Entrepreneurs : Development News

ReDesigNation, a new and used consignment furniture and home design store, has relocated to Wilkinsburg.  In the spirit of the business—to remake old things—owner Jordan Deane has retrofitted a former church and cathedral space to showcase her work.

And while the space is an interesting way to showcase furniture that Deane has refurbished, and in some cases completely reimagined, she wants to make sure the building plays a greater role in the community.

“We don’t just want it to be about my furniture store and business,” Deane says.  She and her husband are considering ideas such as a community garden, or a community kitchen, to be hosted here. 

“We already know that it’s great for events,” Deane says, as the cathedral was recently used for a community member’s baby shower.  And because the furniture is already used, it can be part of an event, and remain listed for sale as well, she says.

According to Deane, midcentury modern is currently very popular in home decor and furniture, which suits her own tastes.

“It’s actually my favorite era to go for,” Deane says.  “I take a lot of midcentury modern pieces and I’ll either restore it back to its original grandeur, or I'll paint it funky colors, because it just kind of lends itself to being a funky piece.”

There are numerous empty storefronts in this part of Wilkinsburg.  But Deane hopes her revival of the former church, which was a foreclosure and had fallen into disrepair, can encourage more businesses to relocate to this part of the city. 

ReDesigNation was previously located in Squirrel Hill.  The shop is currently open by appointment.  For more information, visit Deane’s blog.

 
Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Jordan Deane

The East End Book Exchange has grown from a small stall in the Pittsburgh Public Market to a new storefront location in Bloomfield, and a grand-opening celebration will be held this Friday evening to mark the transition.

Owner Lesley Rains says the move from a smaller footprint to a brick-and-mortar shop had always been a long-term goal, but that demand and interest in the exchange moved her business quicker than expected into this new phase. 

Located at 4754 Liberty Avenue, the new shop joins The Big Idea Cooperative Bookstore and Café on the avenue, turning this stretch of Bloomfield into a budding literary destination.  Rains says that in this current bookseller climate— with heavy competition from Amazon and e-book sales—brick-and-mortar sellers have to work together.

“I think proximity can only help bookstores,” Rains says.  “I think we can hopefully over the long-term create a little book neighborhood."

According to Rains, the East End Book Exchange is a general interest used bookstore featuring genres such as fiction, poetry and history, as well as gardening and cook books.

“It’s just meant to be a place where whether you’re an avid reader or more of an occasional reader you can come here and find something,” she says. 

The exchange will also feature an extensive children’s books section, with bean bag chairs and activities for young readers.  And adults, meanwhile, will find lamp-lit nooks with couches and chairs, allowing guests to read and relax while they browse.  Rains hopes the shop will be a comfortable new space for neighbors to meet and gather.

And while the shop opens on Friday evening, it’s still a work in progress, as Rains grows her business from an 80-squarefoot booth to a 1,600-squarefoot storefront.

““We’re still growing,” she says.  “One of the things we like about this space is that there’s still a lot of space to add more bookshelves.” 

The grand-opening celebration will be held this Friday, November 16^th, from 6 to 8 p.m. 

 
Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Lesley Rains

Crested Duck Charcuterie, the Beechview-based meat market and deli, is expanding to become a USDA certified facility.  The planned upgrades will allow the French-inspired charcuterie to ship out of state, and supply large chains such as Giant Eagle.  And according to owner Kevin Costa, it will also be an opportunity for him to give back to the region’s small-scale farmers.

“The small farmers have made my business what it is,” Costa says.  “They have supported me and supplied me with a really good, quality product.  So if I can help them out I don’t know why I wouldn’t.”

According to Costa, there are just a few USDA certified processing facilities in the region.  He says they’re not always easy to work with, nor do they give farmers many options in terms of gourmet products.

Costa says farmers are losing customers because they can’t provide certain custom cuts and higher-end products, especially around the holidays.  He hopes that with the new certification, Crested Duck can help to meet that need.

The shop will offer farmers a full range of nitrate-free meats, including bacon, sausage made with farm-grown produce and many other specialty cuts and orders.  Although similar products are already offered through Crested Duck, the certification will expand the shop’s capacity and distribution means. 

In order to complete the necessary upgrades, Costa launched a Kickstarter campaign that was successfully funded last month.  In addition to USDA certification, the campaign will aid in expansion of its Beechview retail service, including a new Sunday brunch and occasional evening dinners.

Crested Duck also remains a mainstay at the Strip District’s Pittsburgh Public Market.  412-892-9983.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Kevin Costa

Operating a food truck in Pittsburgh can be quite difficult.  In fact, some trucks operate illegally.  But the recently formed PGH Mobile Food coalition is hoping to change that.

“We are trying to change the law that the City of Pittsburgh currently has in place for mobile food,” says Megan Lindsey, co-owner of the Franktuary Food Truck.  “We would like to see more food trucks here because it’s part of a thriving city-scape.”

The coalition also wants to make it easier for prospective vendors to understand the current set of rules, and how to successfully operate within them.

PGH Mobile Food is partnering with the Institute for Justice (IJ), a D.C.-based public interest law firm that has worked in various cities to refine rules governing mobile food.  According to Lindsey, IJ has established best practices that keep food safety standards in place, but remove anti-competitive barriers to food truck operators.

Lindsey points to successful code modifications in El Paso, Texas.  In that city, once a more user-friendly code was put in place entrepreneurs, many of them immigrants, were able to launch their businesses with greater ease. 

“They found a lot of these folks were coming and starting trucks and serving a lot of great food,” Lindsey says.  “That’s what we hope will happen in Pittsburgh.”

Prior to forming PGH Mobile Food, Lindsey learned that City Councilman Bill Peduto’s office was working independently to amend the mobile food codes.  That initiative inspired Lindsey and business partner Tim Tobitsch to launch the coalition.

“Now that we’re involved we feel like we can help influence things from the owner/operator perspective,” Lindsey says.

PGH Mobile Food is partnering with the Saxifrage School and IJ for a lecture series titled “How to Change a Law.”  The first will be held tonight at 7 p.m. at Bar Marco (2216 Penn Avenue, the Strip District).  The second discussion will take place the following Wednesday, October 10th, at the same location.

And a Food Truck Rally is planned for Sunday, October 14th, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Parking Lot, at 5989 Penn Circle South.  The event will include Pittsburgh’s various mobile vendors and a speech from Peduto.

The PGH Mobile Food coalition includes the Franktuary, Oh My Grill, BRGR, PGH Taco Truck, Fukuda, Dozen Food Truck, and Zum Zum food trucks.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Megan Lindsey

The Shop in East Liberty celebrated a grand opening last week, and is now offering home goods, everyday art, and jewelry.  All items in the store are handmade, and curated from local makers, as well as from artists throughout the country.  Owner/artist Julia Reynolds describes it as a retail store for design-conscious people.

Reynolds’ vision for The Shop is to be a comfortable space to display and view handmade items, appearing naturally as they might in a home.  She wants the space to contrast with the experience of viewing objects in a gallery, which she says can often be intimidating.

“You want to own something unique and that’s handmade, but you want to come to a place you feel comfortable, where you can touch the artwork or objects,” Reynolds says. 

And The Shop aims to be affordable too. 

“I hope that people can find things that they love and can easily take home to enjoy,” Reynolds says.

The Shop is located at 214 N. Highland Avenue, two doors down from Union Pig & Chicken. 

Reynolds, a graduate of Carnegie Mellon’s Heinz College of Arts Management, has lived in East Liberty with her husband for several years.  When she began looking for a location to open The Shop, she says staying in the neighborhood was a priority.

The space was completely remodeled from an office-use space to now have a bright and modern feel, reflecting the type of products offered at the store.

The Shop is open until 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings.  Reynolds is hoping her store can help to build foot traffic in this commercial district.

As a first-time business owner, Reynolds believes she has chosen the right neighborhood to open a store.

“We’re in an area that I think encourages this opportunity for anyone,” she says.

The Shop is open Tuesday through Saturday, at 214 N. Highland Avenue. 


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Julia Reynolds

It’s often the smallest of spaces that can radically transform neighborhoods.  Pittsburgh-based Urban Design Associates (UDA) has spent the past summer documenting such places in the city where cafés, galleries, and boutiques have become agents of change.

“A lot of the things that are working organically in American neighborhoods are the sparks of inspiration and hard work by small businesses,” says UDA chairman Rob Robinson.

Their findings have been published in an open source manual titled Everyday Squares.  The manual offers as case studies cafes and restaurants like Espresso A Manno, Tazza D’Orro and Round Corner Cantina, and traditional squares like the new Village Park at Point Park University.

But in addition to just providing a gathering place, Robinson says he has found Pittsburgh’s small business owners to be incredibly community minded, and willing to share their facilities for various neighborhood needs.

“They give up space for the bike club meeting, or the family planning meeting, whatever it is,” Robinson says.  “All those spaces are almost universally used for community good as well as just private gain.”

But according to Robinson, designers and architects don’t always plan for these Everyday Squares.  He says many redevelopment efforts are too big, asking tenants to lease expensive storefronts with enormous footprints.  His firm is working to address these considerations.

“We have started to design spaces where the footprint for a commercial user is tiny—400 or 500 square feet, not 1,200—which is about triple of what you really need,” he says.

Robinson hopes the manual can aid commnity development corporations and other planning agencies in revitalization efforts and new development projects.

And aside from being small and flexible Robinson says successful squares are able to blend the line between public and private space. 

Not only does blending these spaces help to build a sense of comfort and community, Robinson says, it’s also good for business.  A restaurant that is able to take advantage of sidewalk or terrace seating, for example, is often able to triple its revenue without tripling overhead.

Robinsons says it’s important for neighborhood groups and planners to find out what’s working for small entrepreneurs and to create spaces that allow businesses to share resources.

“I think everybody recognized, wow, if I had three more friends here and we were all contributing to a little piece of this neighborhood, we’d be better, and our businesses would survive better,” Robinson says.  “It would be a more interesting place.”

 
Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Rob Robinson

Like many independent illustrators and designers Matt Gondek spent much of his time working from home.  Too much time in fact. To change his lifestyle, Gondek has opened a new urban boutique and design studio, The Frown Crown, in Upper Lawrenceville.

“I wanted to get out of my house and talk to people throughout the day,” Gondek says.  He hopes to use the shop as a meeting place for clients, as well as a place to build connections in the community. And while the shop functions as a regular clothing boutique, Gondek is in a back studio working on various illustrations, some of which will end up in his Jock n’ Roll clothing line in the new shop.

It wasn’t until Gondek participated in a pop up shop event that he realized the potential benefits of a brick-and-mortar space. The 2 Week Street Boutique, hosted by Fe Gallery this past May, drew a very positive reception. 

Inspired by that success, he sought a new permanent space. Now, he hopes the boutique will help other local designers gain more recognition.

In addition to clothing, the shop features prints from local artists, national underground brands, as well as Gondek’s own artwork, illustrations, and vinyl figures.

Gondek, who was named Pittsburgh Magazine's Best Local Artist in 2011, says his work is geared toward younger people, and is bold, colorful, and cartoon-like. “I try to put something on a shirt that gets people’s attention quickly and is recognizable,” he says.

The Frown Crown is located at 5179 Butler Street, next to Remedy Restaurant and Lounge, and is open noon to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Matt Gondek

The Brew Gentlemen--Asa Foster and Matt Katase--have admittedly been drinking underage for the past several years.  But unlike other college students, the setting wasn't a keg party, but rather a serious recipe-testing endeavor, an effort to found the region's latest craft brewery. 

Foster and Katase met as undergrads at CMU, where they quickly switched to self-designed majors in order to focus their studies on craft beer and entrepreneurship.

"We got the business off the ground before we were even of legal drinking age," Foster says.  "We spent the last three years going total immersion."

Since graduating in May, the pair (officially the Brew Gentlemen Beer Co., and now of legal drinking age) has been busy preparing their pilot brewing facility in Braddock, a former warehouse turned production facility.

After securing the space, which is owned by the Heritage Community Initiatives nonprofit, they learned that restaurateur Kevin Sousa would be their future upstairs neighbor.  Sousa plans to open his newest restaurant, Magarac, by late 2013. 

Foster hopes to offer Brew Gentlemen beers at Magarac, in addition to collaborations with other Pittsburgh breweries.

The brewery will be participating in several upcoming events where the public will have an early opportunity to taste Brew Gentlemen beers.

The Brew Gentlemen will initially have three different styles: White Sky, a Chai-spiced white ale; an amber east-coast style double IPA called General Braddock's IPA; and a session red ale.  Foster says their goal is to produce exploratory takes on traditional styles.

In the next five years Foster hopes to be able to open a second facility with a 20 to 30 barrel system, with production on the scale of other regional breweries, as well as offering canned products.

For a first taste of The Brew Gentlemen beer, kegs will be available at the latest Tapped Pop Up Beer Garden.  The event will be the last of the season, and will be held on October 6th,  from 2 to 9 p.m., John St., Braddock.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Asa Foster

Kelly O's Diner has opened in the Strip District, serving breakfast seven days a week.  It is the second location for the diner which has been serving the North Hills for the past eleven years. 

Owner Kelly O'Connor says she had been looking to open a second location in the city, and most recently in the Strip District, for many years.  But then recently everything fell into place.  “It almost felt like fate," she says.

Located at 100 24th Street, Kelly O’s replaces the former Jo Jo's Restaurant in a building that had once been an automotive garage.  The diner is adjacent to the Otto Milk Condos and across from Marty’s Market.

Due to an earlier fire, O'Connor says the interior was partially demolished when she took over the space.  She needed to rebuild the kitchen and bathroom, as well as install new electric, plumbing, and HVAC.

Kelly O's flooring is finished with the diner's signature black and white tiles, and its walls are wrapped in sparkling diamond plate.  On the building's exterior, O'Connor covered the entrance side in a stainless steel facade, providing a modern twist on the diner look, she says.  The remaining exterior walls will be covered in murals.

O'Connor has been working with the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Women in Business for the past three years. The school provides expertise to entrepreneurs in the city, assisting with drafting business plans and providing a business attorney, among other services. 

O'Connor says was attracted to the Strip District for its diversity, and because of its concentration of independently-owned businesses.

"The fact that you’re surrounded by a bunch of small business that make this one really big business community, I think that's awesome," she says.

In keeping with the Strip's tradition, Kelly O's opens early for breakfast, at 5 a.m., Monday through Saturday, and at 7 a.m. on Sunday, and closes at 3 p.m.  412-232-EGGS.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Kelly O’Connor

To celebrate this year’s anniversary of the Whiskey Rebellion--which occurred near here in 1794--the Strip District's Wigle Whiskey plans to tar and feather its patrons.  But don't worry, while the distillery might make its rye whiskey much like it was done in 18th Century, their process for tarring and feathering is much more humane.

The event is a collaboration between the Mattress Factory, Attack Theater, Society for Contemporary Craft, Toonseum, Carnegie Library and the Carnegie Science Center.  Each organization will “tar and feather” attendees, with guests will voting on the most inventive method.  The winning organization will receive use of the distillery for an evening.

But why tar and feather?  Meredith Grelli, co-owner of Wigle, explains that historically Europeans and Americans have protested taxes this way, and that local tax collectors were once tarred and feathered by Pittsburgh distillers.

Along with art-related tar and feather activities, food will be provided by the Pittsburgh Taco Truck, Franktuary, and the Goodie Truck.  And Bar Marco will host an afterparty with $5 Wigle cocktails.

In addition to this weekend's event, Wigle is preparing to release several new distilled spirits. 

In October, Wigle will unveil its first traditional Genever gin, and will be one of only two distilleries in the nation currently offering that spirit, Grelli says. 

And Wigle hopes to have a new line of bitters available before the holidays, with experimental flavors such as lychee or honeysuckle. 

"We hope to just keep innovating and introducing people to new spirits, to lost gems of distillation," Grelli says.

Grelli says since opening Wigle has become a destination for whiskey lovers, with enthusiasts traveling from as far as Scotland and Costa Rica, and from throughout the nation.  She expects the momentum of craft distilleries to continue growing.

"The craft distilling environment and the industry is really where craft beer making was probably 20 or 30 years ago,” she says.  “So we're really at just the start of this.”

Wigle Whiskey is open for cocktails and tastings Wednesday through Sunday.  Tours of the distillery can be booked through their website. 


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Meredith Grelli

Market Square's latest dining destination, Perle, has made it very easy to celebrate.  In addition to a long list of bottles, the French-Mediterranean tapas lounge has six varieties of champagne on draft.

As the renovated Market Square has quickly filled with restaurants, Perle is offering a new nightlife concept that has been missing from this area of Downtown.

The beige interior features an open ceiling that allows light fixtures to circulate throughout the lounge, a visual ode to champagne’s signature bubbles, or pearls, after which the space is named. 

Along with flutes of champagne, the bar has created a list of champagne cocktails that includes classic recipes with French and Greek liquors, as well as interpretations of drinks like the Manhattan, Old Fashioned, and Gin Twist.

Perle’s small menu has around 20 dishes, including French crepes, and tapas offerings designed for sharing.

Perle is a project of Peter Landis and the Big Y Group, owned by Yves Carreau.  Carreau's other restaurants include NOLA, located just next-door, as well as Seviche, and Sonoma.

Located above Bruegger’s Bagels, at 24 Market Square, Perle features a small open-air balcony that is a first for the square in recent years.  Although too small for tables, guests are able to bring drinks outside and overlook Market Square.

The amenity adds a New Orleans-Bourbon Street feeling, says bar manager Jennifer Welsh, which combined with NOLA’s sidewalk dining enhances the streets overall aesthetic.

Perle opens Wednesday through Saturday at 4 p.m., and closes late (2 p.m.) on weekends.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Jennifer Welsh

In just over five years the Pittsburgh-based handmade bag company, Moop, has grown from a living room operation to a new 7,000-square-foot facility in Carnegie, adding employees and growing customer base.

Moop is owned by Wendy Downs and Jeremy Boyle.  The couple moved to Crafton, where Boyle grew up, from New York City in 2009.  They returned to the region to be near family, but also because Pittsburgh was affordable, and would allow them to grow their business at a faster pace, Downs says.

Once established in Crafton, the business began hiring employees, expanded its product offerings, and increased its ability to meeting customer demand.

Last year though it became clear that their business had outgrown its 700-square-foot facility in the West End, and they would need a new shop.

While exploring various neighborhoods for a new suitable space--by road and by Google Maps--Boyle remembered an old industrial facility where he had gone to skateboard as a kid.  They tracked down the warehouse, and learned it was for rent.

Boyle, a former contractor, used his construction experience to renovate their space, which Downs says was an empty rectangle when they moved in.  They subdivided and added a fully-enclosed woodworking shop, production areas, a lounge and kitchen for the staff, as well as offices and art studios.

The facility, located at 100 Rosslynn Road, is also close to their daughter’s high school.  Downs says that as a small family business it was important for the entire family to be comfortable with the space, and to have an ease of mobility.

Downs says if Moop continues to grow at its current pace they’ll be looking to hire more employees in the coming months.

“Our growth is slow and steady, which means its manageable and its controllable and its predictable,” Downs says.  “Which are all very healthy ways of running a business.”


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  Wendy Downs

A string of openings have come to the Strip District, including the new Italian restaurant Emilia Romagna; Marty's Market; and R Wine Cellar.

Marty's Market, a specialty food store and café, held a soft opening on Saturday, giving shoppers a glimpse of the new market that replaces the former Right By Nature at 2305 Smallman Street.

The market is one-third smaller than the former grocery store, and specializes in locally grown and organic foods. But Marty's seeks to distinguish itself as a unique retail experience, starting with design.

Renovations to the space include three glass garage doors--which open to the downtown skyline--two kitchen areas, and a coffee bar.  Owner Regina Koetters says transparency, from the kitchen to the street view, was a guiding principle in the market’s design.

Marty’s cafe, which seats up to 45, serves made-to-order meals from a menu that changes daily.  The cafe is also planned to serve as a community kitchen of sorts, with tastings and cooking demonstrations by local chefs and amateurs alike.

-  Just a few blocks away Emilia Romagna will celebrate its grand opening this Friday.  The restaurant is a project of Chef Jonathan Vlasic, of the Allentown restaurant Alla Famiglia, and Peters Township’s Arlecchino.

The menu features dishes inspired by those regions of Northern Italy, as well as popular dishes from the proprietors’ other two restaurants.

Located at 108 19th Street, the space will also introduce a new nightclub to the Strip--V Ultra Lounge--which will also open on Friday.  The lounge will occupy the building’s second floor and balcony, and will feature a limited menu of antipastas, burgers, and sushi.

The lounge and restaurant are a project of Vlasic, Vince Isolde, and Chef Cory Hughes.

-  R Wine Cellar has opened at 2014 Smallman Street, selling house-made wines.  The cellar, a family owned urban winery, currently has four reds and four whites available, including oaked and un-oaked Chardonnays.

Although juices are currently brought in from elsewhere, all wines are fermented, blended, and bottled on site.  And several wines are made using grapes from the Lake Erie Region, including the white Traminette ($12) and the Lake Erie Red ($13).

Owner Steve Russell says they chose this location because they wanted to be in the middle of the developing Strip District.

"We think the potential here in the future is very strong," he says.

Koetters agrees, and says it’s an exciting time to be part of the Strip District, and recognizes that each new businesses is a boon to the neighborhood.

“We’re fortunate to be enjoying a great time in the Strip,” she says.  “There’s a lot of stuff going on… [and] I want Marty’s to be a vehicle to encourage more investment in the Strip.”


Writer:  Andrew Moore

As a writer and broadcaster, David DeSimone spent the past 25 years sharing experiences with food and wine from his travels throughout Europe.  Now, with the launch of Bridge Ten Brasserie, DeSimone is going beyond words to translate those experiences into a French-inspired brasserie and bar.

Located adjacent to the South Side’s Holiday Inn Express and Suites (20 S. 10th Street), the restaurant focuses on the cuisine, wine, cocktails and beer from all regions of France.

Although the dining room is still under construction, Bridge Ten’s terrasse patio and bar are now open, seating up to 90.  The current menu features a variety small plates, mussels, soups and salads, and pizza à la Française; prices ranging from $6 to $20.

Bridge Ten replaces the former Patio 10 in this location.  The remodeled dining room will include a new floor and décor, as well as the removal of one wall. 

“Basically putting in the mode of a brasserie that you might find in Paris or Léon, France,” DeSimone says.

DeSimone expects the main dining room to be open in September.  He plans monthly prix fixe dinners, each highlighting a different region of France, with September featuring the cuisine of Provence.

The restaurant’s chef will be Shawn Carlson, a former executive chef for Toni Pais, of the former Baum Vivant in Shadyside.  And Bridge Ten’s maître d’is David Cesaro, a native of France. 

DeSimone says the brasserie, like those of France, is upscale yet casual, and even features a special student menu.  He says the effort to reach students is part of an overall attempt to make French food and wine more accessible to a broad spectrum of diners.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  David DeSimone

Pittsburgh's first hostel in several years is now open in Lawrenceville.  Yet the establishment's name, Not Another Hostel, offers the first clue that it's slightly unconventional.

A project of John Potter and Steph Bercht, the hostel operates on a donations-based, pay-it-forward model where guests are encouraged to support the initiative with contributions, but aren't required to. Because, as Potter says, your stay has already been paid for.

Potter says the idea for Not Another Hostel developed during the course of the couple's own travels, informed by both good and bad hostelling experiences.  But the pay-it-forward model grew from a question Potter had been truggling with: Are people basically good, or not?

“In our last trip, we just had an overwhelming amount of people who would invite us into their homes, complete strangers, and I finally came to the conclusion that yes, I am positive, people are good,” Potter says.  “And I wanted to show that and pay back what I was given.”

The hostel's location is not available over the internet (it's about a block from the Children's Hospital, Potter says), and potential guests are vetted through their social media presence.  The website provides a contact form and a direct phone number to reach Potter.

Potter admits the current experience is something between couch surfing and hostelling.  The three-story home can accommodate up to 4 guests (comfortably), and features an information desk with maps and guides, basic amenities, and loaner bicycles.

Potter says the Pittsburgh Hostel Project, which is still seeking to re-establish a traditional hostel in the city, has been supportive of Not Another Hostel.  The city’s last hostel, Pittsburgh International Hostel, was located in the Allentown neighborhood, but closed in 2003. 

In the past two weeks the hostel has hosted around 25 guests, with visitors from Europe, Asia, and South America.  About half have paid for their stay.  But Potter says that’s not the point.

“It's really about hospitality as it should be, and not just about making money,” he says.


Writer:  Andrew Moore
Source:  John Potter