By SHELLEY TERRY - Staff Writer - sterry@starbeacon.com
ASHTABULA — Customers of Steve & Barry’s in the Ashtabula Mall soon will have to drive out of town to shop.
The casual retail clothing store is closing its Ashtabula store, said Rachel Brenner, a spokeswoman for Steve & Barry’s at its headquarters in Port Washington, N.Y.
No final closing date has been announced, she said.
Other stores closing include College Plaza in Alliance, Kingsgate Mall in Mansfield, Midway Mall in Elyria, Plazas of Great Northern in North Olmstead and Southland Shopping Center in Middleburg.
The Millcreek Mall store near Erie will remain open, a store employee said. Other stores staying open are in Akron, New Philadelphia, Canton and Cleveland.
Steve & Barry’s LLC announced July 9 that the company had filed for bankruptcy. The company Web site states that BHY S&B; Holdings LLC, formed by Bay Harbour Management and York Capital Management, completed its purchase of substantially all Steve & Barry’s assets on Aug. 26.
An Aug. 22 press release said the affiliate received approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York to proceed with the acquisition. Under the terms of the $168 million purchase agreement, a majority of Steve & Barry’s 276 stores, are to continue to serve customers nationwide. On Tuesday, Steve & Barry’s announced it will keep 170 stores open.
The chain began its clothing line in 1985 on college campuses across the U.S. Until 2007, it was called Steve & Barry’s University Sportswear, and it specialized in college-related clothing. The stores dropped the University Sportswear tagline last year after it started carrying private-label lines of clothing from celebrities. For example, Sarah Jessica Parker introduced her own clothing line BITTEN.
Ashtabula Mall officials were not available for comment Wednesday afternoon.
