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Retailers and restaurateurs are hoping to draw more visitors to downtown Pittsburgh to shop and dine while helping out charity at the same time.
“Stay Late, Shop and Dine” kicks off Thursday and will occur again in November and December as part of a trial program initiated by the Pittsburgh Downtown Community Development Corporation (PDCDC).
Larrimor’s, Brooks Brothers, Joseph Orlando, Heinz Healy’s, Boutique la Passerelle and Joseph A. Bank will remain open until 8 p.m. and donate a portion of proceeds to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Friendship Circle, which unites teen volunteers with special needs children. Customers who spend $100 or more at those stores will also receive 20% off their food bill at Sonoma Grille, Seviche, Las Velas, August Henry’s, NineOnNine, Taste of Dahntahn, Six Penn Kitchen, Vallozzi’s, Penn Avenue Fish and Habitat. Many of the retailers are also offering parking reimbursement.
John Valentine, Executive Director of PDCDC, said the goal is to showcase how downtown has progressively been getting better.
“I think you still have a lot of people that remember downtown 5 and 10 years ago,” Valentine said. “It’s not like that today.”
Valentine explains in recent years, the Cultural District and Market Square have been revitalized with more shops, restaurants and other venues. He said the goal is to bring attention to a “new downtown,” and what is going on today.
“The hope is that we’ll be able to increase maybe to once a week,” Valentine said. “In all honesty, we’re going to keep an open mind and re-evaluate after the first three months.”
