The Pitt Stop corner store sees changes with new ownership

After the passing of Chas Bonasorte, who founded The Pittsburgh Stop Inc., the shop is undergoing changes to attract more customers and improve the business model.

New management at The Pitt Stop has implemented changes, including updating its inventory and display system and expanding to a satellite location.

Erika Stanford, fiancé of the late Chas Bonasorte, became CEO of the company after Bonasorte passed away in December 2024. Stanford was treasurer of the company before transitioning to CEO, quitting her job with Olympia Steel Buildings to devote her career to The Pitt Stop and honor the family legacy. 

“I went from doing nothing to doing everything,” Stanford said. “The whole purpose of me quitting my 19-year career was to keep [Bonasorte’s] legacy alive.”

The shop struggled to get the business back on track after Bonasorte’s death. According to Stanford, the then-manager had kept the shop open, but it was in poor condition the first time she saw it after her late fiancé’s death.

“I was like, ‘That’s embarrassing,’” Stanford said. “But we were so preoccupied with [Bonasorte’s] health. We weren’t here. We weren’t paying attention.”

Nick Allen, current manager of The Pitt Stop, started working at the corner shop in early 2025 and quickly became a team leader before being promoted to his current position. Allen said the shop was more disorganized when he first started.

“We kept all of our shirts, just mixed sizes in these bins, which made it very hard to help customers,” Allen said. 

In the previous layout, Allen said most of the merchandise was not kept on display and the trucks and warehouse that housed most of the products were a “mess.”

“It was very disorganized and old and rusty, and a lot of customers got turned away,” Allen said. “They just couldn’t keep track of what they had, so they couldn’t do inventory very well.”

Since the beginning of the year, Allen said they have implemented a new system displaying its products across grid walls. The system was inspired by a previous employee who used to sell merchandise for The Pitt Stop at football games.

“[He] uses a similar, but a little older, setup to this,” Allen said. “[He] showed us this and we were like, ‘We really like this, having everything on display.’”

Kya Walsh, a senior psychology major, began working at The Pitt Stop during the fall of her sophomore year. Walsh said that she found it easy to adapt to the new system once the changes were implemented.

“[The old setup] was more labor intensive,” Walsh said. “This is so much easier and it’s quicker.”

According to Stanford, the shop has also started selling new styles of clothing and accessories.

“I’m standing out front watching all the [University Store] bags go by,” Stanford said. “They’re clearly saying, ‘I looked here. I saw what you have and I know your hoodie is $50,’ and then made the choice to go there and pay more.” 

Stanford said she tries to keep the shop’s costs as low as possible but has to charge more for new styles and materials of clothing.

“Everything I buy is soft style, so you pay more for it,” Stanford said. “But it’s what [customers] want.”

For the first time since its inception, the shop has established a second location to sell its merchandise. This summer, Stanford said she leased a spot in The Painted Tree at the Waterfront to sell the vintage merchandise that The Pitt Stop can’t fit in its display.

“We set up a big store. It’s all in [Bonasorte’s] honor,” Stanford said. “We set up big pictures of him winning the championship, and all we sell is the retro.”

Stanford said she’s gotten more comfortable in her position as she’s increased her interaction with customers.

“It isn’t that I’ve gotten better — it’s that I actually really started to fall in love with everybody,” Stanford said. “Somebody comes up and buys a T-shirt, and then they walk by and they think I don’t remember them, but I do.”