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June 04, 2007

Wanna Revive One of Chattanooga's Dying Strip Malls? Bring In a Steve & Barry's

Visiting my sister in Charlotte this past weekend, we took a trip to Steve & Barry's, the super discount department store chain that's currently catching fire across the country. I first heard about the chain in a piece on ABC's 20/20 featuring the "Starbury" shoe line, endorsed by the New York Knicks' Stephon Marbury. The shoe line includes a variety of styles, all of which are priced at $14.98, and which was named as one of Business Week's "Products of the Year" for 2006. Marbury was interested in launching the shoe line, in part, because he wanted kids to know that good shoes didn't have to cost a lot.

Now, while Consumer Reports says Starburys are "not that great" for serious basketball players, they do say that "they seem to be a well-made shoe, and for $15 dollars are definitely worth a try." More than half of the players in Consumer Reports' study said they would wear them off the court. Ben Wallace will be launching a line of shoes through the store this fall, and Sarah Jessica Parker is launching a clothing line through Steve and Barry's this week.

The St