Sweet success: McKinney grows into South Park Shops position
Kim McKinney (back) works side by side with Molly Finnell regarding upcoming improvements to the South Park Shops. A Bethel Park resident, McKinney is the property manager for the shopping center. Finnell and her family own the property as well as the sites south of the mall, which will be developed this spring.
Kathy Streiner, Robert and Kim Hoffman.
Kim Hoffman styles Sandi Denti's hair. Denti has been going to Shear Talent, which is own by Hoffman's husband, Robert, for 30 years. While the store's location in the South Park Shops is "absolutely" one of the reasons she has been getting her hair done at Shear Talent, Denti added that Kim is a wonderful hairdresser and the owners have integrity. "They care about people."
As a little girl, Kim McKinney visited the South Park Shops frequently. Baskin Robbins was her favorite store.
“I just love ice cream,” she says.
Today, McKinney loves working at the South Park Shops. She is the property manager for the shopping center. She replaced Mary Anne Fassinger of McMurray, who had worked in that position for 27 years before retiring.
“No,” McKinney says, “I never dreamed about doing this but I am really glad I did. It is nice to work in Bethel Park and be part of the community.”
McKinney has always been a part of Bethel Park. The 36-year-old daughter of Bill and Dottie Kennedy attended the public schools in the community and graduated in 2000. After earning a degree in marketing from Penn State University, she returned to Bethel Park to raise her family. She and her husband, Mark, have two children, Tyler, 4, and Katie, 14 months.
“I just love it here. The fact that I can work so close to home is ideal,” says McKinney, who lives, ironically, in the development behind the Dairy Queen on Library Road, not more than a mile from the South Park Shops.
McKinney fit the bill when she saw the job posting on Facebook nearly three years ago.
“It had a little bit of everything and I could use all of my skills,” she explains then adds, “I was very familiar with the center.”
Noting Fassinger, whose husband, Brian, still works in maintenance at the shops, taught her how to do everything and was “absolutely helpful” McKinney has brought fresh ideas to the center that opened in September of 1960. She introduced new events such as touch-a-truck where fire fighters, emergency personnel and police officers bring their equipment to the center for children to see and feel.
Additionally, McKinney handles marketing. She updated the company’s Facebook page and his increased its “friend” base to more than 3,000, up from 800. In the next few months, the shops will unveil a new website while the center continues to undergo a facelift with new signage, colors, store fronts and roofing.
“Absolutely,” McKinney says enthusiastically, “it’s exciting times for the shops.”
Molly Finnell, who owns the property with her family consortium, acknowledges McKinney’s impact.
“We needed a young person in here to get connected with social media,” Finnell says. “Kim’s doing a great job.”
In addition to marketing and planning community events, McKinney’s job also entails dealing with tenants, both current and potential, as well as maintenance.
“I love all our tenants. They are all so different,” she notes. “I love how they interact with their customers. Being part of the community is important to them.
“The thing about the South Park Shops is that it has a nice family feel amongst the tenants. It’s a nice mix. They all support each other and are connected to the community.”
The shops are tailored toward convenience, McKinney adds. She notes how the center has multiple entrances, allowing for easy egress and ingress.
But the property could use a sweet shop. In addition to Baskins Robbins, past tenants ranged from Isaly’s to a Village Dairy, from Parkside Sweets to Dutch Donut and an array of frozen yogurt franchises.
“I would love to see an ice cream shop,” McKinney admits with a laugh.
For good reason, Robert Hoffman has operated Shear Talent in the South park Shops for almost 51 years.
“Location,” says the 73-year-old owner. “It’s a great location.”
Previously, he worked in a salon at South Hills Village and bought the franchise with his cousin, Joel. After three years of mentoring-“he held my hand and got me on my feet”-Joel allowed Bob to buy him out and the then 22-year-old Sto Township native set up shop around the side occupied now by Brentwood Bank. He and “John the Barber” owned the corner on hair cutting.
When Shear Talent “outgrew” the spot, it moved to the new section of shops. The Hallmark Store has since vacated but Rite Aid remains.
“We moved out front and got more exposure,” Bob says. “We did a lot better.”
He laughs and says that success has kept Shear Talent ensconced in the shopping center.
“Because I make good money,” he says is why he stays. “We are very successful.”
With sincerity he adds, “We are in the heart of Bethel Park. It’s a good shopping center. Convenient and great exposure.”
Convenience and customer service are the reasons why Sandi Denti of Bethel Park has been traveling to the South Park Shops to get her hair styled at Shear Talent for 30-plus years.
“Absolutely,” she says, it’s very convenient. It’s my one-stop shopping place. I get a lot done here.”
Denti added that Bob’s wife, Kim, is a “wonderful hairdresser” and as owners they have “integrity” and “really care about people.”
Bob cares about his 38 employees, too. It speaks well that workers like Kathy Streiner, the store’s manager, has been with Shear Talent for 40 years. In fact, his wife started out in the business as a shampoo girl.
Kim has seen lots of positive changes in the shops and she is excited for the future of the center. She notes how Molly Finnell keeps everything in tip-top shaper and Mary Fassinger was “awesome” to work with when she was the property manager for 27 years before retiring.
“The South Park Shops have everything you could want. Everything is so modern and you can’t beat the location.”
The business is conveniently located for the Hoffman’s, too. They live in the Boxer Heights section of Bethel Park. There they reared their five children: Laura, Jeffrey, Joie, Randi and Robyn. They have nine grandchildren.
Noting he was cutting hair long before the children arrived, he admits he had a lot of practice raising his daughters. The education is never ending. Bob constantly trains his staff. He brings in people to teach new color techniques and the latest in cuts.
“We invest in a lot of education and training for our staff. It’s important,” he says. “We keep up with the trends and changes in the industry and we invest in people.”
In addition to location, that is the other big reason why Hoffman is a successful businessman operating in the South Park Shops.
“We just love Shear Talent and we love Bob and Kim,” gushes Denti. “They would do anything for anybody. They are just wonderful people.”