Category Archives: Shop PGH

Let’s Get Tarred and Feathered

I am embarrased that I have not posted more about Wigle Whiskey here on IheartPGH. Earlier this summer, the folks who own Wigle helped me to plan a tour and tasting of their fine facility as a going away party for a friend. This was a tall order – I wanted the going away festivities to be something that would make my friend really want to stay in Pittsburgh. Meredith, of of the family members that owns and operates Wigle, went above and beyond – the tour was fun, funny and educational – and a nice alternative to you usual going away happy hour. And there was plenty of the happy hour spirits flowing – the tour starts with a cocktail and ends with a tasting. Sign up at WigleWhiskey.com for an upcoming tour. Tours fill up quickly.

But you don’t want to wait for the tour? Well you are in luck – the folks at Wigle are celebrating the whiskey rebellion with a free tar and feather party this Friday.

What does Wigle have to do with the Whiskey Rebellion?

Wigle Whiskey is named after Philip Wigle who was a key player in the Whiskey Rebellion. In 1794, Phillip Wigle defended his right to distill in a tussle with a tax collector. He unwittingly helped spark the Whiskey Rebellion, which pitted Pennsylvania distillers against George Washington’s troops.

Why Tar and Feathers?

Tarring and Feathering has historically been used to protest taxes in Europe and in America. During the Whiskey Rebellion, local tax collectors were tarred and feathered by Pittsburgh distillers. The distillers were living on what was considered the frontier and felt betrayed by their new government eastward. Pittsburgh was then the epicenter of American whiskey production and so was the hardest hit by the distillation tax enacted by Alexander Hamilton and George Washington.

Will there really be tar and feathers?

Think of it as a creative interpretation of tar and feathering – Wigle has invited the creative minds at the Mattress Factory, Attack Theater, Society for Contemporary Craft, Toonseum, Carnegie Library and the Carnegie Science Center to create a modern, safe, and presumably less messy interpretation of tar and feathering.

Will I be able to drink whiskey at the event with out being tarred?

Yes! The event is free and open to all. Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase $5 whiskey cocktails and food from Pittsburgh food trucks, including the Pittsburgh Taco Truck, Franktuary and the Goodie Truck.

Wigle Whiskey Tar & Feather Party
Friday, Aug 24 from 6-9 PM
Wigle Whiskey Distillery, 2401 Smallman Street
Free Admission!
Facebook Event

Western Pennsylvania Whiskey Connections, Part II (eleventhstack.wordpress.com)
From Waste to Wonderland (foxnews.com)

Don’t Miss the Pgh Vintage Mixer – A Vintage Fair on Sunday, July 29, 2012

Here is why Pittsburgh is great – a lot of people – who love neat, old, awesome things – have been working very hard to organize an awesome day dedicated to all things vintage in Pittsburgh. Meet the Pittsburgh Vintage Mixer.

Pittsburgh Vintage Mixer
Sunday, July 29, 2012
9am-3pm
New Hazlett Theater
Facebook Event Link

Brought to you by the folks that run the amazing online vintage shop – with the appropriate Western, PA name – Red Pop Shop! This will be a day full of vintage shopping from awesome vendors – see below, tasty food and excellent music.

While I can’t promise all of these will be available on Sunday, here are some items that are available from the Pgh Vintage Mixer vendors online. A complete list of vendors is available here.

http://storify.com/iheartpgh/things-you-might-find-at-the-pgh-vintage-mixer

Shop Local – Support Smiley’s Pet Pad This Saturday

I have been wanting to write something about Smiley’s Pet Pad for awhile – Smiley’s has been a Pittsburgh institution with quite a story. The Shadyside Action Coalition is organizing a Cash Mob for Smiley’s Pet Pad this Saturday – June 30, 2012.

The Post-Gazette wrote a lovely story on this shop when the ownership changed a few years ago – it might have been more than a few years ago – if anyone has that story or a link to it – I would love to include it here as well.

http://storify.com/iheartpgh/shop-simley-s-pet-s-this-saturday

A PITSburgh Partnership – The Cotton Factory and Hello Bully

When one hears “dog shirts”, the visual of a small dog gnawing at a tight knit sweater may come to mind, but CottonFactory.com and TeeRex Syndicate had something else planned when they partnered with Hello Bully to promote Pit Bull welfare in the Pittsburgh area.

In 2002, before she and her husband founded TeeRex Syndicate and purchased CottonFactory.com, Samantha Ginsburg was the proud owner of two rescue Pit Bulls from Animal friends and four cats. Samantha and Stephen then purchased the CottonFactory.com and founded TeeRex Syndicate, two companies that work together to sell specialty screen printed tee-shirts and clothing. TeeRex Syndicate and CottonFactory.com are “local Pittsburgh company[s] run by a group of obsessive designers, artists and printers” Samantha said. Based in 6000 square ft studio in the Friendship neighborhood, the Tee Rex team designs fun tee shirts, hoodies, aprons, tote bags, and scarves. Samantha said one of the reasons she and her husband enjoy owning their own company is “we like to do things with a cause”. Samantha has about as much Pittsburgh Pride as any local business owner, and proudly supports local designers and artists through the “Handmade Arcade” and “I Made It! Market”, as well as regularly partnering with local non-profits.

Samantha also has a special place in her heart for Pit Bulls. She is the proud owner of a Pit Bull and has seen the first hand the hardship these four legged friends of ours can go through. We this in mind, Samantha, TeeRex Syndicate and cottonfactory.com joined up with “Hello Bully” to produce a line of dog tee-shirts and aprons to support the organization. Hello Bully an all volunteer run 501(c)3 devoted to improving the welfare of Pit-Bulls. Hello Bully sponsors everything from Pit-Bull owner education, a half way home and rehabilitation for hurt Pit Bulls, and an aggressive spay and neuter campaign that has spayed or neutered at least one Pit Bull per day since 2009. Many Pit Bulls are used for dog fights, brandishing them with a rather unfortunate public image.

Samantha and Stephen “paired up once again [with Hello Bully] to bring back limited edition items for the month of May” she said. The “PITSburgh” line of tee shirts and aprons feature Samantha’s own Pit Bull, Tank Girl. The dog shirts are made for humans, not dogs, and the designs are currently up on www.cottonfactory.com. $3 of every apron sold and $5 of every Tee-Shirt sold go to support Hello Bully and advertise the nice side of the Pit Bulls.

The sale just has a few days left! Go to www.cottonfactory.com to see the PITSburgh line of shirts and aprons.

And if you’re looking for a furry companion to join your house go to http://www.hellobully.com/adopt.html to see the animals they have for adoption.

Alternative Fuel: East End Brewing 2012 Keg Ride

[note] Say hello to Iva! She comes to IheartPGH with photo skills and a super camera! We’re excited for more of her posts that will have way better photos than the ones from my sad little Blackberry camera. Check out her awesome photos from the East End Brewing Keg ride last weekend [/note]

Cyclists love getting together and riding in absurdly large groups. I believe we’re entertained by the idea of being a spectacle — children shout “Wow! Bicycles!”, people stand on stoops taking video with flip cameras, traffic patterns react to the bikes and not the other way around. And, in my experience, cyclists LOVE beer. Why else would Pittsburgh have a bicycle bar on the South Side and maybe the most popular cycling jersey in town is the Big Hop jersey.

East End Brewing has it’s finger on that pulse. The 8th annual Pedal Pale keg ride sold out 600 registrations — after adding an extra hundred registration slots four days before ride. Proceeds from registration fees went to ABOARD’s autism connection and BikePGH. Someone even donated $250 to pull a keg!

Part of the magic of the Pedal keg ride is that the destination is kept a secret, right up until the kegs pull over. Beginning at the brewery’s new location on Frankstown Avenue The procession mostly meandered through the beautiful neighborhood of Highland Park, making a full loop around the reservoir. Then, 600 cyclists descended upon Station Street Hot Dogs, tapped some tasty kegs and destroyed hot dogs like it was our job.