BURLINGTON COAT FACTORY IS POISED TO RELOCATE TO THE KAUFMANN’S BUILDING FROM THE FORMER GIMBELS ON SIXTH AVENUE IN DOWNTOWN THIS FALL. | PHOTOS BY DENISE BONURA

Out with the old and in with the new.

The Burlington Coat Factory location at Sixth Avenue and Smithfield Street is hosting a liquidation sale as the store prepares to move a few blocks to a new location. 

The new Burlington’s is expected to open by the end of September or early October in the Kaufmann’s Building at Forbes Avenue and Smithfield Street. Company representatives have not announced an opening date.

“We look forward to opening this new location in Pittsburgh this fall, bringing great bargains and job opportunities to the local community,” says spokeswoman Anne Holmes. 

The discount retailer has resided in the former Gimbels department store since 1994. Gimbels operated in Downtown from 1925 to 1986. It was known for its affordable merchandise, candy counter, holiday displays and its work on the first Terrible Towel with the late, great Myron Cope.

Burlington’s heart-shaped logo now adorns canopies at the Kaufmann’s Building, with ongoing construction inside as crews prepare the store for opening. It will be located next to Five Below and Target.

Kaufmann’s was Downtown’s longest-standing department store known for its ornate clock, holiday window displays and thumbprint cookies. Kaufmann’s operated its flagship store from 1887 to 2005. It was replaced by Macy’s in 2005, which closed in 2015. The clock — a popular meeting spot for generations of Pittsburghers — remains on the corner of Fifth and Smithfield.

David Glickman, president of Keystone Real Estate Advisors, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the new Burlington store will be less than half the size – going from more than 120,000-square-feet to 50,000-square-feet – but predicted, “it will offer an even better experience for customers and employees.” 

The building, known as Kaufmann’s Grand, also houses more than 300 apartments, an EVEN Hotel and two levels of parking.