Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Larrimor's to Close After 87 Years as Final Sale Opens November 4 in Downtown Pittsburgh

Larrimor's, the family owned clothing store at One PNC Plaza in Downtown Pittsburgh, will close for good after 87 years in business. The store, at 249 Fifth Avenue, is closed from Sunday, November 1 through Tuesday, November 3 while staff mark down the full inventory. Its going out of business sale opens at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, November 4, with discounts of 20 to 75 percent across the store, and it runs until the last item is sold or the end of December at the latest.

What shoppers need to know

Pittsburgh Magazine reported that everything in the store will be marked down, and TABLE Magazine reported that fixtures are part of the sale as well. Validated parking is available at the 3 PNC Plaza, Oliver and K&L Gates Center garages, according to Pittsburgh Magazine. Co-owner Lisa Slesinger advised shoppers to come early, TABLE Magazine reported. The store sells designer labels that include Zegna, Canali, Isaia, Peter Millar and Eileen Fisher.

"This decision marks the end of an important chapter for our family, but we are incredibly grateful for the customers, employees, designers and community members who have made Larrimor's what it is today," co-owner Tom Michael said in a statement carried by Pittsburgh Magazine. In a second statement reported by TABLE Magazine, Michael said: "For 87 years, Larrimor's has been incredibly fortunate to be part of the lives of so many people in Pittsburgh and beyond." Jeremy Waldrup, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, described the closure as a "huge loss" for Downtown, USA Today reported.

An 87 year Pittsburgh story

Harry Slesinger and Larry Morris opened Larrimor's in 1939 in a 1,000 square foot, one level storefront in the Union Trust Building, according to the store's own published history. In 1955 the store expanded into the former Pennsylvania Railroad ticket office at the corner of Oliver Street and William Penn Place. A second store opened in the Galleria in Mt. Lebanon in 1992 and stayed for more than 20 years. In 2006, Esquire named Larrimor's a Best of Class retailer, the only Pittsburgh store to receive the honor, TABLE Magazine reported.

In 2010, after more than 70 years in the Union Trust Building, Larrimor's moved to One PNC Plaza, into a space 13 times larger than the original 1939 store. Lisa Slesinger and Tom Michael took over as owners the same year, and the Galleria store closed, leaving Downtown as the store's single home. The store launched its online shop in 2015.

The closing ends one of the longest runs of any independent retailer in Downtown Pittsburgh. For generations of local shoppers, the store was the place for a well cut suit, a wedding outfit or a piece of fine jewelry. Its final weeks will play out during the holiday shopping season, with the sale running until the shelves are empty.