New Lounge in Market Square

Pittsburgh's First-Ever Fashion Summit

Tickets are on sale for the first Pittsburgh Fashion Summit - Monday February 24, 2020 in the Union Trust Building. The Summit is a partnership with the Office of Mayor William Peduto, Pittsburgh Fashion Week and the Downtown Community Development Corporation.

The following six initiatives will be announced at the Pittsburgh Fashion Summit on February 24, 2020:

• Bring Pittsburgh-based designers and boutiques together with the goal that boutiques will carry designer lines.
• Offer discounts and a VIP ticket program to fashion shows and related events.
• Create an interactive directory for designers, models, salons and other creatives.
• Collaborate with educational institutions for business and other classes.
• Establish a mentorship program for new designers.
• Spotlight an up-and-coming designer each month in the Pittsburgh Fashion Alert, a digital e-newsletter published by the Downtown CDC.

The groundbreaking event will be open to everybody in the fashion community, from designers, makers, and manufacturers to models and influencers. Regardless of the connection to fashion, be it a boutique, a jewelry store, a salon or shoes, everyone is welcome.

Learn more details about the panel discussion and workshops, check out here.

In and Out at Talia

By: Asher Winnie 

Talia, one of downtown Pittsburgh's premier dine-in experiences for Italian cuisine, is taking one of its best options to go. Located in the Alcoa Building on 6th Avenue, Talia has been a culinary tour-de-force: offering rotisserie meats, traditional cuisine from Italy, along with espresso and a full craft-service bar with vintage Amari on standby. The rotisseries have been a draw since the place's opening, but now they're available in to-go orders.

For thirty-five dollars (and four hours heads-up) Talia will pack up a whole roast chicken, along with a side salad, potatoes and a vegetable side. It's a convenient and easy way to bring home a full course meal, whether you live downtown or work in the area and want to bring something home with you. If you work downtown and have lunch at Talia's, put in an order, they'll handcraft it and have it ready for you when you get off work.

In addition to its rotisserie meats, Talia is well known for hand making all of its pasta. A rarity downtown, hand made pasta is a more well-controlled product that astounds on a first try. Like making bread fresh by hand, fresh pasta is well worth the effort. Texture and flavor only improve when it's made by hand with love. We spoke with Julian Valozzi (owner of Talia, as well as Valozzi's) about what separates his trattoria from the rest: "It's the authenticity that we're most proud of", Valozzi went on to specify that the food at Talia's is more like what Italians eat overseas, leaving chicken parmesan off the menu, though there's nothing wrong with that.

Talia's to-go service is up and running now. You can find them at the Alcoa Building on 6th Avenue, between the hours of 11 AM to 10 PM each day of the week, except Sundays. Fridays and Saturdays they stay open an hour later, and you can find them on their website.

New Lounge in Market Square

Emerson's, a cocktail lounge with a coastal California vibe, is Market Square's newest restaurant edition. The 2,000-square-foot spot is located on the second floor at 435 Market St., directly above Market Street Grocery. 

Co-owners Dave and Rachel Priselac are part of the team involved in both businesses plus the third-floor event space, The Graeme House. Emerson's is named after their 3 ?-year-old daughters, who have grown up along with the business.

Chefs Mark Kinney and Chad Rapp (also a co-owner of Emerson's along with the Priselacs and Mimi and Ralph Falbo) are rolling out a small, scratch-made menu that will expand over the next month. The offerings include charcuterie and a local cheese plate, poutine, a house salad, and 10-inch pizzas, including the Bianca with garlic confit, ricotta cheese, roasted tomato, and basil.

Emerson's has a full liquor license. It specializes in boutique spirits and small-batch, organic and natural wines from all over the world.

The restaurant has a traditional seating area with tables or the living room with a fireplace, couch and comfy lounge chairs. There's also room for DJs and live performers. Entrances are on Market St. via a stairwell or on Graeme St., which has an elevator and stairs.

Emerson's operates Monday through Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to midnight. On Sundays and during off-hours, it's available for private rentals.

Rachel Priselac is happy to welcome everyone to Emerson's, which officially opened Jan. 2. 

"It's fun because it's an extension of what we've already been doing," she says. "We've developed a lot of relationships with local vendors and now get to use their products and show them off in other ways."

Dream Big with Fresh Nostalgia Boutique

By: Ryane Corwin

Fresh Nostalgia Boutique, a newly established vintage-inspired women's fashion boutique - located in Market Square, not only strives to make fashion easy and accessible, but empowers women to embrace their individuality with pride and confidence. Beth Buenaventura, entrepreneur of Fresh Nostalgia Boutique, has always had a resonating passion for fashion since her childhood - bolstering her love through playing store and dress-up. However, opening a boutique was merely a wishful dream rather than a pursuit towards reality, leading her to pursue a career in Clinical Dietetics and Nutrition. Even though she enjoyed the multiple aspects of her career, she couldn't ignore the internal abyss that lacked her two most prized characteristics - creativity and passion.

As if it was a sign from the heavens, Buenaventura came across a fashion-based internship opportunity with Anthropologies, which is not only a retail clothing store but an influential root to her own personalized taste of style. Leaving no time for hesitation, she began crafting a vision board and applied for the internship -unfortunately, they rejected her application and it left her second-guessing herself. She began questioning if she was good enough, if she was too old for

the industry and even took a step back to re-think her career-path in life. She began to lose herself... thankfully, the support of the ones closest to her acted as a stepping-stone to resurfacing the passion and motivation that originally coursed through her veins - reminding her, "Do it because you love it, do it because you know you can't see yourself doing anything else that will arise the purest form of happiness within you." Radiating from the newly found inspiration, Buenaventura located her vision board, titled "Fresh Nostalgia," and began challenging the odds, turning her dream into a realistic existence - thus "Fresh Nostalgia Boutique" was created.

Having to start somewhere, Fresh Nostalgia Boutique was originally introduced as a mobile fashion truck named "Miss Finnie" in York, Pennsylvania, bringing vintage-inspired fashion to clients at their own personal locations for birthdays, engagement parties and girl's night out. Rather than singularly following the trends highlighted in "up-to-date fashion magazines," Buenaventura personally attends fashion events to not only keep up with trends but also to influence her intuition regarding uniqueness and personality. She understands that it's not always about the trending style, but the way a woman feels when they're dressed in it. She believes that any outfit a client wears should express a reflection of them-self rather than a reflection of the world.

In pursuit of finding a building-based home for Fresh Nostalgia, Buenaventura relocated to Downtown Pittsburgh, compelled by the growth in small businesses and vibrant energy gleaming throughout the city. Excited to strengthen her relationship with the community, Buenaventura will be holding a Valentine's Day event on February 12 th, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm, for those who may not have the best knowledge on gifts for the important women in their lives. 

Complimentary beer, gift experts and free gift wrapping will be offered. Join the Fresh Nostalgia family and style yourself with originality, confidence, and inspiration.

Liberty Magic: Magic, Mind Reading and Mystery

Jon Tai is a performing artist with an eclectic background. A Cornell graduate with a degree in psychology (respectable) and minors in Information Science, Theater, and Philosophy (those should have been the warning signs for his parents), he worked as the Director of Operations of a medical software company for almost a decade before realizing that spending his time sharing magic would be much more fun. Having studied the craft for the last seventeen years, Jon takes a unique and personal approach to magic that blurs the line between fact and fiction. More than just tricks, he brings deeper meaning to his performances through storytelling and letting guests be part of the fabric of the show,connecting people through the shared experience of wonder and mystery. For two nights only, Jon brings back an astonishing evening of Magic, Mind Reading, & Mystery that first debuted on the Liberty Magic stage New Year's Eve 2019.

Jon Tai at Liberty Magic on Saturday, February 15 at 8:00 p.m. And prepare to be astonished by an opening act performed by Dan Harmon, Liberty Magic's favorite beatboxing comedy magician!

Get tickets by clicking on the link. https://trustarts.org/production/68509/list_performances

Downtown Events This Week:

Check out the Downtown CDC's website for this week's events. Don't miss out on what is happening in your area! For more information and events, click here.

If you'd like to see more local news and articles, follow Downtown Community Development Corporation's LinkedIn page and subscribe to our weekly Downtowner E-newsletter at our website here.