Black Owned in the Burgh: Supporting Black Businesses in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, a city in western Pennsylvania that since birth I’ve called home. While traveling over the last seven years, I don’t have a permanent residence in the US, but when I’m back visiting family, I’m here in the “Burgh”. Where three rivers converge, this “steel city” has had a special place in my heart. Once a predominantly blue collar, industrial town, it has made significant changes over the years to encouraging residents to stay, not stray, and it shows each time I return. I’m often finding a new restaurant, shop or place to explore. While a majority of a my writing is focused on traveling to new places more responsibly, it isn’t lost on me that it’s equally important to bring the philosophy of ethical travel to my own back yard. Part of being a more sustainable traveler is inclusion, and for me that can be here at home or abroad. I’ve compiled a list of Black owned businesses and ways to support Black Pittsburgh. My goal is to continue to add to this as I dive deeper into our diverse city, lifting up voices of those in my community that deserve to be heard.
Why is Supporting Black Business is Important
Diversity in travel is an integral part of making the tourism industry more ethical and responsible. That includes supporting Black owned businesses.
Whether we like to admit it or not, there is a radical racial wealth gap in the US. White households have a significantly higher median income, with the average of 1 in 4 Black American household incomes at zero or negative net worth. This is why you may find, once you start to dig in your own communities that there are disproportionately less Black owned businesses. The racial wealth gap currently is one of the factors that can stand in the way of minority business owners success. With waves of economic uncertainty, combined with burden of inequality, it is a celebrated accomplishment to have a thriving business as a Black entrepreneur in the United States.
Supporting local economy means supporting all businesses, especially those who are small, locally owned and operated. Travelers are consumers and we have spending power. Using your spending power to avoid “tourism leakage” is an important choice towards sustainable travel. Leakage is when revenue generated by tourism escapes the local economies. Supporting small businesses in turn supports their employees, their families, and that trickles throughout the neighborhood and city where you’re spending this money.
Being mindful about how you spend your money is a powerful way to hold larger companies accountable.
Food With Soul
While there are some phenomenal soul food restaurants here in the Burgh, Black owned restaurants are more than just southern style soul food here in Pittsburgh.
What began in New Jersey has moved to the Greater Pittsburgh area. Cornbread is a fast casual “farm to soul” restaurant. Love Rocks Cafe is delivering sustainable and healthy while still serving up come classic comfort foods. Located in McKees Rocks, at the Father Ryan Arts Center, it’s a place to come for made from scratch meals. The owner, Chef Jackie Page-Heidelberg has also been involved in 412 Rescue, a non-profit that focuses on preventing food waste while providing healthy food to those with barriers to food access.
Carmi is soul food that tastes like a delicious home cooked meal made with love. With over 20 years experience in the kitchen, their chef commits to local and seasonal ingredients. Chef’s Table has healthy to go food, providing a little twist to your favorite dishes. The LunchBox is the perfect lunch spot, located near 2 major hospitals, and they have great daily specials.
Casa Brasil brings authentic, simple yet tasty fresh flavors to your plate. They have great vegan and veggie friendly items on their menu. Gourmet on-the-go is Gabriella’s Restaurant. Located in the South Side section of Pittsburgh, this is a great option for breakfast or lunch. A varied menu, Gabriella’s is the place to stop for a simple but flavorful meal. Also located in the South Side and in Penn Hills, Soul & Sea is the perfect option for a surf and turf meal with a twist. Savoy is the place for jazz and delicious dining. Savoy has been a long loved fine dining staple in the community.
If you’ve spent time in the Oakland neighborhood of the city, you’ve probably had a lunch at Kevin’s Deli. They have an extensive list of sandwiches, a fast and tasty way to order a meal to go during the work week.
Cakery Square not only focuses on sweet treats, but also community. They have a program that creates jobs for students and helps them prepare skill sets for future careers. Satisfy your sweet tooth at Fudge Farm. They have unique hand crafted milkshakes, and their fruit bouquets are a perfect answer to a thoughtful gift. Happy Day Desert Factory is there for all of your ice cream cravings. Their treats are made fresh daily, and they offer dairy free water ice options, as well as an almond milk soft serve. MadDez Sweets is another boutique bakery that can’t be missed. She crafts beautiful cakes and one of a kind treats.
Nestled in the Northside neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Arnold’s Tea is THE place for a quality cup of tea or coffee. Their ingredients are always ethically sourced and local when possible. In addition, they are part of the E.A.T. initiative, Empowerment, Awareness, and Training. This non profit is focusing on access for food insecure neighborhoods, as well as development and career training.
Diversify Your Art
Black businesses in Pittsburgh can look further than the dining scene. These are artists and creatives that you can support who are making Pittsburgh a prettier place.
Baron Batch’s work can be found quite literally, all over town. The former Steeler player traded his cleats for a canvas, and he is known for creating colorful and inspiring pieces of art that are accessible for all. Batch has an “Art Drop” where if you’re following along on his instagram account, he often leaves artwork around town for an unsuspecting owner to stumble across.
Vanessa German is a creative who uses mixed media to make her sculptures come to fruition. German is a TedX speaker, an award winning visual and performance artist, as well as a the founder of ART House, a Homewood program for young local artists.
A photographer, film maker and multimedia artist, Njaimeh Njie created a poignant and beautiful Homecoming public art project in the Hill District neighborhood of the city. She was named Pittsburgh Person of the Year: Visual Arts in 2019, and has been awarded a public art project at the Pittsburgh International Airport.
Mikael Chukwuma Owunna, a Nigerian-Swedish American photographer who was raised in Pittsburgh has an “Infinite Essence” series that uses paint, UV light and darkness to show us these illuminating images. Owunna was a recipient of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council to complete this series. Follow his magic on Instagram for more inspiration and where to find his art.
If you’re looking to create your own art, Kiln-N-Time is a great creative outlet where you can paint your own pottery. If you aren’t into making your own art, you can appreciate others. Kelly Strayhorn Theatre is a community theatre that is located in East Liberty. The namesake is a Pittsburgh native, and the non profit is committed to showcasing the arts.
August Wilson House is a cultural center dedicated to a Pulitzer Prize winner and American playwright. The center, named after Wilson, honors his commitment to justice and the arts. The Wilson House has exhibitions, educational spaces, events, and is providing space for diverse and interesting voices in the arts.
The Center for African American Poetry and Poetics is committed to sharing and promoting African American and African diaspora poets voices. Founded in 2016, CAAPP hosts readings, performances, workshops and discussions open to the public to open the conversation about poetry to the masses.
Visit the Carnegie Museum of Art and explore the Teenie Harris Archives, one of the largest collections of the black urban experience from the 1930’s through the 1970’s. A Pittsburgh native, Harris worked for the Pittsburgh Courier and revealed an intimate, detailed portrait of what it was like to be African American in Pittsburgh over the decades.
Expand Your Knowledge
History is important to revisit and maybe relearn what we were taught in school. Expanding what you know about food, culture, history, religion, architecture or music is a way we can travel without leaving home. Learning something new in places we are visiting for the first time is a way to better experience the cities we visit and the people who reside in them.
Fresh Beer Fest is the first Black beer festival in the US. Come visit Pittsburgh, learn more about the beer brewing process and celebrate diversity in the beverage industry.
Expand your music repertoire with the Pittsburgh Jazz Festival. Each year, a mix of all types of musicians come to highlight both upcoming artists and legends in the jazz community.
Keep track of current events from the Pittsburgh Courier. One of the nation’s oldest Black media outlets, the New Pittsburgh Courier is an award winning newspaper, receiving several accolades for journalistic integrity.
Outdoor spaces are for all, and the Frick Environmental Center has taken this a step further by planting a deeper story through their Slavery to Freedom Garden. The garden showcases plants that were used for food and medicinal purposes for those seeking freedom from slavery, and how these plants are used today.
Find Black Owned Businesses in Your Neighborhood
Promote businesses owned by people of color in your own back yard. There are a few ways to find Black businesses to support in any city. We Buy Black is the largest online marketplace for black-owned businesses. I Am Black Business is a mobile app that has a growing national directory, so incorporating more diverse businesses on the go could never be easier. Official Black Wall Street is another great mobile app that you can use to introduce Black businesses in the rotation of where you’re spending your dollars locally. If you’re on the hunt for a good restaurant, EatOkra is the app that will help you locate Black owned establishments in your area.
3 Comments
Steve
In case you didn’t realize, the word “dans” on your site is spelled incorrectly. I had similar issues on my website which hurt my credibility until someone pointed it out and I discovered some of the services like SpellHelper.com or SpellingCheck.com which help with these type of issues.
Patricia Strothers
I would love to see Royally Fit be featured on this list of Black owned, local Pittsburgh businesses to support, especially with the holiday season coming up!
oneearth
Nice article !! Enjoyed reading this blog.. Cheers!