Internet locations that sold Steve and Barry University Sportswear online were doing exceptionally well, just like the retail locations. In fact, Steve and Barry's stores were doing so well that the retailer could not keep up with its explosive growth. In 2008, the popular clothing retailer ended up in bankruptcy.
Shopping for Steve and Barry University Sportswear Online
Because of the bankruptcy of the Steve and Barry stores, and the impending end of their popular line of university sportswear, fans are flocking to the Internet to pick up any last remaining items that are soon to be in very short supply.
The Steve and Barry's Bankruptcy
Have you ever heard of Steve and Barry's Sportswear? If not, it's probably because founders Steve Shore and Barry Prevor tried to keep their overhead as low as possible by avoiding costs such as advertising, while turning those savings over to their customers with high-quality clothing and shoes under $10. Steve and Barry started the first store in 1985 at the University of Pennsylvania. Of course, among poor college students who couldn't afford the high-priced sportswear at the university bookstore, Steve and Barry's was a "cool" alternative. Over the next decade, Steve & Barry's rapidly expanded across several new campuses including University of Michigan, Purdue University, the University of Illinois and others. After 1998, the Steve and Barry's chain opened their first mall store at Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Mills, Michigan. This began their skyrocketing growth up through 2005 when they leased shopping mall space throughout the country and doubled the outlet count that year alone.
Celebrity Clothing Lines
In 2006, a number of celebrities started joining in with their own Steve & Barry's clothing collections. A few of these celebrities included:
- NBA star Stephon Marbury created the Starbury collection
- Chicago Bulls' Ben Wallace endorsed the Starbury line
- Sarah Jessica Parker started the BITTEN line, promoted on Oprah
- Nickelodeon's Amanda Bynes started a Dear line in 2007
- Venus Williams signed up for EleVen sportswear
- Golfer Bubba Watson started Bubba Golf
- Laird Hamilton began a men's surfing and skating line called Wonderwall
However, even with celebrity backing and explosive popularity wherever their stores were located, the economic downturn sunk the chain under red ink. While they established a pricing scheme that could compete with the likes of WalMart, the costs to maintain quality and to support their tremendous growth during the 2008 economic downturn turned out to be too much for the young owners, and in 2008 the company filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closed down all of its outlet stores.
The Opportunity For Internet Sales
Even though a store chain closes, usually their brand lives on in the form of Internet sales. During the two decades that the Steve & Barry Sportswear chain survived, they produced a wide variety of quality clothes. The clothing that sold, as well as the surplus that was purchased during liquidation, is sure to enter the online marketplace long after the actual outlet stores close their doors. LoveToKnow Online reviewed the most popular auctions for Steve and Barry University Sportswear online and found the following results:
- Yahoo Shopping turns up a few Steve and Barry's products
- Ebay displays over 500 products with a "Steve and Barry's" search
- Overstock had a single shirt available
Also, if you fell in love with the celebrity clothing lines that were offered at Steve and Barry's, you can still find those clothes online.
In fact, if you've purchased a lot of Steve and Barry's clothes from their local stores, now may be a good time to consider opening your own eBay seller account. Because whenever a product is in high demand and supply suddenly drops, market rules say that prices always go up, and that means big business for any online seller.
