In addition, the company began marketing "All-American" brands such as Hershey's, Marvel Comics, Ford, WWE,[8] My Little Pony, Monopoly,[9] and General Mills cereals, amongst others.

[10][11][12][13] The International Council of Shopping Centers named Steve & Barry’s as the “Hot Retailer of the Year” in 2005, along with Apple Computer and Williams-Sonoma, for generating the most mall traffic and cachet.

[26] Steve & Barry's was among the top 10 builders of new square footage among all retailers in the United States when including big-box chains like Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot, Walgreens, Costco, etc.

[28] A group of investment firms led by Bay Harbour Management, former owner of Barneys New York luxury department store chain, later purchased the company for $168 million.

[31] On July 9, 2008, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, citing a liquidity squeeze and the economic downturn,[32][33] while in discussions with potential strategic and financial partners for a stronger Steve & Barry's to emerge.

When the collection was unveiled in August 2006, Marbury committed his time and energy by handing out Starburys to high school athletes at basketball camps, on playground courts and in barber shops.

[3][47] Sarah Jessica Parker stated that growing up with her sister's hand-me-downs inspired her to do something so affordable, explaining "It’s a way of giving women without financial means access to good, simple, well-made clothes to feel proud of.

"[48][49] The Project Runway reality television series, with Sarah Jessica Parker as guest judge, went on to design clothing which was sold exclusively at Steve & Barry's stores.

Hamilton grew up in Hawaii with a single mom and not a lot of money, and he stated that he teamed with Steve & Barry's because he understood the pressures and wanted his line to speak to teens who haven't had access to hip clothes because of their economic status.

[3][10][63][64][65] Steve & Barry's business model was to keep prices low by not advertising through traditional streams, relying on publicity and viral marketing to get the word out, running its company and stores very efficiently, selling in large volumes, and making modest profits on each item.

[10] The company’s low prices and exclusive product lines drew significant traffic and cachet, helping to draw shoppers to smaller retailers in the same shopping complex.

Founders and co-Chief Executives Steve Shore and Barry Prevor cited liquidity concerns and the generally harsh conditions for retailers in recent months.

The New York Post reported on March 31, 2010,[74] that Stephon Marbury was sued by a sports marketing agency claiming he owes more than $200,000 (~$279,445 in 2023) in commissions for helping create a line of sportswear which was distributed through Steve & Barry's retail stores.