Tag Archives: shop local

Shop, Eat & Drink Local at Crafts & Drafts on Sunday, July 22

Made with heart is probably the best way to summarize this event. East End Brewing has been making beer right here in Pittsburgh with a lot of love for years. This weekend they are oping up the brewery to a great line up of local vendors for a super Sunday afternoon. The event is free to attend and there will be food trucks, local of course for eats and treats.

East End Brewery’s Brewpub is a very family friendly space, so this is a great event for the kiddos, too.

Summer Crafts and Drafts
Sunday, July 22, 2018
12-5pm
East End Brewing Brewpub in Larimer, 147 Julius Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Vendors Include:

But wait, there is more!

Info table from Fresh Fest 2018 where you can learn more about this amazing event showcasing black breweries and collaboration beers
SALE table from us at East End Brewing where you can snap up some shirts for cheap

Can’t make it out for Crafts & Drafts? Shop local online!

You can check out many of the vendors online. Also, Alternate Histories @AltHistories put together this list of local businesses you can support by shopping online.

Support These Two Pet Loving Pittsburghers’ Crowdfunding Campaigns

The title of this post is a tong-twister for sure. If you love pets or if you want to support two great Pittsburghers please take a moment to check out these two important crowdfunding campaigns.

Andre Gray Memorial in the Bernard Run Dog Park

Andre Gray & his dog, boss, were killed by gun violence last year, his family is raising $3500 to install a memorial bench at the Bernard Run dog park in Lawrenceville. Andre would be turning 35 on Saturday, August 8. Several IheartPGH readers have reached out to me and asked me to share this story, they are eager to help the Gray family reach the fundraising goal before Andre’s birthday.

Sue Kerr wrote a lovely post about Andre for her blog Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents – Andre Gray Would Be 35 This Saturday #StoryOfHisLife.

Donate Here: http://bit.ly/1IwvcKR As of Friday afternoon they are just short of $1000 of reaching their goal.

Smiley’s Pet Pad – Support a Pittsburgh Small Business

This is one of those campaigns that I feel compelled to support because I want Pittsburgh to be filled with small businesses like Smiley’s. Smiley’s Pet Pad used to be on Walnut Street in Shadyside, they are now located on Highland in the shopping plaza across from MadMex. Ginny Smiley started working at the Pet Pad in 1972 and eventually bought the business from the originally owner. Smiley’s Pet Pad could use some community support – construction on the Highland Avenue Bridge and competition from a national chain which moved into the space where Border Books used to be has been tough on this little shop. Please take a moment to watch the video, make a contribution or stop by and shop at Smiley’s Pet Pad.

Amy Enrico who owns the Highland Park Coffee Shop Tazza D’Oro wrote a blog post about Smiley’s here. If you support Smiley’s GoFundMe campaign, Amy will buy you a cappuccino.

Take a moment to like Smiley’s Pet Pad on Facebook here.

Donate here: http://bit.ly/1W6uOw0

Don’t forget about Dave & Andy

Today, Tuesday, April 14, 2015 is Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s locations around the US. That means everyone who walks into the shop (usually after standing in line) get a free ice cream cone of your choice.

I like to use Free Cone Day (I wrote about this last year) to everyone in Pittsburgh about Dave & Andy’s Ice Cream in Oakland. This fine ice cream establishment has been making and serving ice cream to Pittsburghers since 1983. If you want to skip the lines and spend a few dollars at a locally owned business, head over to Dave & Andy’s on Atwood Street in Oakland for an ice cream cone instead.

While we try to support as many local businesses as possible, the local Pittbsurgh Ben & Jerry’s is a pretty cool story too. You can read about the Pittsburgh Ben & Jerry’s partner shop that provides job training to at-risk youth here.

Ben & Jerry’s PartnerShop

You can read our post from Free Cone Day 2014 to learn more about free stuff in Pittsburgh here.

What is your favorite local ice cream stand to visit in or near Pittsburgh?

Steel of the Week: Yinzer Bingo

This week’s featured Steel of the Week is Yinzer Bingo by John the Craftist. Seen at Boutique 208, you are sure to get a kick out of this unique bingo card if you are from the Pittsburgh area. All the spaces on the card are relevant to the area, such as “Road Work”, “Pothole”, “Terrible Towel”, “Big Ben Jersey”, with some of the more culturally unique ones being ”Pgh Left”, “Jean Shorts”, “Confusing Intersection”, “80s Bangs”, and “Jagoff”. John the Craftist’s products mostly consist of PGH-centric/Pittsburghese greeting cards, along with magnets, keychains, buttons, gift tags, and other small paper craft items. Zodiac birthday cards are also available. All the products are handprinted, handcut, and hand-folded by John the Craftist, who is actually Thea Okonak of Aspinwall.

Along with Boutique 208, John’s stockists include The Mattress Factory Museum, The Shop at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Wildcard in Lawrenceville, Koolkat Designs in Mt. Lebanon, and Nota Bene in Aspinwall. John also vends at he I Made It! Market events, and this past year sold with Koolkat Designs at the Three Rivers Arts Festival and with Steeltown Etsy at Handmade Arcade.

You can get a first look at new cards by checking out the Facebook page, http://facebook.com/johnthecraftist. This is where you can also find out the next vending location and interact to give feedback or stories about the products you’ve enjoyed!

Have an item you would like featured as our Steel of the Week? Submit to sotw@iheartpgh.com!

Shop Local on Liberty – December 14

There are some new shops that have opened on Liberty Avenue in recent months and they are trying to get the word out about some of the cool stuff happening in Bloomfield. The East End Book Exchange and Clothes Minded have teamed up with The Big Idea Book shop to bring you an evening of local shopping and snacks.

East End Book Exchange – used books and new book from local authors
Clothes Minded – vintage and preloved clothing
The Big Idea – book shop and cafe

Show your receipt from any shop and get 10% off your purchase at one of the other shops.

There will be food – the Oh My Grill Food Truck will be on the scene for all of your grilled cheese needs. (By the way – if you are looking for a holiday gift for a grilled cheese lover – check out the the Grilled Cheesus, which happens to be on sale here until 12/15).