Category: Business
Hollywood’s comic-book revolution helps shops
By Travis Hefner, Point Park News Service: Sewickley’s Big Bang Comics and Collectibles enjoys the new normal: Like other area comic shops, it buzzes with people discussing the next big comic movie or TV show. Hollywood’s zealous creation of comic book-based television series and movies has given boosts to local comic shops with new and different customers. “It’s the […]
Baldwin music store owner goes ‘all in’
By Juin Somer, Point Park News Service: Erik Loeffert, the owner of South Hills Music in Baldwin, answers questions about opening his business and what it’s like running a retail store. Q: What made you decide to open your own business? A: It was sort of an accident. I never really sat around and imagined […]
Company dazzles Zelienople with holiday lights display
By Phillip Poupore, Point Park News Service: Back in the 1930s, the employees at Universal Manufacturing in Zelienople started a holiday tradition by adorning one of their custom scaffolds with Christmas lights. The magical production then went away for many years until 1997 when an employee of the long-standing company found old photos of the […]
Brew Gentlemen look to expand beyond Braddock
By Drew Frichtel, Point Park News Service: Two young entrepreneurs developed an adventurous mission to create craft beer while still attending Carnegie Mellon University. They acted on their dream, developed a Kickstarter campaign that yielded more than $32,000 and found unlikely support from Braddock’s mayor. Now, they are one catalyst for the re-birth of a former steel […]
John the Craftist puts Pittsburghese on paper
By Sara Payne, Point Park News Service: When routine oral surgery turned into never-ending pain and a diagnosis of atypical trigeminal neuralgia in May of 2010, Alethea Okonak had never felt more isolated. But she found hope just outside in her mailbox. “It really meant something when I would go to get the mail, and […]
Lower gas prices fuel holiday travel
By Alex Grubbs, Amanda King and Aigne Mack, Point Park News Service: The price of gas in the Pittsburgh region is making its way to the $3 line, something that has not been seen in almost three years — just in time for the holiday season. A native from San Diego and resident of Oakland, […]
Great Allegheny Passage gives businesses new life
By Emily Balser, Point Park News Service: Mary Aukerman stumbled into the business of renting out her old family property to visitors passing through the area in Confluence — but 14 years later she is seeing a big payoff from travelers on the Great Allegheny Passage. Aukerman decided to open The Parker House, a guest […]
Technology-free concerts gain popularity, debate
By Jessica Federkeil, Point Park News Service: Sheena Ekas loves going to concerts, but she has started to find the other fans in attendance irritating. It seems like every time she goes to a show lately, everyone around her spends more time on their phones rather than watching the performance. “There are times you can’t […]
Owners grapple with larger iPhones
By Madeline VanHorn, Point Park News Service: Mark King thought he was one of the lucky ones when he was able to get his hands on the newly released iPhone 6 Plus. But when he started using it, he realized the phone felt too large for his hands. Now, he prefers the size of his […]
More women taking care of funeral business
By Julia Kramer, Point Park News Service: Sue Striffler realized at 16 that she wanted to follow her father into the funeral business. She eventually transformed their family company into a seven-home chain in the Mon Valley. She is one of many women transforming the funeral business, which is undergoing a gender change, experts say. […]
