RIP 7.98 shoez.

Dang. I just bought a new sweater from there that I really like too...course, I knew they were liquidating my location for awhile. The funny thing is, according to all the signs in the store, they're not closing THAT location, although the store is all but bare. I'll have to get pics and send them in.

I don't know anything about this company, but I know when they first turned up at the mall in Skokie (right before they promptly checked back out again), I said to myself "there's a company that isn't going to be around very long. I mean, you've got to do better than "Steve and Barry's". I'd call it "O.J.'s Sh*t" if it were my company.

I'll take my comments of the air.

I was wondering why they had the liquidation signs up at the Milford store, considering it was the only one left in Connecticut after round 1...

Going out of business is a whole lot better than declaring bankruptcy and screwing over the world, especially since the gift cards can still be redeemed.

Do watch the company to make sure they don't do the classic furniture store "out of business" today and reopen tomorrow with a sightly different name.

Oops, sorry, it is bankruptcy. Ignore the prior post.

Hey, at least gift cards are being accepted.

@Jackasimov: "off the air" you idiot, "off" the air!

Oh I do so love Steve and Barry's...
Why can't a cheap even semi-nice clothing store ever stay in business?
You know what, corporate overhead? Kiss my semi-nicely dressed butt.

You mean selling super-cheap clothing in high-rent mall areas (yes, I realize that didn't describe all of their locations) didn't provide sustainable margins?

Shock. Horror.

Also, use those gift cards while you can.

Eh, the excitement over S&B never caught on with me. Cheap ass clothes made with cheap ass quality? Pass.

I had bought two pairs of cargo pants there years back, both of which broke at the zipper. I almost even got suckered into buying a coat there, until the smell of it reminded me of kerosene.

Although, for people looking for a "deal," I'm sure you'll find jeans in the $3-range.

@RockStarr: It always amazed me to see people coming out with armfuls of those god awful sneakers, then they instituted a policy of "Limit 10" or something ridiculous..

I have some of their dress shirts and shorts and they are still good after wearing them almost weekly for quite a while. I will miss them.

I am an employee of Steve and Barry's and the way that the company has handled their liquidation is simply inexcusable. They have had ZERO respect for their employees.

The store at my mall isn't closing, but the clothes are marked up 100%. $7 pair of pants now selling for $14; I bought a pair and took a friend back a few weeks later to get the same pair.. yeah.

Sad that cheap clothes won't be cheap anymore. Everyone shell out 80 bucks for blue jeans. There's an economic stimulus for you :D

The Steve & Barry's at my mall has been there for years. The whole time, they had signs displayed big as life saying, "Grand Opening, All Items Under $10"

Now I find myself wondering if they are going to be going out of business for the next 5 years...

I live near the Puente Hills Mall in Rowland Heights/City of Industry, CA. There, first Linen-N-Things went under, second Circuit City, and now Steve and Barry's. The only places that will be left are Krispy Kreme, Sears, Macy, and AMC 30. After the latter places close, COSTCO will rule!!!

@blkhrt1: Shop your local farm & ranch store for cheap jeans. Nobody will sell denim which is meant to last for better prices.

@RandaPanda0283: the location near me had that sign, as well as a now hiring sign.

@thrashanddestroy:

+1

I have a pair of their jeans that were bought as a gift. The zipper very easily falls down when I'm walking. They are only worn around the house these days.

Umm...the S&B near me still has the "Now Hiring" signs still posted in the store...

Maybe I should tell them about it?

@thrashanddestroy: I bought a hoodie there thinking the smell will wash out and nope it always was giving off odd odors. I gave the hoodie away to goodwill.

I never like the stuff they had and in the college town I am at they had like NO university clothing, I could get plenty of other schools shirts but no the school I attend and work at.

Ours just closed here the other night after only being open a year. In the end everything was 3/$5 but most things had been picked clean by then. Say what you want about the shoes but 3/$5 isn't bad at all. Did manage to get a really large table for my living room pretty cheap though.

I remember my first experience with the store. They were dirt cheap. Jeans, pants, long sleeve shirts and jackets were all 8 bucks while the short sleeves were all 5. I went in and spent a good 50 - 60 bucks on clothes. All the t-shirt were heavy and uncomfortable. The short sleeves faded quickly. The jeans were all irregular fit (my fault for not trying them on) and the dress pants all had sown on wooden buttons and fell off after two wears. That was about 5 years ago and I still wear one of the jeans and the t-shirts have been worn in. I don't have any of the long or short sleeves left. Those and the irregular fit jeans got left at Goodwill.

Awww, I'll miss Steve & Barry's. The store in Orlando is pretty nice compared to what I hear about others. I need to get down there to see if I can nab a new cheapo peacoat before they close.

(Although I do agree that some of the other coats smelled funny. Pleather will do that I guess.)

@dantsea: I know what you mean about the mall areas. They have the largest part of one of our malls and also the most open floor space. You could probably drive a Mini in there and never hit anything. That's just dumb when you probably pay rent by the sq foot.

I travel quite a bit and have never seen or heard of this store. Up until I read this I had no idea who they were or that they even exist. Maybe part of their fail was not getting the word out to cheapskates like me.

You guys aren't seeing the real victim here.

Stephon Marbury.

Hell is he gonna do about his tattoo now?

Awww, I will miss them. Not a lot, because none of their stuff ever fit properly, but still.

Steve & Berry's was great when the only store in our area was on the campus of U of M, and all they had was inexpensive, Michigan apparel. Then suddenly they started popping-up everywhere and selling all kinds of bizzare, cheap stuff (anyone need an $8, pleather coat?).

It's a great place to pick up stuff for kids who outgrow it before it wears out. Not much for grown ups though

@Ayanami:
We don't have them here either in this part of North Carolina, but there was one where we lived in Watertown, NY. I never did shop there, though. It looked too teen oriented to me. Maybe I was mistaken.

I bought a T-shirt there one time that said "I See Dumb People." :D

Eh the one closest to my place closed a few months ago. I was super disappointed that I didn't get a chance to grab any more UCF gear before they went under. You can't beat $8 hoodies that are more comfortable than more expensive ones.

@thrashanddestroy: The T-Shirts and sweaters were fine (though, how could you screw that up?)

I tried on a pair of jeans.... bah they were all wonky. Didn't fit right at all.

@thrashanddestroy: The kerosene in the peacoats keeps the mice from eating it on its long cargo box trip from Shanghai to Hoboken.

@ackquarius: I just bought underwear at Sears last weekend. Craftsman quality--if they crack or fail, just return them for replacements. I'm bringing sexy back yes I am.

The sad thing is, the prices of clothing at Steve and Barry's are what the prices should be at every store. The profit margins on clothing are ridiculous.

How much do you think it costs to make a pair of 100 dollar jeans in a third world country and ship them to the states? Probably around 25 to 50 cents a pair.

I had a client who was a well known manufacturer of handbags. The bags retailed between 60 and 80 dollars each. Cost to make them. A dollar.

Of course running and renting a retail store and marketing etc. all costs money, but 100+ dollars for jeans? Sneakers?

I bought a hooded sweatshirt at Steve and Barry's for like 8 bucks, and I was surprised by the quality of it. It was really pretty nice.

@drjayphd:

Last week the one in Waterbury was still there... Barely...

Not all the stores are closing. I went to the North Kansas City location last weekend and while they were having the sale, they had a sign up saying that they are not one of the closing locations.

I dunno about you guys but neither me or my mother pays more than 10$ an item for any article of clothing, unless its for a special occasion, and even then items can most always be found on the clearance rack. The smell of Steve and Barry's is just really what put me off of the store, that store just gave me a headache every time I went into it.

We shop off season and plan ahead for things that we know will be wearing out soon, plus shop on the clearance racks. It helps a lot that I am an adult and am past the "brand" phase that everyone goes through, so I will wear pretty much anything regardless of brand.

Our store had the closing signs up however they also had a hiring sign, must have been desperate for people to work in a kerosene smelling clothing store.. From what I heard though the whole chain is gonna close.

Damn. I really liked Steve and Barry's. I'm not into brands, since you can automatically tack on an extra $40-50 for the brand logo alone. I've never noticed a wonky smell or a crappy fit at any of the clothing that I've bought there. I think they would have taken off if people would have gotten their heads out of their asses and realized they don't need to have Ralph Lauren jeans, Hollister shirts, and running shoes that cost up to and including $100 a pop. I know other college kids who make around what I do- less than $15,000 and they're perpetually broke because they think they need stupid shit like that. People have really gotten their priorities in a twist. One needs food, shelter, clothing, and to stay on top of your bills. If you have pets, they need food, and proper vet care. That's all. Steve and Barry's was a good way to take care of one of those needs while still indulging the natural inclination to look cute. It's a shame that people aren't willing to take the time to try things one and look a little harder for deals. Guess I'll be shopping the clearance rack at Aeropostale a little more. $20 jeans. Woo!

@ChuckECheese: Is that legit? It almost sounds like it could be, but I just woke up.

All I know is this; shabby clothes or not, I'll be "obtaining" their posters of Amanda Bynes to adorn my bedroom walls. Creepy? Yes. Sexy? You know it!

I must be in the minority here because I always found the stuff I bought there to be of decent quality. Then again, I didn't even bother trying on the stuff that looked poorly constructed.

I got my favorite pair of jeans there, from the Bitten line.

@suburbancowboy: What they "should be"? No if this country had any moral fiber andf backbone they would REQUIRE no child labor (if you dont think its going on you are blind), no third world countries where there are no environmental, labor or wage standards. Yes, S&B can sell shit dirt cheap because they use near slave labor and dont care about contaminating the planet. I hope that $8 feels good.

I got a pair of slacks and jeans from there. They are the best. Time for me to stock up. Everythign I've gotten from there has been fine. Sure My jeans didn't have a button, but after some thread and another button they are the best jeans I own. I just need some Lee jeans, those are great, except for the holes in the ass and crotch.
Just remember to get relaxed fit and make sure the buttons are on there.

I went in there a few times and just never saw anything that I would want to wear. It was all tee shirts with bumper sticker slogans on them and pre-faded jeans.

I guess I'm going to have to go back to H&M for my crooked-seam and one-pull unraveling clothing purchases.

@thrashanddestroy: I bought a coupld of pairs of jeans and shorts there over the years, and I only have on pair that hasn't fallen apart. That place sells the absolutely worst quality clothing I've ever seen.