Greensburg, Hempfield areas see changes in fast food, retail business scene

As fast food chains and other popular retail locations close in the Greensburg-Hempfield area, the region’s business scene will see some changes in the new year.

Dick’s Sporting Goods

While Westmoreland Mall prepares to welcome a Dick’s Sporting Goods House of Sport, one of the chain’s stores along Route 30 will close, according to a local real estate agency.

The Dick’s Sporting Goods store in Hempfield Pointe Plaza — about 6 ½ miles west of the Westmoreland Mall — will close in early 2025, said Kevin D. Langholz, senior director of retail brokerage at Hanna Commercial Real Estate.

The store could close sometime between January and March as it offloads its inventory, Langholz said. The sporting goods chain did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the closure.

Hanna Commercial Real Estate is looking for a new tenant to fill the 30,000-square-foot space. Rent costs have not been determined, Langholz said.

Dick’s will open a House of Sport location in the Westmoreland Mall’s former Sears store, according to a real estate prospectus from Howard Hanna Real Estate Services of Pittsburgh. The sporting goods business has not made an announcement about the House of Sport.

The Westmoreland Mall location would be the second House of Sport in the Pittsburgh region, as a store opened in the Ross Park Mall in the spring. House of Sport stores include spaces for athletes to scale a rock-climbing wall and practice baseball, softball, lacrosse, field hockey, soccer and golf.

Dick’s has 17 House of Sport locations. It plans to open about 15 in 2025, but the locations have not been specified.

The Dick’s store located directly behind the Westmoreland Mall will remain open for the time being, Langholz said, but the long-term fate of the store is unclear.

Big Lots

After filing for bankruptcy in September, discount furniture and home decor chain Big Lots reached a deal last week that could save hundreds of its locations.

Langholz is unsure if the chain’s Hempfield location will be one of them.

“We are actively monitoring the Big Lots information given our current tenancy at Greengate East,” said Langholz, referring to the Route 30 shopping plaza.

Big Lots said Friday it will be sold to Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, which will then transfer Big Lots’ stores and distribution centers to other retailers. Variety Wholesalers Inc. plans to acquire and operate between 200 and 400 Big Lots stores and up to two distribution centers.

Despite recent closures in the area, Langholz said Greensburg and Hempfield are conducive to business success. The Greengate shopping plaza along Route 30 has no vacant spaces, he said.

“I think that the Route 30 Greensburg corridor is a very strong regional node of the Pittsburgh MSA with very little turnover in recent years,” he said.

“What you’re seeing today is the result of expansion by some retailers such as Dick’s and retractions such as Big Lots. Demand for junior box retail space of 20,000 square feet and above remains very strong and active.”

Wendy’s, TGI Fridays

The South Greensburg Wendy’s and Hempfield TGI Fridays have shuttered in recent months.

The Wendy’s restaurant, located on South Main Street, was one of 140 low-performing locations slated for closure in late October to allow for new openings, a spokesperson confirmed via email.

Wendy’s will open between 250 and 300 restaurants in 2025, including one in Mars, Butler County. There are more than 60 locations in the Pittsburgh area, the spokesperson said.

The former TGI Fridays location in the Hempfield Square shopping plaza is available for lease, according to Pittsburgh-based Legacy Realty Partners’ website. The 5,300-square-foot restaurant is located on a plot of more than three acres, surrounded by a Lowe’s, Target, Giant Eagle, Texas Roadhouse, PetSmart and Firestone.

TGI Fridays did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the closure. The Dallas-based fast food company filed for bankruptcy protection in November, closing 36 locations in January 2024. It said in November it operates 39 restaurants across the country.