logo
  • News
    • Northside Community Meetings
    • Community Calendar
    • Elected Officials
    • Features
    • Local Business
    • Public Safety
    • Sports
  • Arts + Culture
  • Real Estate
  • Classifieds
  • Marketplace
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
    • News
      • Northside Community Meetings
      • Community Calendar
      • Elected Officials
      • Features
      • Local Business
      • Public Safety
      • Sports
    • Arts + Culture
    • Real Estate
    • Classifieds
    • Marketplace
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise
Northside Business Briefs: June 2022
Allegheny City Central, Briefs, Historic Deutschtown, Local Business, Spring Garden
admin, on
June 2, 2022
Northside Business Briefs: June 2022

Stay up-to-date on what’s coming, going, and changing in the Northside business community with The Northside Chronicle’s monthly Northside Business Briefs. This month’s briefs feature Gecko Robotics, Gus and Yia Yia’s, The Garden Café, and California Coffee Bar.

By Ashlee Green

Photo: Karis Bowman will officially take over as the new owner of California Coffee Bar in Brighton Heights on June 1. Future plans for the shop, she says, include a paint job, new tables, and more community events. Courtesy of Karis Bowman

Gecko Robotics holds ribbon cutting for new Northside headquarters

Gecko Robotics, a close to 10-year-old company with a Pittsburgh office previously based in East Liberty, held a ribbon cutting on May 9 at their new headquarters in the Northside’s Nova Place.

According to the Pittsburgh Business Times, the company—which previously laid off employees in its Houston and Pittsburgh offices in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic—is now expecting the staff to double from 200 to 400 people by mid-2023. 

The new 70,000-square-foot office space will serve partially as an R&D area for the company’s robots, which are built to scale walls to inspect infrastructure, such as bridges, and oil, gas, and power sites, and report back with suggestions for maintenance and repairs. 

The buildout of Gecko’s Nova Place space included a raised ceiling and the installation of new, special HVAC venting.

“Our vision for Nova Place is to build a world-class R&D environment that inspires innovation and customer service to the world’s most critical industries,” Gecko Co-Founder and CEO Jake Loosararian said in an article for the Pittsburgh Business Times. 

Gus and Yia Yia’s ice ball stand open for the season

Spring is in the air, and Gus and Yia Yia’s ice ball stand is open for business.


Gus and Yia Yia’s ice ball stand in Allegheny Commons Park West is now open daily. Courtesy of Michelle Moore Parr


Run by Gus Kalaris, who turned 90 years old in January, this Northside staple on wheels sets up shop next to the West Ohio Street tennis courts and serves flavored ice balls, popcorn, and peanuts. Kalaris inherited the stand from his father back in 1951. 

Find more information about Gus and Yia Yia’s and post pictures of your visits to the stand on its Facebook page.

The Garden Café constructing ‘community fridge’

You’ve seen mutual aid  “community fridges” in cities like Philadelphia, but now, Pittsburgh is catching on.

The Garden Café in East Deutschtown premiered the bones of an outdoor shelter for their community fridge on Facebook back in April. The structure includes storage shelves for dry goods. 


Back in April, The Garden Café shared a progress picture of its community fridge, currently under construction at the corner of Spring Garden Avenue and Chestnut Street. Photo: The Garden Café Facebook Page


Community fridges—also termed “freedges”—are refrigerators housed in a public place for neighbors to give and take food for free. They aim to reduce food insecurity and food waste. According to a Feb. 2021 article by Vox, back in March 2020, there were just 12 community fridges across the U.S.; now, there are at least 160.

“We called our shop The Garden in part because of its location, but mostly because we wanted it to be a place where good things grow,” the Facebook post reads.

“It makes us so happy to look at this [freedge] structure and know that it will be the home of something important, just like the building behind it is the home of our little café, and all the houses around us are the homes of our wonderful neighbors (and us)!

“This is our community. We believe in the goodness of this place, which is why we keep our fridge, our coffee shop, [and] our families here.”

California Coffee Bar under new ownership

She’s been working there for the past two and a half years, but on June 1, Karis Bowman will take on a new title as the owner of California Coffee Bar in Brighton Heights.

“I’ve been running the place for quite some time,” she told The Northside Chronicle, explaining that she started as a barista in October of 2019 and was promoted to manager five months later—right in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The business shut down for two and a half months, Bowman said, right after her promotion, and when it opened back up, she was in charge of navigating the pandemic-specific rules and regulations. 

She initiated the addition of online ordering and delivery options as well as contactless payment, which all paid off big time: Last spring, she said, the coffee shop was close to hitting double its normal sales. Cleaning lights, too, were installed in November of 2021, which Bowman said she thinks gave the spot an “upper hand” in terms of what patrons deemed a safe indoor dining experience. 

Prior to California Coffee Bar, Bowman was working as a math teacher at a small private school. She wanted to get out of teaching and do something different, she said, so she turned to Craigslist to find a job to pay the bills.

“I just kind of jumped right in and enjoyed making coffee for people and figuring out inventory, ringing people out on the register; making sure everything is in stock,” she said. 

Customers have seen a lot of different owners come through the coffee shop, she said, and have told her that this is the best the place has ever been.

“It’s been nice to hear from the community… I take that as really great feedback because I want [the shop] to be as good as possible,” she said.

Future plans for the shop, Bowman said, include a paint job to “brighten up the place,” new tables, and hosting more events. 

“I feel like it’s a great space and it should be utilized more.” She’s grateful for the support of her customers and the surrounding community.

“Believe me, this wasn’t something that was in my five to 10-year plan,” she said. “This is something that was handed to me.”

Donate today to help support the Northside community newspaper's mission to provide hyperlocal coverage for our neighborhoods, neighbors, and their future.

Related Posts
Observatory Hill’s Pride Project not your average educational institution
Arts + Culture, Education, Features, Observatory Hill
Observatory Hill’s Pride Project not your average educational institution
Pride Project, Inc. isn’t structured around cut-and-dry goods and services: It aims to fill in the gaps of what a traditional education can prov...
July 19, 2022
First in-person CCAC graduation since 2019 held at Heinz Field
Education, North Shore
First in-person CCAC graduation since 2019 held at Heinz Field
There were close to 3,000 candidates for graduation. By Ashlee Green Photos: Gene J. Puskar for CCAC The Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) ...
July 14, 2022
On the Scene: Fishing Rod Foundation Co.’s ‘Kentucky Derby’ themed fundraiser
Observatory Hill, Photo Gallery
On the Scene: Fishing Rod Foundation Co.’s ‘Kentucky Derby’ themed fundraiser
[tecnavia_gallery slug='on-the-scene-fishing-rod-foundation-co-s-kentucky-derby-themed-fundraiser-gallery' view='carousel'] A fascinator hat competiti...
June 21, 2022
Makeshift community bike repair project building steam in Pittsburgh’s Northside
Allegheny Commons, Allegheny West, Features, Trails + Travel, Transportation + Infrastructure
Makeshift community bike repair project building steam in Pittsburgh’s Northside
Free Ride, but for Northsiders. By Ashlee Green Photo: Catch Makeshift at the Northside Farmers' Market on Fridays from 3 to 7 p.m. Courtesy of Makesh...
June 21, 2022
Little House Big Art joins two local artists for ‘Spring Hill Pigeon Project’
Arts + Culture, Spring Hill
Little House Big Art joins two local artists for ‘Spring Hill Pigeon Project’
[tecnavia_gallery slug='little-house-big-art-joins-two-local-artists-for-spring-hill-pigeon-project-gallery' view='carousel'] The ceramic pigeons made...
May 16, 2022
Omega Dr. Carter G. Woodson Academy marks its 10th year
Education, Features, Manchester
Omega Dr. Carter G. Woodson Academy marks its 10th year
The Academy is named in honor of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, an honorary member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. whose work led to the creation of Bla...
May 12, 2022
e-Edition
Northside Neighborhoods
Northside Guides
FORMS + SUBMISSIONS
Events Letters to the Editor News Tips
POLL
MOST READ
PREVIEW: Northside company launches program to promote robotics startups
Allegheny City Central, Business...
PREVIEW: Northside company launches program to promote robotics startups
March 17, 2023
Robots are perhaps one of the most common ideas people think about when they envision the future. And one Northside company is seeking to bring the fu...
this is a test
Ask An Attorney
Local Business, News...
Ask An Attorney
March 16, 2023
This month’s article will focus on insurance, namely car insurance. Car insurance is a necessary evil as it allows us to compensate others for injurie...
this is a test
BREAKING: Perry graduate to add books to school’s library
Arts + Culture, Features...
BREAKING: Perry graduate to add books to school’s library
March 16, 2023
A Perry High School graduate will install two of her own books in the school's library in an event this Friday. Maisha Howze , who graduated from Perr...
this is a test
Northside Business Briefs: March 2023
Business, Chateau...
Northside Business Briefs: March 2023
March 15, 2023
Bicycle Heaven reopens after flood damage Bicycle Heaven, the Northside’s bicycle museum and bike repair shop, reopened in late February following flo...
this is a test
The recovery of Waltmire Pharmacy
Business, Editor Picks...
The recovery of Waltmire Pharmacy
March 13, 2023
By Veronica Rodriguez | Staff Writer In the early morning of July 14, 2014, a Waltmire Pharmacy employee woke up to see his workplace on fire. Accordi...
this is a test
Neighborhood Community Development Fund
Northside Leadership Conference
Donate

The Northside Chronicle

thenorthsidechronicle.com
Phone: (412) 321-3919
Email: [email protected]

About Us

Stay tuned with us

Copyright ©2022 Northside Chronicle. All rights reserved.