mode, lining up funding and seeking buyers. One prickly issue, according to a report in fortune.com, was BBB executives favored brick-and-mortar business over online shopping.
The company said recently it would be closing 87 stores in 30 states. That is in addition to 150 closures announced last August.
Three of the latest shutdowns will be in Southwestern Pennsylvania: Monroeville, the Pointe in North Fayette Township and the Bethel location on Oxford Drive. It was uncertain when those stores were going to close. As of Wednesday, a going-out-of-business sale was continuing at the Village Square store, where everything was 20% off. A representative at that site declined to answer questions.
Three Pittsburgh area stores remain open: the Waterfront (Homestead), Cranberry and the Waterworks (O’Hara Township).
Bed Bath & Beyond also was closing its Morgantown area store, the retailer’s only West Virginia location. A store representative told WBOY 12 News (north-central West Virginia) that the store would close in April.
The company was thriving six years ago. According to bloomberg.com, “At its peak in 2017, Bed Bath & Beyond had 1,560 stores with 65,000 employees, bringing in $12.3 billion in revenue. But in the nine months through November 2022, it posted sales of just $4.2 billion, and its headcount dwindled to fewer than 30,000.”
In the midst of these South Hills business closures are an opening and a pending opening.
East End Brewing Co. says it is preparing to open a taproom in Mt. Lebanon in March. It will be in the Route 19 corridor – at 651 Washington Road, next to the Mt. Lebanon light rail station. Beers and ciders will be available on tap and in cans to go. Pennsylvania-based cocktails also will be served, and the menu includes East End Chewing pizza, soups, side dishes and bar snacks.
Owner Suzi Renda has launched fringe 412 Salon at the intersection of South Park and Drake roads in Bethel Park. The salon is taking appointments for color, cuts, extensions and skin care. Call 412-807-8604 or visit www.fringe412.com.
(1) comment
Bed, Bath, and Beyond going belly-up. So glad to see this happen to another 'woke' business! Once again proving that the phrase Get Woke - Go Broke is so very true. I will shed no tears for this left leaning outfit!
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