by Debbie Norrell, Lifestyles Editor
Just last week it was reported that another retail store is going to go out of business. This time it’s Dress Barn. I would bet that not a lot of you shop at Dress Barn and I guess that is the main reason they are closing their doors.
Many years ago I used to do an annual show for the Martin Luther King Reading Center and there were many times we used clothes from Dress Barn for the fashion show. They were friendly and I built a great relationship with the store managers. The shows were always a hit and the audience members could not believe the clothes were from Dress Barn. After the show there would be special discounts to the people that attended the show. We had a lot of fun. I bought things from that store that I really enjoyed wearing. They also carried plus sizes and if you thought about going to the store I’m sure you would not be disappointed.
I actually never saw too many ads for Dress Barn after I no longer did the MLK fashion show—the store was out of sight, out of mind. Sometimes I would stop at the one in Miracle Mile but I really enjoyed shopping at the Northway Mall store before it closed. The retailer has been open for nearly 50 years and is joining a long list of stores that have closed. We have seen Kmart, Sears and Toys ‘R’ Us put up their “going out of business” signs.
You know that I love a good sale but right now I’m in clothing overload and plan on doing a big purge this summer. So I’m not sure that I will run into Dress Barn for the big markdowns. However I did make my way to Pat Catan’s, they are closing as well. Pat Catan’s is closing all 36 of its craft and floral stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Michigan; although as many as 12 could reopen as Michaels locations. The company that owns Michaels purchased Pat Catan’s in 2016. Some of the stores may reopen at Michaels. Some of you may not have shopped in Pat Catan’s, either. If you like to do crafts or any type of event planning you have probably stopped in one of these stores. I went to the Murrysville store and found a lot of bargains. If you are planning a reception or any type of party in the near future I highly recommend making your way to a Pat Catan’s store and picking up some bargains. They even have markdowns on the fabric that they have left.
If you entertain or just like a bargain, check out these stores before they close. A lot of the merchandise can be held on to until you need it but it is worth it to get it at 50 to 70 percent off. I’m sure online shopping and duplication of merchandise is putting these stores out of business. Get the bargains before they are gone.
(Email Debbie at debbienorrell@aol.com.)
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