CLOSING DOORS
Beloved retailers begin the year by saying goodbye
Some beloved Pittsburgh retailers are beginning a new year by saying goodbye. Ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, along with other personal and professional factors, prompted their plans to close. Here are three places where you’ll have only a few more weeks to shop.
Carlisle’s Bridal of Pittsburgh
For store manager Jan Winner, gowns aren’t just part of her job. They run in the family. Her greatgreat grandmother, milliner Sophia Carlisle, opened the business in 1888.
In those days, women didn’t wear the traditional white wedding dress. Old photos show brides in dark-colored dresses and hats with feathers, Ms. Winner said. Carlisle’s evolved into a bridal salon after World War I and is the oldest one in the country, according to its website.
The decision to close the store near Ross Park Mall was one Ms. Winner didn’t make lightly, but she knew the time was right. During the pandemic, the business has operated “like a restaurant. I can only have 50% capacity,” Ms. Winner said.
“You get one bride and a bridal party [in the salon] and you’re done.”
She’s kept Carlisle’s going by appointment during the pandemic. When she asked her landlord about a rent reduction, he said he planned to renovate the plaza and move her business to a smaller storefront. While the rent would be lower, there were other challenges.
“I’m not willing to build out another store during COVID,” she said. “I knew it was the time [to close]. It wasn’t like I was prepared for it, but when that came around, I thought, ‘God is telling me this is it.’ ”
She’s received an outpouring of support from the community since announcing the news.
“It’s very heartwarming,” said Ms. Winner, who started there when she was 14 years old as a stock girl on weekends.
She’s been busy calling bridesto-be to make sure everyone gets what they need before Feb. 28, Carlisle’s last day in business. In the meantime, she’s selling bridal, prom and mother-of-the-bride dresses left in stock for half off.
After that, she plans to take things one day at a time. “I have not a clue what I’m going to do.”
She wants to go out on a high note to preserve Carlisle’s Bridal’s reputation. Could her daughter reopen someday in a new location?
“I don’t know if that will ever happen, but I wanted to be able to do that just in case,” Ms. Winner said.
Information: carlislesbridal.com or 412-837-1603.
Ragged Row
For 8½ years, Ragged Row in Sewickley has been a destination for ready-to-wear, activewear and accessories. It’s owned and operated by sisters Brigitte and Christina Nguyen.
But COVID-19 brought too many uncertainties, including safety restrictions, supply chain disruptions and other inventory delays, the sisters explained. They shuttered their Bakery Square location in April, and the lease for the Sewickley storefront is up at the end of February. The last day for instore sales will be Feb. 13.
The Nguyens credit their customers for their best memories over the years. Prior to the pandemic, Ragged Row routinely partnered with other businesses in Sewickley for events, happy hours and pop-up shopping. COVID-19 interrupted those opportunities to connect with the community.
During their final weeks, all apparel is discounted, including a $20 and $50 denim sale. The sisters remain optimistic about the future.
“I’ll be assisting my fiancé, David Barbe, who owns Four Points Brewing, on opening a
taproom on Western Avenue this spring,” Brigitte Nguyen said.
Her sister is a Pilates instructor at Studio Sewickley. “I will continue training clients,” she said.
Together, they’ll keep Ragged Row alive online at raggedrow.com.
Information: raggedrow.com or 412-259-8430.
Brambler Boutique
For five years, Brambler Boutique in Lawrenceville has been a friendly space for kids to play and moms to bond while they shopped for organic, sustainable and ethically made children’s clothes and toys.
The pandemic put a damper on that, say owners Kati Fishbein and Andi Calcagno.
“Our store was never designed to be an online shop,” they said in an Instagram post. “We were here to be a part of a community, to be able to offer hands-on customer care and help people during a huge, happy change in their lives.”
The store announced its closing on social media earlier this month. The last day for in-store shopping will be Feb. 28. Sales will roll out during the next six weeks.
“We wanted to create a safe space for families to have fun, and I think we really created something special with all of yinz,” the owners wrote.