Best Locally Owned Retail Shop: love, Pittsburgh

With two retail stores and an online market, the team behind love, Pittsburgh describe themselves as “champions of local.” Founded by two local makers, Monica Yope and Kelly Sanders, the first love, Pittsburgh store opened in Mount Washington in June 2017, with a second store opening in Downtown in spring 2018. Both locations feature a wide array of gifts created by Pittsburgh artists and makers.

Items for sale at love, Pittsburgh go beyond the traditional t-shirts and coffee mugs. The most popular t-shirts feature unique designs, such as illustrations of city’s many bridges, from Fort Pitt, to McKees Rocks, to Highland Park. The bridge design was created by Mount Lebanon artist Kim Fox, who sells art under the name Worker Bird. The bridge design was brought to t-shirt form after it was released as a print, and quickly became a best-seller.

Another online best-seller is a print of a penguin holding a pierogi by McKnight art studio Hey Beast. Other honorable mentions include a print of the Cathedral of Learning done by Shane Henderson of New Kensington, and a postcard-style illustration of the Duquesne Incline done by Jim Zahniser of Red Robot Gallery in Homewood.

Pittsburgh-themed candles from local brand PGH Candle are also a popular item at love, Pittsburgh. The candles are each named after a neighborhood — Mount Washington, Dahntahn, Strip District, and Lawrenceville — and feature a scent of Oak Moss and Amber.

The love, Pittsburgh website explains that the mission of the retailer is to “connect makers to shoppers, by serving the local community as well as the thousands of visitors who travel to Downtown and Mount Washington each year.” By supporting local artists and showcasing the city’s character, love, Pittsburgh truly does embody the phrase “champions of local.”