Pitt football is a part of street shop’s history

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ As a kid growing up in Hazelwood, Chas Bonasorte lived in the… ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ As a kid growing up in Hazelwood, Chas Bonasorte lived in the shadows of the Cathedral of Learning and admired the grandeur of Pitt’s football tradition. ‘ ‘ ‘ Every week that the Panthers played at home, Bonasorte would walk five blocks with his uncle to see the game, a ritual that engendered a love for the University and a personal dream that he might one day play football at Forbes Stadium. ‘ ‘ ‘ Not only did Bonasorte, known as the Kamakaze Kid, achieve this dream, but he also used his fame as a member of the 1976 National Championship team to perpetuate another Pitt legacy: the Pitt Stop. ‘ ‘ ‘ Bonasorte is in his 21st year as owner of the Pitt Stop clothing store, that fixture at Forbes Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard that students cannot miss as they traverse campus daily. ‘ ‘ ‘ Though Bonasorte’s dream came true back in the ’70s, his football days aren’t quite over. He still enjoys talking about football with his friends on campus while selling reduced-cost apparel to students. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I get to sell Pitt stuff to the best students in the country,’ said Bonasorte as he surveyed his clothing stands for a shopper in need of assistance. ‘ ‘ ‘ Bonasorte emphasized that he is not a salesman but an educator of the price difference between what the fancy stores charge for their clothing and what he charges. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I just don’t have to charge what the stores do,’ said Bonasorte as he told a potential buyer that a particular Pitt hoodie costs $45 in a normal store but only $37 at the Pitt Stop. ‘ ‘ ‘ Bonasorte said his business philosophy has always been that it’s OK to make less profit if he is able to establish a relationship with his customers. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Let them trust you, and they’re gonna come back,’ said Bonasorte, moments before making a triple-digit sale to a Pitt alumnus who had remembered his store and decided to pay it a visit on his return trip to Oakland. ‘ ‘ ‘ Bonasorte attended Pitt for five years from 1972-76, majoring in communications and playing on the football team. He spoke of a sudden change in Pitt’s record between his first and last year. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I’m the only guy to see 1-10 and 12-0,’ he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ Bonasorte said that during his 1-10 freshman season, he would get yelled at whenever he ate at the Original Hot Dog Stand on Forbes Avenue.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ But things were different during his fifth year. Bonasorte provided the veteran leadership necessary for a 1976 National Championship victory, serving as backup linebacker and a key member of all special teams units. ‘ ‘ ‘ Bonasorte also recalled the differences in Pitt’s modern football facilities as compared to when he was on the team. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Our facilities are Rolls-Royce facilities now,’ he said, ‘but [back] then the shower drains would stuff up after practice.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ After graduating in 1976, Bonasorte didn’t forget his ties to the University, and he set up a restaurant in Hazelwood called ‘The Chas Bar.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Every week of the football season for five years, he and his mother, who made ‘the best meatballs and spaghetti in the country,’ would serve dinner to Pitt’s entire offensive line before games. ‘ ‘ ‘ Bonasorte decorated the bar to be ‘Pitt headquarters’ by adorning it with blue-and-gold helmets, jerseys and replicas of trophies. ‘ ‘ ‘ But in 1980, a fire destroyed Bonasorte’s creation, forcing him to find other ways of giving back to the University he always loved. ‘ ‘ ‘ In 1989, when a friend in the sporting retail industry sold him a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, Bonasorte had the idea that gave birth to the Pitt Stop. ‘ ‘ ‘ Bonasorte decided to stand outside the Union with the shirt in one hand and the shorts in the other and sell them at a slightly raised price from where he had purchased them. ‘ ‘ ‘ Since this inauspicious beginning, Bonasorte has never deviated from the basic model of selling cheap products with a personal touch directly to students. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We’re the number one store on campus,’ said Bonasorte. ‘We ask what the students want, buy what the students want and have all high-quality products.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Since beginning the store, Bonasorte has seen it evolve in response to changing student fashion styles, particularly among women. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Today female students are much more sophisticated,’ said Bonasorte as he showed off a women’s section of his store that his wife had helped him to create. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We never used to sell mediums and smalls to students because the girls all wanted the oversized sweatshirts and hoodies,’ he explained. ‘ ‘ ‘ Now he sells a variety of sizes, colors and styles to male and female students who want to be a part of the Pitt tradition.