Lifestyles category, Page 8

The Black Market: Holiday Edition has transformed Downtown Pittsburgh into a festive hub for celebrating Black entrepreneurship. Now in its fifth year, the unique pop-up marketplace debuted last weekend in Market Square, featuring 20 local Black-owned businesses nestled within the Peoples Gas Holiday Market. With a second installment set for...

Steve Fazekas and Eddie Misiewicz are self-proclaimed weather geeks and have the stories to prove it. In 1977, Misiewicz, then a volunteer firefighter in Dawson, Fayette County, went to Johnstown to respond to the devastation from a flood. He remembered picking bodies out of trees. Fazekas, of Winfield, recalled the...

High school students across the state have decorated winter snow plows, and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials want the public to vote on their local favorites. The annual Paint the Plow contest is part of PennDOT’s annual campaign drawing awareness to winter driving safety. Students were asked to create a...

Mary Jo Miller of Point Breeze wanted to brighten her three-story home for the holidays but knew climbing a ladder to reach the top — with a pitched roof — to install Christmas lights wasn’t safe. She found Pittsburgh-based Three Rivers Lights through a Google search. The company installed lights...

Chipotle is raising its U.S. prices to offset inflation and to compensate for a promise to increase portion sizes. Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs officer, Laurie Schalow, confirmed Friday that the Mexican restaurant chain was implementing a 2% price increase nationally. Schalow said it’s the first time the California-based company has...

Alexandria “Rex” Yeager’s roller skate illustration won a contest — and the prize is that her artwork will be transformed into a drone image. About 250 drones will be part of Saturday’s “Celestial Choreography: A Dynamic Drone Show” at Schenley Plaza in Oakland. Crafted by Texas-based Sky Elements, the aerial...

The Coca-Cola Co. will no longer focus on reducing virgin and single-use plastic — and instead pivot its climate goals to focus more heavily on the use of recycled materials. By 2035, the company said it aims to increase the use of recycled plastic in packaging between 30%-35% and “help...

There are times when we all need to feel special — just ask Cora DeLoia. As the owner of Spoiled Chics in Sewickley, DeLoia said “customers are family.” “Everyone is welcome here,” she said as she stood surrounded by clothing and accessories in her boutique on Beaver Street. “We will...

Being promoted to big brother or big sister is a really big deal. That’s why big sister Katie Shelby and little sister Sarah Shelby created merchandise to capture that special sibling moment through their accessories brand, which strives to “add an ounce of magic to someone’s day.” The siblings own...

The Sewickley Sleigh pop-up bar is back for a second year. Located in the courtyard of the Sewickley Quarter, a bar, restaurant and French Quarter-inspired wedding venue on Beaver Street, the space is adorned with holiday decorations. “People really loved it so we opened earlier this year,” said owner Hannah...

When Julie Durbin was undergoing cancer treatment, she was always cold. She would bring a cardigan, a sweater that opens in the front and comes in various lengths, to her appointments. “Cardigans added a layer of warmth and comfort and protection for her,” said her sister Dione O’Dell. “She was...

Chi-Chi’s, the once popular Mexican restaurant chain shuttered after a fatal hepatitis outbreak in Western Pennsylvania, is preparing for a comeback. According to CNN, Hormel Foods, the owner of Chi-Chi’s trademarks, said it has a deal with Michael McDermott, the son of the brand’s founder, that will allow McDermott to...

Milana “Mim” Karlo Bizic’s dedication to her heritage is evident the minute you step into her home. The love and appreciation of the history of Serbia are prominent. A library full of books and magazines and other memorabilia connects her to her Serbian ancestors. In her office, one of her...

Muffy Mendoza, founder of Brown Mamas, Inc. and the Brown Mamas Marketplace, is excited about the next iteration of the marketplace on Saturday. It is no coincidence that the event aligns with Small Business Saturday, kicking off the holiday shopping season by supporting Black women. She started Brown Mamas in...

Light Up Night on Saturday night in Downtown ignited the holiday season in the Pittsburgh area and signaled the start of holiday gatherings, festivities and time with loved ones. But for some families this year, there’s a glaring obstacle. On the heels of a particularly energetic and polarizing election, politics...

A popular Lawrenceville restaurant will be shucking its last oyster soon. Merchant Oyster Co. is closing up shop next week, the restaurant announced on social media. The Butler Street oyster joint will hold its last day on Dec. 4 with a special ticketed event. “This decision wasn’t easy, but we’re...

For Renee Piatt, seeing earrings, necklaces, bracelets or rings from her collection on another woman is about more than noticing sparkling pieces of jewelry — it’s about a deeper shine. “I want to empower women with my jewelry,” said Piatt, founder of the Renee Piatt Collection. “When she walks into...

The combined ages of nine people celebrated at the Masonic Village at Sewickley Nov. 12 totaled 911 years! Yes, you read that correctly. Nine residents at the Sewickley retirement living community were lauded for their long and successful lives as centenarians. The oldest is 106, one is 102, three are...

Ready or not, the holidays are here. It’s a time when many Americans accustomed to preparing simple meals find themselves responsible for safely serving multi-dish feasts. It’s no easy task. Outbreaks of some types of food poisoning tend to rise in November and December, according to the U.S. Centers for...

Travel can be stressful in the best of times. Now add in the high-level anxiety that seems to be baked into every holiday season and it’s clear that travelers could use some help calming frazzled nerves. Travel pros say there is plenty you can do ahead of time to make...

Marianne Fadden painted every day during the extended covid shutdown — it was her coping mechanism. “I would have gone crazy without painting,” said the retiree and avid painter. “It kept me sane.” A former Westinghouse marketing and communications executive, Fadden left her corporate career to open Creative Dressing By...

Demeatria Boccella and her business partner, Darnell McLaurin, are spotlighting the beauty of the African diaspora in Pittsburgh one event at a time. Their Africanism Gala, held at Ice House Studios in Lawrenceville Thursday night, was packed with attendees, leaving only standing room for the showcase of African fashion, music...

Classic shows such as “The Great Gatsby,” “My Fair Lady,” “Kinky Boots” and “A Christmas Carol” represent the theme of the 10th annual Symphony Splendor House Tour — “Christmas on Broadway.” Hosted by the Pittsburgh Symphony Association to benefit the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the tour will include a Broadway-themed tree...

It’s a doggie debut for Pittsburgh. The Dog Penn is a newly opened, off-leash dog park and bar in the Strip District where folks can bring their dogs along for bar-themed fun and fellowship. The concept combines drinking with doggie socializing in a relaxed, controlled setting. Married co-owners Alissa and...

After less than two years in business and two expansions already, a tabletop gaming store in downtown New Kensington again needs more space while preparing for a major Star Wars event. The Feisty Goblin, opened in April 2023 by Arnold couple Christine and Jim Radeshak, will move to a new...