The Quiet Storm, which has served vegetarian fare for over a decade and helped launch the resurgence of Penn Avenue, is set to close this fall.
In an email to City Paper and a post on a local message board, owner Jill MacDowell has confirmed that her building’s pending sale is prompting her to close the Friendship restaurant this October:
Yep, QS is leaving 5430 Penn in October 2013, our 12th anniversary month. Our future is unknown. The building is under sales agreement to another food establishment. Eviction has been looming a long time. It’s made a hard life harder, and a good thing bittersweet. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished. I hope to continue somehow, somewhere.
Under MacDowell — a former alt-weekly editor turned caterer — the Quiet Storm became a vegetarian café that was popular with City Paper readers, as well as an indie gathering place with a popular brunch. For several years, it also served as a music venue.
Its closure will come a half year after the shuttering of another touchstone in the East End scene, East Liberty’s Shadow Lounge. Throughout the early 2000s, the two businesses heralded the resurgence of struggling East End business districts; now it seems neither will be part of the area’s growing success.
Rick Swartz, the executive director of the Bloomfield Garfield Corporation, laments the Storm’s pending departure.
“It’s a business that drew another generation to Penn Avenue, a generation that wouldn’t have found its way here otherwise,” says Swartz, whose community-development group has long been active along Penn. “The arts venues have done that too, but much of that was in the wake of the Quiet Storm coming here.”
Swartz says the Storm attracted younger residents who “weren’t looking for a pristine commercial district like [Shadyside’s] Walnut Street”: The challenge for his group now, he says, is to maintain and build upon Penn’s own ability to serve a mix of residents.
The Quiet Storm’s building is owned by Friendship Development Associates, a once-active but now defunct community redevelopment group. The building is being purchased by a local restaurateur whom Swartz would not identify, except to say “he has a successful restaurant in the city already, and his family is helping him finance this.” The new site will “bring a restaurant that will probably cater to a broader spectrum of people, which some people think is great, while others won’t.” In either case, while the restaurant will not be a chain, Swartz says, “It will look like a restaurant you might find in a lot of other places.”
Swartz says his organization tried to find a new home for the Quiet Storm along Penn, to no avail.
“We came up dry. We approached a number of property owners with vacant storefronts. Some were interested, but [the buildings] needed a plethora of things done for them. Other times, the storeroom could have accommodated her, but they weren’t interested in leasing — not just to her, but to anybody.
“It was disappointing, because there were some locations that could have done well for the Quiet Storm,” Swartz continues. “It’s a challenge we’ve confronted on Penn Avenue for the last 30 years: talking to people who think they’ve got something you want badly, and they are holding out for some ransom.” And it’s only gotten worse as the East End has become increasingly prosperous — thanks in part to the Quiet Storm. “Suddenly, the wind is scented with money,” Swartz says, and building owners feel like time is on their side. “It’s the downside of neighborhoods returning to some level of normalcy, and a commentary about where the real-estate market is today.”
This article appears in Sep 4-10, 2013.
Come to the North Side!
This is so sad. My fiance and I are seriously freaking out about where we can dine on a regular basis now. And to know that a restaurant that will be corporate-esque will be going in it’s place, is VERY insulting to Quiet Storm’s regulars. We moved and have stayed in the East End because of the amazing amount of character in the small businesses. But ever since this redevelopment plan has been approved – Shadow Lounge – POOF; Vanilla Pastry Studio – BUH BYE; Abay Ethiopian Cuisine – NO MORE; and now QUIET STORM?!?! Ok – I’m beginning to think that this has definitely backfired on us.
Its gonna be OK Caitlin. Tana was a better option for Ethopian than Abay anyway
Pittsburgh fails… The city isn’t very veggie friendly to begin with and with QS gone – well what is there? Very disappointing, I loved their milkshakes and sandwiches!
And if not North Side, check out West End Village–loads of very inexpensive storefronts, lots of potential, just waiting for resurgence!
They should see if the could work something out with the old Brian and Coopers location on Friendship Ave a few blocks away. It looks like the owner’s plan to turn it into a cafe isn’t happening. It’s been vacant for over a year.
Vanilla isn’t Buh Bye, it’s in Regent Square. They moved to give themselves more room and parking. Abay closed because the owners wanted to focus on Alma, their other restaurant, and because they new Abay needed to be renovated and they didn’t have the energy to do that while running Alma.
how’s about Bloomfield?????? we NEED a vegan place here!!!!! too much pasta already, maybe consider it, if possible……
Whatever the new restaurant is that goes in there, I hope it fails miserably and the owner loses his shirt. I know that’s mean, but I’m really angry about this. QS was my favorite place to go to dine in this city (not to mention one of the precious few that are completely veg). Just one more reason to leave Pittsburgh.
Come to Uptown– we’ll welcome you with open arms. There are a ton of properties available for next to nothing and you will be in between Oakland, Downtown, and the South Side.
Come to Penn Hills – we’re DYING for a great restaurant and meeting spot – just a little further east!
Why not move it to L-ville or Sharpsburg?
This makes me so sad! My fiance and I had our first date here. I hope that they can find another location near by soon.
A little clarification is needed, for the record. The Quiet Storm was Ian Lipskys vision, and it was under his ownership in the first four years that The Quiet Storm formed inroads in the East End as a vegetarian cafe and community center. This is also the time period when it transformed to an all ages venue at night, providing a performance space for many talented artists.
Former Isaly’s location in Etna would be a great location for this business!
Bull fucking shit you meen to tell me McDonald’s that treats there animals so fucking horabable from the time there born to the time they get there throats cut hanging from a rack. Have 1000000000000000000000 RESTRANTS ALL OVER THE FUCKING WORLD!!!!!!! And one MOTHER FUCKING VEGETARIAN RESTRANT CAN’T KEEP THERE MOTHER FUCKING DAM PEACE OF SHIT ASS BASTERD DOORs OPEN I HOPE THE REALASTATE COMPANY BURN IN HELL!!!!!!! FUCK THESE BASTEREDS!!!!! WHAT THE FUCK EVER