Pechin is set to close after nearly 8 decades
CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. (KDKA) — After nearly eight decades in business, Pechin grocery store is closing its doors.
"It's sad to see them go," Sharon Carrigan of Uniontown said.
After 77 years in business, the nationally recognized store is closing its doors. It's the end of an era in Fayette County.
"I've been coming here since my children were little. And so this is, to me, devastating," Diana Hardy of Connellsville said. "I'm walking out and I have tears in my eyes. This is probably the last purchase I'm going to make."
Founded in 1947 by Sullivan D'Amico, Pechin was not just a store, it was an adventure.
"It was an adventure as soon as you pulled into the parking lot," Hardy said. "It wasn't the best parking lot. There were ruts and things going everywhere. Even inside the store, your buggy would go into a hole or something like that."
Families would pile in the car and head to Pechin shopping village in Dunbar not only for cheap groceries but also school shoes, sporting equipment, prescriptions and much more.
"It was a one-stop shop or shops," LouAnn Lucas of Connellsville said. "I should say plural."
In 2005, Pechin moved to the Laurel Mall in Dunbar Township. That location closed in 2020 not long after the Connellsville location opened.
Over nearly eight decades, Pechin grew. At some point, five smaller Pechin stores were operating in Fayette County.
"I'm going to miss it," Douglas Yohman of Dunbar said. "There are certain things I come here 'cause you can't get it anywhere else. You can't go to Walmart and get some of the stuff Pechin sells."
In a post on Facebook, the owner said, "We are very blessed to have had this for 77 years. Our memories will last a lifetime, and we hope yours do too. It has been our pleasure to serve this community. Thank you and God Bless."
Pechin is set to close by Nov. 19.
