Hempfield welcomes new businesses, loses restaurant

Several new businesses have opened recently in Hempfield, including two new stores at Westmoreland Mall, while one family-run restaurant shuttered.

In all, three new stores opened their doors last month: Dunkin’, located inside Walmart along Route 30, and Charlotte Russe and Lids at Westmoreland Mall.

Lupi & Leo, located along West Drive, closed in late March.

“To our many loyal customers, we are truly sad to announce that we will be closing our doors for the last time on Saturday, March 26th,” a message on their website reads. “We appreciate each and everyone that has supported us over the years. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

The restaurant’s owners could not be reached for comment.

Dunkin’ opened Monday at the Walmart, located at 2200 Greengate Center Circle. The coffee and donut shop was opened by franchisee Heartland Restaurant Group. The store will bring 30 new jobs.

“We’re thrilled to be able to open another Dunkin’ location to best serve our customers,” said Anthony Braun, Heartland Restaurant Group COO and CFO. “We hope that this location brings convenience to our customers and continues to keep them running on Dunkin’ — whether they’re fueling up for a shopping trip or just stopping by throughout their day.”

Charlotte Russe and Lids reopened last month. Both previously occupied storefronts at the mall, according to the mall’s Facebook page.

The return of those stores comes as several businesses — including Charlotte Russe, Lids and Christopher & Banks, which reopened last year — seemingly make a comeback following the pandemic, which, in 2020, led to more than 12,000 stores closing nationwide, according to CoStar Group, which tracks real estate data.

Charlotte Russe in March 2019 announced the closure of all of its stores, including five in the Pittsburgh region. That same month, the company was purchased by YM Inc., a Toronto-based clothing manufacturer. By April 2019, officials announced 100 Charlotte Russe stores would reopen.

The clothing store reopened at Westmoreland Mall on March 31. It is located on the second floor of the former Sears wing.

Similarly, Lids was largely impacted by the pandemic, which caused 1,100 mall-based Lids stores to close, according to the New York Business Times.

The company has been working to reopen locations across the country while expanding to an international platform.

Lids reopened in Westmoreland Mall in mid-March. The store is also located on the second floor of the former Sears wing.

Those two stores join a slew of businesses that opened in the mall last year, including Neecs Sneaks, Rock Bottom jewelry store, SpectroDolce Confectionery, Western Edge Seafood and Joseph Jacob Jewelers.

In addition to businesses opening, township supervisors recently approved site plans for Tommy’s Carwash.

The car wash will take the place of the former Aquajet Express, located at 6475 Route 30, near Jeannette. Proposed plans for the site suggest the existing 6,139-square-foot building will be demolished to make way for a 4,553-square-foot structure. The project is conditional upon several approvals from the municipal authority, PennDOT and stormwater.

In the area of Westmoreland Mall, the Menards project is still on hold, township officials said.

Menards, a Wisconsin-based chain, is slated to occupy the former site of the Ramada by Wyndham Greensburg Hotel and Conference Center, which has been demolished. However, despite much of the groundwork being laid, construction was delayed because of the covid-19 pandemic and issues finding workers and materials, officials said.

“There’s no update from Menards,” Patrick Karnash, the township’s director of planning and zoning, said last month. “They’ve still not started construction on any projects at all in the United States at this point. All of their projects are on hold. They have not released drawings for construction plans. There’s no news at this point.”