Retailpocalypse strikes Bridgeville, Pennsylvania

[TheFugitive]

Retailpocalypse has struck the Pittsburgh suburb of Bridgeville, Pennsylvania.  Hard.

Just since July the retail stretch along Pennsylvania Route 50 through Bridgeville has seen the following businesses close-up shop.

- Arby's
- Bob Evans
- American Freight (former Sears Outlet)
- Party City
- Big Lots (in process)
- Beer and Pop 4 Less
- Jo Ann Fabrics (*potentially)

All of these stores are in or immediately adjacent to the huge Great Southern Shopping Center, which is increasingly vacant.

Great Southern already had a high vacancy rate, having lost Tuesday Morning, Office Depot and Just Hockey in recent years.  My wife knows the owner of a restaurant that moved out of the plaza to a new location a couple of years ago, who told her that the landlord at GS is very difficult to deal with and charges too much rent.  She also knows the former manager of the Tuesday Morning store there who makes similar claims.

Big Lots and Party City decided to go out of business (Big Lots has since gotten a partial reprieve, but a store in a plaza with overpriced rent is not likely to be retained by new owners). Jo Ann Fabrics has just filed Chapter 11 for the second time, which seems to give them the opportunity to bail from the high rent as well.  The beer store had to give up it's location when TJ Maxx decided to break through the wall and extend a full-sized Home Goods store into the former Office Depot space. (a relative who knows the owner of the beer store told me that Fresh Thyme Market has a noncompete clause in their lease which does not permit any other business in the plaza to sell beer and wine.  This store was already there and grandfathered in, but once they had to give up their location it seems that's no longer the case).

I've heard that the franchise owner of the Arby's passed away and his family balked at investing in an expensive remodel Arby's was demanding.  Bob Evans is curious as it's a fantastic location with lots of passing traffic.  It seemed they really struggled with staffing (a few times I turned around and left after being told it would be more than an hour wait due to not enough cooks or waitstaff). American Freight always seemed to just have a bunch of overpriced junk.

This is all fairly close to my home so I am concerned that Great Southern not turn into an empty, decaying bit of blight.  What makes it even more strange is that just down the hill the Chartiers Valley Shopping Center is booming, with the former Kmart being remodeled into four new stores (Ross Dress For Less, Five Below, Ulta Beauty and TBD).  The only vacancies are a former pizza shop and Subway locations.

I am guessing that this plaza charges a lot less rent.