When homebuyers come to Pittsburgh and search for a city home, they more often than not look to the areas with strong retail districts, primarily Squirrel Hill and Shadyside, and to a lesser degree South Side, then come to North City neighborhoods because of price. To get over our next hurdle to become a primary destination for homeowners, we have to have that strong retail in place.
If all of the businesses I have heard are coming actually open, we may be well on our way there. A new and rather large coffee shop is planned for the West Deutschtown section of East Allegheny. Nearby the former James Street may reopen as a Bistro. In the Mexican War Streets, home of the new and successful Beleza Coffee House, a cafe and book store are planned for Monterey Street. True, an upscale bar on Western Avenue recently re-opened as Nuance.
Even more out of the way neighborhoods like Charles Street Valley and Brighton Heights have seen the addition of coffee shops in recent years. On the shores, the Heinz Lofts Cafe and the Andy Warhol Cafe add lunch stops and a plethra of new restaurants are planned for the North Shore (it pains see to see that Soho bar in the new Marriot hotel, however. I expect a Caribou or Starbucks could open somewhere on the North Shore or in the new condo building on Fort Duquesne Boulevard).
Talk is also filling message boards about a potential food co-op coming to one of the flats neighborhoods. The prime choice may be the War Streets, but potential commercial locations may send them to East Allegheny or Brighton Road.
Interestingly, most of the new retail developments are not coming to the three main retail districts in the North City, East Ohio Street, Federal/North and Western Avenue (If you count North Shore, that has quickly become the main business district in North City.
The North Avenue business district of course has been boarded up and locked up in court for more than a decade. The remaining part of the Federal Street district continues to survive and should be helped by new housing (planned but eternally delayed) for the area and a potential new library. Western Avenue struggles along (quite a few retail buildings are now for sale, so change could come fast) and East Ohio Street continues to change at a snails pace.
Perhaps the prime retail district, East Ohio Street has become the target of efforts by the Northside Leadership Conference. Some new businesses and renovations have come in recently, including Priory Pasteries, a Cricket store and a dollar store. The street also has a colection of long-time businesses to build on. Some buldings are for sale and others are held by speculators or remain in poor condition.
The new retail additions are a welcome event that could make great strides in terms of changing the attractiveness of North City as a great place to live. The real task will come later-- to continue construction of North City retail and bring it to the three main retail districts.
