July - August 2024 $2
Southpointe steakhouse offers elevated eats
Blood donations needed amid nationwide shortage
Solaio Bellezza Market House offers sleek spaces for small businesses
4
Solaio Bellezza Market House empowers small businesses with expansion opportunities
8
Nate’s Chop House offers upscale food in a casual atmosphere
12
Vitalant calls for blood donations amid nationwide shortage
Moves are hard. Of course, I’m not the only person that dislikes moving. My partner and I have been shopping for a house for years, but it just doesn’t seem like the right time for us to buy. We’ve been out of space since COVID forced us to share a cramped spare bedroom as an office, so we decided to upgrade to a larger apartment in our same complex last month. We love the location and the management, so a new unit seemed like a no-brainer. We live just off Route 19, and our new digs are farther away from the busy road, significantly reducing road noise. We’re also closer to wild green space, meaning we get deer, bunnies and a wider variety of bird visitors to our balcony. So even though all we had to do was box up our belongings and shlep them across the parking lot, the pain of packing and unpacking has been worth it.
I’m the sentimental type. As I’ve been going through my belongings, I’ve struggled to decide what to part with. Now that we have more space, I can just stuff it with souvenirs, right? My fiance and I are fundamentally different in that respect. He’s found and embraced minimalism, and I want to keep every jar I’ve ever encountered “just in case.”
My coworkers have been discussing the growing trend of Swedish death cleaning: decluttering to dispose of or donate unnecessary belongings to avoid leaving a mess for loved ones after death. As someone who just recently finished cleaning her late mother’s home, I intimately understand the importance of this practice. But, even though I know it’s worthwhile, I still find it intensely difficult. I keep cards, tees, notes, tickets, plastic containers, documents and never-finished projects. As I hold these things, I’m flooded with both the memories and the thoughts of what could be. Maybe it’s because I’m a storyteller, and I am attached to the stories that objects hold. Or perhaps I’ve just got some slight hoarding tendencies … but I’m sticking with a sentimental storyteller.
I would love to hear if you have advice for unpacking, decluttering and the like. Or, if you have a story idea, please reach out. Email me at tthurston@observer-reporter.com, or give me a call at 724-2222200 ext. 2421. Take care, stay safe and see you in the next edition.
on the cover
By Michele Gillis
Opening your own business or a second location can be daunting, but Solaio Bellezza Market House wants to help make that step a little easier for small businesses.
Currently, there are about 20 small businesses inside the Solaio Bellezza Market House.
“We have a lot of businesses that already have one location, and this is either their second or third satellite location,” said Jessica Taimuty, vice president of Solaio Bellezza Market House. “It gives current businesses a chance to expand and get their feet wet in expanding their business or starting their business for the first time.”
Taimuty said they chose the name Solaio Bellezza Market House for a few reasons.
“We are a close-knit big Italian family, so we wanted to tie in our roots and what we would be offering in the building,” said Taimuty. “At the time, we were not expecting to grow super quick, which is a really good problem to have.”
Taimuty said at first, they were just planning on renovating the top floor because they already had a tenant in the bottom floor.
“But, once we started growing, we ended up renovating the entire building,” she said. “Solaio Bellezza actually means the beauty loft because we thought we were only going to have beauty on the top floor.”
That is when they added the name ‘Market House’ to the name because it ended up becoming the entire building.
Since booth renting is illegal for stylists in Pennsylvania, the business of renting a suite has become quite popular for young professionals who want to open their own studio affordably to get a taste of what that is like and to build their clientele and their business.
“We are the first family-owned salon studio of this kind in Pittsburgh,” said Taimuty.
Currently, they have 19 businesses in the building, and more are signing one-year leases.
Taimuty owns a luxury hair studio, Beauty by Taimuty Studios, in the building.
Other businesses include Ellegante Lash Co., Esthereal Skin Medical Spa, FaZe Up Nutrition, Killer Bee Hair Studio, Enhanced Beauty Bar, Beards and Shears, I Heart Nails, Jolie Studios, Salon Roman, Shear Fun, Simply You Soap and Candle Co., Southpointe Massage Therapy, Spray’d by Liv, Taylor Rosemary Beauty Studio, Troy Does Hair and Whole Hearted Esthetics.
“I chose Solaio Bellezza because of the beautiful, upbeat atmosphere,” said Vincenzo Yocolano, owner of FaZe Up
Nutrition. “It was one of the easiest business decisions I’ve ever made. I really didn’t have many concerns making the decision. I knew that it would be worth the risk. The building alone offers endless opportunities for all of its tenants. Other than being able to expand my own brand, the biggest thing I’d say I gained is a new family.”
They are currently renovating part of the bottom floor that recently opened up.
“We had tenants in there, but their lease is ending,” said Taimuty. “We are taking where their business was and expanding outward and being able to add new businesses to that space.”
Though spaces are filling fast, one spot is still available, and Taimuty said she would love to have a coffee shop in the building if anyone is interested in opening a coffee shop or a second location of an existing coffee shop.
Taimuty was raised by entrepreneurs. Both her parents owned their own businesses, so they worked all the time.
“My grandmother primarily nannied us,” said Taimuty. “She did hair, so watching her do hair all the time growing up, I just fell in love with it.”
She went to beauty school through her high school and started working in salons at 14.
“I was able to graduate with my license at 18, and I was a salon manager at the age of 16, and just kind of grew from there,” said Taimuty. “About a year and a half ago, I sat down with my family and told them I wanted to open my own studio but wasn’t sure how I was going to do it.”
After touring some of the competitors in the area, she decided she wanted to open her own studio but needed a building.
Her family owned a commercial building, which was currently on the market. Her brother, Eddie, who owned some construction companies and real estate investment firms, also wanted to start a business, so they decided to go in on the building together and start Solaio Bellezza Market House.
“He said, I could act like a business investor, and you could pay me back as one, and we’ll go in on it together, and I said, ‘OK, cool,’” said Taimuty. “My parents were like, we already have a building. So, why don’t we take it off the market, and we’ll all go in on it together? We’ll all have a piece of it, so that’s what happened. My brother did all of the construction. I did all the planning and the concept, and my parents helped as well. Since they own their own businesses, they did a lot of the backend stuff for us. Our little sister, who is in beauty school, helped out as our receptionist.”
They celebrated their first anniversary on June 21 with an event to celebrate with tenants and clients.
“My experience as a tenant in the Solaio Bellezza building has truly been a dream come true,” said Heidi Briant, owner of Southpointe Massage Therapy. “Having my business located inside of this particular building has allowed me to intertwine ideas with other business professionals. And being a part of the beauty/wellness community allows me to grow with other small business owners in the building.”
Also within the building are communal spaces with private booths, where clients who are coming to get a service but need to get some work done could use that space to work while they are in the building. The building is also available to rent for events.
“We are very close with the Peters Townships Chamber of Commerce, so if they ever want to host a networking or community event, they can rent out our space, or we can collaborate in some shape or form,” said Taimuty. “Stroll and Be Local Magazines recently hosted a networking and a charity event here. Then we also do internal events just to help the tenants be able to network with each other, but also with the community and other small businesses in the area.”
Taimuty said they firmly believe in being a massive part of their community.
“Community over competition always,” she said. “We feel that sometimes in this industry, there is a lot of
competition. We find that it is easier to work together and build relationships and connections than be competitive.”
That philosophy trickles down into the businesses they bring in as well.
“We are very exclusive with who we have come into the building,” said Taimuty. “Just to create a harmonious environment and to make sure we keep to our category exclusivity policy. We will never have two of the same specialty in the building at the same time to avoid competition of any kind. Even with our hair stylists, we all specialize in something different. Their lease protects them under that specialty.”
The suite sizes can range from 200 square feet to 2,000 square feet and anywhere in between. The prices of the suites depend on where they are in the building and the needs of the tenants.
In addition to renting the spots, they also have a discount referral system to a social media manager, attorneys, social media influencers, business mentors, accountants and other businesses to help their tenants grow their businesses.
Solaio Bellezza Market House is located at 335 Morganza Road in Canonsburg. For more information, visit solaiobellezza.com.
By
As special occasions arise, Nate’s Chop House may be a nice place to celebrate and enjoy a good meal with family and friends.
The restaurant just celebrated its first anniversary and said business has been very good with a variety of customers.
“We have a mixture, honestly,” said Tiffany Ciesielski, general manager of Nate’s Chop House. “Throughout the week, we get all the business travel customers with all the hotels that are surrounding us. We get a lot of corporate parties, business dinners and
things like that during the week. Our happy hour crowd and weekend traffic tend to be people that are local to Canonsburg, Peters Township and the surrounding areas.”
Ciesielski handles the day-to-day operations, which include overseeing front-of-the-house employees such as servers, bartenders and hostesses, as well as ordering the restaurant’s liquor, beer and wine.
As the executive chef, Jeff Maag oversees all food operations, menu building and any culinary requests.
Maag said Rod Piatt and Michael McMullen own Nate’s Chop House as well as other ventures in the area, but they are not often involved in the day-to-day operations.
“They were looking to open an upscale steakhouse out in the suburbs, something that the South Hills was missing,” said Ciesielski. “So, they decided to open it in Southpointe.”
The dynamic duo of Ciesielski and Maag were recruited to open Nate’s Chop House based on their previous work together.
“Tiffany and I had worked together at previous restaurants,” said Jeff Maag, executive chef of Nate’s Chop House. “I was recruited through a friend of Michael’s. When I got to the restaurant, I recruited Tiffany to take over the restaurant with me.”
Maag said when the building became available in Southpointe, the owners took advantage of the excellent location to open the steak house.
Ciesielski and Maag hired a dedicated crew to create an environment that is the perfect destination for foodies and discerning diners alike.
Stacey Finnegan said she loves Nate’s Chop House because they make her feel like family.
“Every time we walk in, Chef Jeff makes me onion rings, and they aren’t on the menu,” said Finnegan. “Mike and Ike, Ashley and Tracey make us the best drinks, and Tif-
fany, the manager, accommodates us when we need anything. I mean anything!”
Maag said they have evolved the menu over the past year to give the feel of upscale food with a casual environment.
“Our restaurant is somewhere comfortable that they can get a really good steak and a really good bottle of wine,” said Maag, a self-taught chef who has been cooking for over 25 years.
The location previously housed a restaurant, so no major renovations were necessary. Maag said only a few cosmetic updates were needed. The modern decor is mostly black, white and red, giving a crisp, clean feel.
Since the restaurant is located in the suburbs, Ciesielski said it has a more comfortable and casual feel than if it were located in a downtown area.
“But, if you wanted to make it a suit and tie dinner or business casual, that would work well too,” said Maag.
Obviously, prime steaks are served at Nate’s Chop House, but there’s more.
“Prime steaks are our focus, but we also serve fresh seafood options, and almost everything on the menu is scratchmade,” said Maag. “We try to bring a few different elements of culinary styles such as Asian or Latin American and maybe blend a few flavors to give a people a different feel.”
Popular items on the menu include New York strip topped with goat cheese and bordelaise, double bone pork chop topped with hot peppers and garlic, tiger shrimp, wedge salad, chicken Cobb salad stack and fried calamari.
Nate’s Chop House also has monthly tasting menus based on seasonality or special requests.
“As the seasons change, we enjoy putting that together,” said Maag. “We also like to do things to reward our guests. So this month’s tasting menu is some of the favorites that the guests loved over the past year.
As far as plans for the restaurant, Maag feels they have had enough success in their first location that a second location could be considered in the future.
Nate’s Chop House is located at 1900 Main St. in Southpointe. Visit nateschophouse.com for more information.
By Jill Thurston
Summer is in full swing with vacations and time away from work. But the need for blood donations doesn’t change.
“We need to collect around 600 blood donations every day to meet the needs of patients,” according to Maya Santana, regional communications manager for the non-profit Vitalant, the leading provider of blood products in the Pittsburgh area.
Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and one blood donation can save up to three lives. The Red Cross declared a national blood shortage in January, with donation numbers the lowest in 20 years.
“We rely heavily on universities, high schools and businesses to host blood drives so that we can collect what we need to support the blood supply. In the summer months, you obvi-
ously have breaks and vacations, which severely impacts our blood supply,” Santana said.
Two large drives, held by the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park in May, which saw a record turnout, and the WDVE “Rock and Roll Up Your Sleeve” drive on June 26 at Highmark Stadium, bring in needed donations.
“When we go into the summer months, and we see these huge dips, the blood drives like the WDVE ‘Rock and Roll Up Your Sleeve’ are essential for us to get blood donations to the hospitals so they can treat cancer patients and patients experiencing traumatic injuries,” Santana said.
The WDVE drive is in its 24th year. “This blood drive is extremely vital for carrying us through the summer and making sure we are meeting everyone’s needs,” she said. Since 2017, Vitalant said it has collected more than 1,080 units
of blood at the WDVE drives and helped as many as 3,000 patients in area hospitals. This year, two Riverhounds game vouchers were given to donors, along with a complimentary scoop of Jeni’s Ice Cream voucher and snacks provided by Voodoo Brewery at the drive.
Vitalant is focused on maintaining a steady, safe blood supply throughout the area. “What’s unique about Vitalant is when you donate with us, your donation goes to area hospitals. We always remind people, your blood donation could be helping a neighbor. People want to have that community involvement when they give back. We assure our volunteers who come and donate that this is going to support area hospital patients,” Santana explained.
A second Pittsburgh Pirates blood drive is planned for August 19-21 at PNC Park and in the surrounding areas. Every donor receives a voucher redeemable for two Pirates home game tickets.
Vitalant has nine donor centers around the Pittsburgh area. Visit vitalant.org to learn about upcoming blood drives in your area.
SpringHouse Creamery, Eatery, Country Store and Catering opened in 1975 on the Minor family’s dairy working farm in Eighty-Four. In our old-fashioned country story, you can enjoy family-recipe meals, goodies in our from-scratch bakery, a smokehouse for old-fashioned hickory smoked hams, classy catering, ice cream concoctions galore and, of course, farm fresh milk and famous rich chocolate milk. 1531 Route 136 Washington 724.228.3339 springhousemarket.com
At CRUST! Café and Pizzeria we pay attention to quality and that starts with the dough. Our mission at CRUST! Café and Pizzeria is to give you the freshest product, made with the best ingredients, prepared by people who care.
509 Painters Run Road Upper St. Clair 412.564.5748 crustcafeandpizzeria.com
A Pittsburgh family tradition since 1958. Our dough is homemade from scratch, our sauce is slow cooked from Italian tomatoes, our signature cheeses are hand grated daily... just as John Mineo did in 1958. We believe never change a great family recipe.
Richard Bortz Jr. Owner
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