Above: The Beckert Building is owned by the Historic Deutschtown Merchants Association and was fixed up last fall. (Photo courtesy Randy Strothman)
by Kelsey Shea
Makers and artists throughout the Northside will come together for a pop-up market on East Ohio Street, where they can sell their handmade goods through the holiday season.
The Northside Leadership Conference has recruited nine artists to participate in The New Allegheny Market House, which will kick off the season on Nov. 22 in the Beckert Building.
“Our main priorities are to support artists that live her and provide a new retail experience for Historic Deutschtown,” said NSLC Business Development Director Emily Leone Honhart.
The Market House will be open from Thursdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Nov. 22- Dec. 28.
The NSLC planned The New Allegheny Market House using the “pop-up” model, which has been very successful in Pittsburgh. Pop-up markets and business models bring temporary businesses in to fill unused urban space and generate foot traffic and buzz about a business district.
The Beckert Building, at the prominent corner of James and East Ohio streets, was an ideal setting for a pop-up market, and the NSLC saw the need to support the Northside’s creative community.
The Nov. 22 opening will have refreshments and live music. It will also be the same night as Historic Deutchtown’s tree lighting celebration in a nearby Blumengarten.
Market House artists will sell wall art, jewelry, vintage clothing, up-cycled furniture, dolls and more.
Photographer and Allegheny West resident Sara Beck Sweeny will sell and display her local photographs and collages printed on wooden panels at the New Allegheny Market House. What drew her to this particular market is that it was Northside based.
“I like that this is happening in my neighborhood,” said Sweeny. “I think it’s great to be connecting with other artists in this area.”
Organizers and artists hope that the market house will lead to an eventual permanent and shared studio space for Northside artists to create and sell their work.
“We realized there were a lot of artists who were looking for a small amount of space to sell or make things,” said Honhart. “We hope this might be an incubator for the artists and lead to exploring concepts for the future of a traveling or permanent market.”
The New Allegheny Market was funded by a one-time $7,000 Biz Buzz grant from the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh.
Artists will operate the market like a co-op, each taking shifts to staff the market.
The New Allegheny Market House is still accepting artists and artisans who can participate for a one-time merchant fee to cover rent and utilities.
The Market House will accept credit cards. More information can be found at http://www.newalleghenymarkethouse.com.
