Category Archives: Shop PGH

Chipped Ham Pink is Now a Nail Polish Color

I’ve been working on a blog post about some great Pittsburgh Christmas gifts, but a tweet came across my radar with a Pittsburgh product that is probably worthy of its own blog post.  Chipped chopped ham is a distinctly Pittsburgh lunch meat.  If you didn’t grow up in Pittsburgh, and you aren’t familiar with the chipped chop ham or ham barbecue – head over to the chipped chopped ham Wikipedia page for a full education.  The fact that chipped chopped ham has its own Wikipedia page should be an indication to you that this is something Pittsburghers take seriously.

So what does this have to do with nail polish? Meet Chipped Ham Pink…

chipped-ham-nail-polish-large

 

…for $7 you can now paint your nails in a color inspired by chipped chopped ham.

Gridlock Lacquer and their line of Pittsburgh nail polishes which come in the following shades…

  • Chipped Ham
  • Steel My Heart
  • Pittsburghese, not Bougeois

Click here to see all three of the Pittsburgh colors.

We can only assume that the most gilded shade of gold will soon be added to the Pittsburgh collection.  The company is based in Buffalo, NY – so maybe they haven’t yet discovered our loyalty to the shades of black and gold.  I help but wonder if there is a buffalo sauce share of nail polish in the Buffalo collection.

All of these colors and colors for other rust belt cities are available on Gridlock Lacquer website.  Follow @GridlockLacquer for more updates.

Update 12/18:

Pittsburgh is spelled correctly on the bottle, the glare in the photo is hiding the H

Pittsburgh is spelled with an H

Pittsburgh is spelled with an H

Christmas delivery is a maybe.  I’ve asked Gridlock to keep me posted on this.

Yes, there is also a shade for the BBQ sauce, meet Wingin’ It – so you could have chipped chop ham BBQ nails.

Pittsburgh Manicure

The ultimate Pittsburgh Manicure

Pitt-starter: Piebird – More Pie for Pittsburgh

pie-bird-logoPiebird has been baking up sweet treats for Pittsburgh restaurants since 2011.  They are planning to open a storefront on Butler Street in Lawrenceville in 2015 and needs your help to support the purchase of upgraded commercial pastry kitchen equipment including ovens, mixers, refrigerators, cookie sheets, and all of other essentials that are necessary to make sweet treats.

I have selected this Kickstarter to share for two reasons…

1. Who doesn’t like pie?

2. Super creative Kickstarter perks – I give Piebird extra points for creative thinking on the thank you gifts – I believe this is the first time we’ve seen underwear as a thank you gift.

  • $25 – Salted Caramel Sauce – Share your support and we’ll share annalee’s legendary salted caramel sauce! During the opening week of the kitchen, stop in, say hello, and we’ll reward you with a jar (share if you must).
  • $50 – Underwear… yep, exclusive, limited edition, screenprinted Piebird undies! (who needs another t-shirt) oh, and we’ll thank you in our video
  • $500 – Private Dessert Party for you and 15 friends Share your support and we’ll share annalee’s legendary salted caramel sauce! During the opening week of the kitchen, stop in, say hello, and we’ll reward you with a jar (share if you must).

Click here to contribute to the Piebird Kickstarter Campaign

You can follow Piebird on Twitter @PieBirdPGH

2014 Guide to Crafty/Indie/Vintage Holiday Shopping Events in Pittsburgh

Saturday 11/22 – Pittsburgh Vintage Mixer

  • Time: 9am-3pm
  • Location:Teamsters Local 249, 4701 Butler Street in Lawrenceville
  • Details: Vintage Vendor Fair
  • Admission: $5 at the Door
  • Facebook Event | Follow @PghVintageMixer

pittsburgh-vintage

Friday 11/28 & Saturday 11/29 – I Made It Holiday Market @ Heinz 57 Center

  • Time: Friday 2pm-8pm, Saturday 11am-5pm
  • Location: Heinz 57 Center, 623 Smithfield Street
  • Details: 80+ Artisans, Food Truck, Free Parking
  • Link | Facebook Event | Follow: @IMadeItMarket

i-made-it-holiday-postcard-14

Thursday 12/4 – 21+ Party at TechShop

  • Time: 7pm-10pm
  • Location: TechShop Pittsburgh, 192 Bakery Square Blvd.
  • Details: TechShop hosts a holiday party with demos, workshops and a holiday market featuring local vendors
  • Tickets are $15 (Free for TechShop members)

partyattechshop

Friday 12/5 & Saturday 12/6 – PULSE Alternative Holiday Gift Market

I did a lot of holiday shopping at this event last year.  PULSE – Pittsburgh Urban Leadership Service Experience is a great organization that has been bringing college graduates to Pittsburgh and inspiring change in several neighborhoods.  This market features handmade items by the PULSE fellows and supporters.

If you go on Friday, take some time to visit the other businesses that will be open for First Fridays on Penn Ave.

PULSE-alternative-holiday-gift-market

Saturday 12/6 – Handmade Arcarde

  • Time: 11am-7pm
  • Location: David Lawrence Convention Center
  • 11th annual event featuring over 150 crafters/artisans from Pittsburgh and around the country
  • Website | Facebook Event | Follow @Handmade Arcade

handmade-arcade-2014

Sunday 12/7 – Holiday Book Sale from Pittsburgh’s Indie Booksellers

  • Time: 12-5pm
  • Location: Stephen Foster Community Center, 286 Main Street
  • Vendors: Copacetic Comics, The Big Idea Bookstore, Inc, East End Book Exchange, Amazing Books, Mystery Lovers Bookshop, Autumn House Pres, Braddock Avenue Books, Six Gallery Press, Lilliput Review, Small Press Pittsburgh
  • Facebook Event | Follow @BookstoreMemoir

 

holiday-book-sale

Saturday 12/13 – Last Minute Gifts by Close Creations at Tazza D’Oro

  • Time: 8am-7pm
  • Location: Tassa D’Oro Coffee Shop, 1125 N. Highland Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
  • Follow @tazzadoro

tazza-close-creation

Saturday 12/13 – I Made It Holiday Market at Boyd Community Center

  • Time: 10am-3pm
  • Location: Boyd Community Center, 1220 Powers Run Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15238
  • Details: TechShop hosts a holiday party with demos, workshops and a holiday market featuring local vendors
  • Link | Follow @IMadeITMarket

boyd-comm-center-flyer

Saturday 12/13 – Holiday Festivus at the Pittsburgh Public Market

https://www.facebook.com/events/756100014438874/?ref=3&ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular

Thursday 12/18 – MANta Claus Last-Minute Shopping in Lawrenceville

  • Time: 5-9pm
  • Location: Businesses along Butler Street in Lawrenceville
  • Details: A last-minute holiday shopping extravaganza for men (and let’s face it, anyone) who waits until the last minute to buy gifts for the holidays. Plus enjoy free beer, snacks, and special discounts!
  • Facebook Event | #Mantaclaus

manta-claus-pittsburgh-shopping-for-men

Pitt-starter: Less than 24hrs to Help DuoScreen Reach Goal

duo-screenPitt-starter is our series of blog posts on Pittsburgh related crowdfunding campaigns.  You can check out past Pitt-starter posts here.

It is down to the wire for this one, but Pittsburghers are good at lastminute comebacks.  DuoScreen is a Pittsburgh startup that is part of the ThrillMill incubator in East Liberty.  I have had the opportunity to get to know the founders of DuoScreen over the past 10 months and I really like these guys.  Not only will they sit around and let me talk about social media for hours, but they have a great ideas, they are super nice people.

Also, I think that DuoScreen is a great idea for a product.  Developers and social media geeks like me often work from a laptop and a second screen.  I am currently sitting at my desk at work writing this blog post using my laptop and extra monitor.  DuoScreen is a portable second screen that works with most laptop sizes and allows you to bring your second screen with you.

Check out the video for the DuoScreen Kickstarter below and you can support the DuoScreen Kickstarter project here.  Help these guys launch their business and pick up your own DuoScreen at a special Kickstarter price (and be sure to follow @DuoScreen on Twitter).

More Pittsburgh Kickstarter Campaigns

DuoScreen is just one of several Kickstarter campaigns for Pittsburgh startups that are in the process of raising funds.  Click here to check out a list of some other local Kickstarter projects.

house of gold before and afer

Pittstarter – A Gentle Demolition of The House of Gold

Update 9/24 – Just 24 hours left til the Kickstarter deadline and the artist needs to raise $12,000.  Click here to go directly to the Kickstarter page for the House of Gold.

I learned about the House of Gold project over the summer and I wanted to share this Kicstarter project that only has a few more days to reach the funding goal.   Artist Dee Briggs lives next door to this house on Swissvale avanue. Last year, Dee was able to purchase the house thanks to the Allegheny County Vacant Property Recovery program.  This Kickstart project will help Dee deconstruct the house and re-imagine this site as a space for the community.

I think it is an important project for Wilkinsburg and Pittsburgh in general as it sparks a conversation about abandoned buildings.  At one point in its history The House of Gold was a corner store – and hopefully will be replaced with a community space and coffee shop in the near future.  This Kickstarter is a great way to help a motivated community member help to transform an abandoned property.

house of gold before and afer

Here are a few of the reasons why I like this project and I think you should consider making a contribution to the House of Gold Kickstarter project…

  1. A Gold House? Which is the perfect color for a building in a city that loves the color scheme of black and gold.  I like the idea of using gold paint to show this abandoned house in a new light.
  2. Telling the history of the house – take a few moments to check out the House of Gold website.  The artist has put together an incredible history of the house and the people who used to live here.
  3. Wilkinsburg – I have been driving down Penn Avenue for my entire life and most recently found myself wondering what would become of the Penn Lincoln Hotel.  What once was a meeting place of people had been abandoned and in the past few weeks was torn down.  How did a historic building, that was a thriving hub become a forgotten neighborhood?  Check out some of these photos from AbadonedOnline.net of the Penn-Lincoln Hotel before it was demolished.
  4. Gently demolition – take a moment to watch the Kickstarter video – it is worth the two minutes of your time, and Dee does a much better job of telling the story than I could here in a blog post.  I really like the idea of gently and carefully dismantling this house.  As much as I would love to save every old building in Allegheny county, some really do have to come down and the idea of carefully taking apart the building and separating out the historic pieces for reuse elsewhere, while reducing what would need to go into a landfill makes sense to me.

And this project has event been shared by the Kickstarter staff Twitter account…

If you would like to support this project – click here to make a contribution to the House of Gold: A Gentle Demolition Kickstarter project.

Read more about the House of Gold in the news…