Greg Hartley met his wife at the Shop ’n Save in Penn Hills.
That was nothing unusual. His brother did the same.
Hartley owns the store at 2820 Universal Road along with other members of his family. His parents started the independently owned and operated business in 1991, with ownership being passed down since the store’s inception.
Now, after 34 years, the location is closing.
“This specific location meant everything to us,” Hartley said. “We’ve all worked here. I mean, we’ve tried to be good citizens and contribute to the community the best we can in Penn Hills and Plum.”
He attributes the store’s closure to a major drop in sales and competition from larger businesses, such as Walmart and Aldi, which has a location across the street. For an independent retailer like the Hartleys, he said, flourishing is difficult when competing with larger economies of scale.
The store will begin a clearance sale on Thursday, July 17. All weekly ad specials and Pump Perks will have to be used at the location before that date; however, Shop ’n Save gift cards can be used at other locations.
“It’s (the clearance sale) just to basically clear out the stock. It won’t be able to rescue the store. It’ll just be liquidating the inventory so that we can move on,” Hartley said.
The Hartleys’ next steps include putting their focus toward their other Shop ’n Save location, which is in the Holiday Park Shopping Center off Route 286 in Plum.
