Retail, restaurant changes spring forth in region
Rick Shrum/For the Observer-Reporter
A Bath & Body Works store will open in the Strabane Square shopping center, according to a sign in the window of a store where Dollar Tree had previously operated.
Rick Shrum/For the Observer-Reporter
Los Bajitos Mexican Restaurant & Grill at 325 Southpointe Blvd.
Changes are springing forth locally in the retail and restaurant industries.
A Bath & Body Works store will open in the Strabane Square shopping center, according to a sign in the window of a store where Dollar Tree had previously operated. That space is being renovated, with a summer launch likely.
Pittsburgh-based Echo Realty, which is handling leasing at the South Strabane Township location, could not be reached for comment.
Bath & Body Works also has stores in Washington Crown Center, Tanger Outlets Pittsburgh (South Strabane) and South Hills Village.
Change also has occurred at a Southpointe dining destination. A Mexican restaurant still sits at 325 Southpointe Blvd. – but it is a new business with a new lease-holder and new name.
Los Bajitos Mexican Restaurant & Grill, which sits at the intersection with Technology Drive, is part of a four-unit, multi-tenant retail building owned by Landmark Ltd. Partnership.
That strip-mall unit previously was home to Los Chiludos Fresh Mexican Grill, which had been a staple in the mixed-use park since 2010. In early March, however, owners Tera and Jose Lemus announced on Facebook they were moving Los Chiludos to Anna Maria Island, Fla. The couple are planning to open the Holmes Beach location in June.
“We will be about (half) the size of our Southpointe location and (be) more of a quick-serve versus full-service restaurant,” Tera said in an electronic message. She added that they sold their previous location “and some of the recipes.”
Orlando Crus, manager of Los Bajitos, said the renamed Cecil Township restaurant opened for business April 11. A number of former Los Chiludos employees are on staff.
“Everything has been good,” said Crus, who was an employee at Los Chiludos.
Los Bajitos is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Two stores opened recently at South Hills Village and five others will launch over the next few months, according to a news release issued Monday.
LA7, a clothing brand for women with 7,429 square feet, is now operating on the lower level near Target; and Lovisa, a jewelry store, has opened on the upper level near Pandora.
Lovesac is something old that will become something new. It is a furniture retailer that is undergoing a full remodeling before reopening in the fall as an interactive store. A temporary location will be open during the upgrade, across the corridor on the lower level near Macy’s.
The Village, which is mostly in Bethel Park with a sliver in Upper St. Clair, also will be welcoming:
Rally House
- , a specialty sports store that is set to open soon on the lower level near Target;
Daily Thread
- , a fashion brand for women (5,877-square-foot storefront);
Ticknors
- , a men’s clothing store that will launch its second Pittsburgh-area location this fall (2,967 square feet);
Venetian Nail Spa
- , which is targeted to arrive this summer (2,104 square feet).
Void at chamber
The Monongahela Area Chamber of Commerce is looking for a new executive director following the departure of Dorothea Pemberton. Her last day was Thursday.
The chamber’s executive board said on its Facebook page on Monday: “We thank Dorothea for her years of service at the chamber and wish her well.”
The chamber is seeking a new leader and requested that interested candidates send a resume to monchamber15063@gmail.com.
For many years, Pemberton’s husband, Les, has had a merry time serving as Santa Claus in Monongahela during the holiday season.
First Commonwealth
For the fourth year in a row, the global media company Forbes has designated First Commonwealth Bank as one of the World’s Best Banks for 2022.
The Indiana, Pa.-based institution is among 75 United States banks – and 435 banks from 27 countries – to be so designated.
Mike Price, CEO of First Commonwealth Financial Corp., said in a prepared statement: “We continue to be humbled by the Forbes recognition … This award is a great follow-up to our achievement last year as the #1 (Small Business Administration) lender in Pittsburgh and a top SBA lender across Ohio.”
Forbes, in collaboration with the analytics firm Statista, selected the World’s Best Banks for 2022 based on an independent survey of more than 45,000 global bank customers.