Pittsburgh Tea Rooms

This episode of PositivelyPittsburghLive was recorded live on November 24, 2008 and archived version can be heard at: www.talkshoe.com or on PPL channel at www.positivelypittsbughlivemagazine.com


Jackie Karkowsky
Fernwood Tea Room
The Inn on Negley
703 Negley Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
412.661.0631
info@innonnegley.com
The Inn on Negley is a beautifully restored period home located in the heart of Pittsburgh's charming and historic Shadyside area. Each of the eight guestrooms are custom designed with exquisite antiques, period furnishings, and a caareful attention to detail. The Inn is just one block from Walnut Street and Elsworth Avenue, which offer the finest and most unique shopping, dining, and entertainment experiences in Pittburgh.

Guests can linger and enjoy the tranquil atmosphere over refreshments while the innkeepers assist with plans to enjoy Pittsburgh. Whether guests plan a full day of activities or a day of total relaxation, The Inn on Negley can accomodate every guest preference.
High English Tea Service
Prepared exclusively by our chefs, our English high tea is traditional and complete with assorted tea sandwiches, pastries, cookies. We have a variety of Stash Brand teas from which to choose. Our English High tea offers a wonderful respite to a busy day. The cost is $18.00 per person.
Tea and Sweets
A light selection of house made pastries and seasonal fresh fruit is presented with a selection of Stash tea. For those who want a quick pick me up or a quiet moment to enjoy the day. The cost is $10.00 per person.
Cookies and Cocoa
Enjoy a piping hot cocoa served in a traditional cocoa pot with chocolate topped cups. Served with an assortment house made cookies and marshmallows. The cost is $6.00 per person.

Dana C Del Bianco
Purple Rose Tearoom
4316 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
412-687-2301
dcdb@city-net.com
Purple Rose Tearoom

The Purple Rose Tearoom is located on Penn Ave @ 44th St in Pittsburgh’s historic Bloomfield/Lawrenceville neighborhood. They serve a formal British afternoon tea by reservation in an authentic Victorian storefront. They also have a small gift shop that sells many tea-related objects, as well as beautiful items by local artists. Next week will mark their first anniversary in business.

The Purple Rose is owned by the mother/daughter team of Nancy & Dana Del Bianco. The tearoom is located in the building that for many years housed “Charley the Tailor” a cleaning and alterations business owned by Nancy’s parents. Many original items from the tailor shop remain on display, providing a family connection to the past.

Laura Kacy
Home is where the Tea is, Fresh Cup Café
210 West Main St.
Saxonburg, Pa.
724-352-8181
http://www.thefreshcupcafe.com

The Fresh Cup Cafe, serving the Saxonburg area, close to Pittsburgh, with quality teas, invigorating espresso, and tasty treats, is now open.
This is not a Victorian tearoom, so men and children will feel quite at home. The interior of the Fresh Cup is bold and light, marrying a contemporary motif with the warmth of some vintage pieces.
Enjoy teas, coffees, fresh yummy baked goods like scones, muffins, cupcakes, m-m-macaroons , tarts, brownies, and more!. Lite lunch fare of artisan sandwiches and salads will nourish you for your day. The specialty will be finest qualty teas, and I happily accommodate espresso drinkers!

Specials of the house:
New England Harvest Blend Tea- hot or cold!
Quiche: Feta Bruschetta, Pesto & Romano, Spinach & Mushroom, our daily choice
Apricot Scones
Red Ribbon Old Pennsylvania Punch
Brazilian Distant Farms from Coffee Tree Roasters, making a fabulous coffee.


Te Café
Terry Himes
Te Cafe (The Tea Place)
Murray and Beacon
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
412-422-8888
Terry Himes
Te Cafe (The Tea Place)
Murray and Beacon
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
412-422-8888

Te Café is the creation of Terry Himes two friends who decided to open a business together.

Terry saw an interesting tea shop while traveling and the two began the long and detailed process of studying demographics and writing a business plan.

We had been looking for the right location and had identified Squirrel Hill as our first choice. One evening while walking in Squirrel Hill, we saw this perfect corner spot.

We designed the interior and acted as our own general contractors for the improvements. I have a son, a daughter-in-law, two daughters and a son-in-law and Sue has two daughters. Every one of them pitched in and helped.

We have over 100 loose teas, herbals and fruit infusions. We sell them by the custom-brewed individual 16-oz. pot and we make all of our teas “to-go” as well. We also sell loose tea leaves and the necessary brewing equipment.

We offer private tea-tastings which feature about 6 teas. The tastings are presented by our own tea-ologist, Terry. You can select from our course offerings which include: Tea 101, It’s Not Easy Being Green, Black Beauties, Japanese Tea and more, or make up your own theme.

We have a monthly poetry reading known as the Te Café Reading Series.

We feature an ever-changing display of the works of local artists.

We make the best and healthiest smoothies in town. The basic smoothie is made with a choice of two fresh fruits. We also have several that feature tea.

We have tea-mulled apple cider.

We also sell Mung Dynasty wraps, salads, Enrico’s biscotti and scones, H&H Bagels, La Prima coffee

Two NAWBO Members at Entrepreneurial Thursdays

Firewater's Grill, 412.323.4688

LIVE RHYTHM, JAZZ & BLUES
Musical Networking Happy Hour
EVERY THURSDAY!!!
5:30 PM - 8 PM
Firewater's Grill,
120 Federal Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

Across from PNC Park

Hosted by Jazz/R&B Vocalist - Jessica Lee

Cover Charge: Only $10.00!
Hors d'oeuvres included

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The "ENTREPRENEURIAL THURSDAYS" Happy Hour Show
Live Music by City's Great Jazz/R&B Artists!
Interviews @ Musical Break with City's Leading Entrepreneurs/Innovators!
Great Business & Professional Networking!
December 4, 2008
"Network of Networks"

Featuring Interviews with:
William Generett, Pittsburgh Central Keystone Innovation Zone (www.pckiz.org)


Jill Kummer, Black Tie Pittsburgh (www.blacktie-pittsburgh.com)
Maureen A. Ciarolla, NAWBO (www.nawbo.org)


Laura S. Buck, President Elect 2008 - Pittsburgh Human Resource Association (www.pittsburghhra.org)


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www.jessicaleesong.com
"Entrepreneurial Thursdays" Partners
Gold Sponsors
Pittsburgh Gateways
ABG Capital

Marketing Partners

BIOSAFE, Inc.
Chrysler Corp. (SBDC) Duquesne University
Eagle Ventures Inc.
George Mendel Photography
HDJ Assoc., Inc.
Help Startups
Human Connections
Latin American Cultural Union
MAKK Strategies
MIT Enterprise Forum
National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)
Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Pittsburgh Technology Council
Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project (PUMP)
Pittsburgh Young Professionals
Positively Pittsburgh Live
Sales Star Enterprise
Seton Hill University's E-Magnify®
Sigma Pi Consulting
STAAR Funds
Technical Products & Supply
TiePGH-Pittsburgh Chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs
Vistage
Women's Independent Press

Early Stage Business Funding Panel at Entrepreneurial Thursdays

LIVE RHYTHM, JAZZ & BLUES
Musical Networking Happy Hour
EVERY THURSDAY!!!
5:30 PM - 8 PM
Firewater's Grill,
120 Federal Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

Across from PNC Park

Hosted by Jazz/R&B Vocalist - Jessica Lee

Cover Charge: Only $10.00!
Hors d'oeuvres included

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The "ENTREPRENEURIAL THURSDAYS" Happy Hour Show
Live Music by City's Great Jazz/R&B Artists!
Interviews @ Musical Break with City's Leading Entrepreneurs/Innovators!
Great Business & Professional Networking!
November 13, 2008
"Funding Early Stage Companies"

Featuring Inte
Mel Pirchesky, President - Eagle Ventures Inc. (www.EagleVentures.biz)


Frank Demmler, Director, Entrepreneurial Services Team - Innovation Works (www.innovationworks.org)
Shawn Pleska, Founder and Interim CEO - Commerce-Web International, Inc
David Vitrant, Executive Director - FundScience, Inc

www.jessicaleesong.com
"Entrepreneurial Thursdays" Partners
Gold Sponsors
Pittsburgh Gateways
ABG Capital

Marketing PartnersMarketing Partners

AFTRA
BarSmart
BIOSAFE, Inc.
Chrysler Corp. (SBDC) Duquesne University
Eagle Ventures Inc.
George Mendel Photography
HDJ Assoc., Inc.
Help Startups
Human Connections
Latin American Cultural Union
MAKK Strategies
MIT Enterprise Forum
National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)
Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Pittsburgh Technology Council
Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project (PUMP)
Pittsburgh Young Professionals
Positively Pittsburgh Live
Sales Star Enterprise
Seton Hill University's E-Magnify®
Sigma Pi Consulting
STAAR Funds
Technical Products & Supply
TiePGH-Pittsburgh Chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs
Vistage
Women's Independent Press

Positively Pittsburgh Live, Pittsburgh Economy, Strenght and Viability

Interview Date: October 20, 2008

Viability of Pittsburgh in Economic Downturn
By Gary A. Storie, CFP®
724.933.4528
gstorie@fcbanking.com

First Commonwealth Financial Advisors

Interview Talking Points


1. What indicators in your position leads you to believe Pittsburgh is postured to impacted less than most other cities in the United States?
a. Personal experience, having lived in a variety of locations during my tenure with the military:
i. Elected to move to Pittsburgh in 1995 while still an active duty Air Force pilot.
ii. Previously lived in cities such as: Denver, San Antonio, TX, Phoenix, AZ, Montgomery Alabama, and Columbus, Mississippi.
b. At my retirement from the Air Force in 1998 when given the choice of where to live, my wife and I chose to stay in Pittsburgh. (I could have moved my family anywhere in the United States—free. Also, I’m originally from Wyoming and lived in Colorado many years growing up). Reasons why we stayed:
i. Great Public School systems in Southwestern PA – they were both well-prepared for college — and both went on to be graduates of Penn State.
ii. Both my wife and I enjoy the suburban setting in Peters Township, but also like the many benefits Pittsburgh offers—
1. Weather and strategic location of Pittsburgh
2. Best Places to Live Awards that Pittsburgh has received – we agree!


2. Those are social and personal reasons why you think Pittsburgh is a great place to live, but what makes Pittsburgh unique from other cities during an economic downturn?
a. Pittsburgh has consistently been a leader in developing and capitalizing on new industries.
b. Despite the loss of 150,000 manufacturing jobs in the 1980’s, Pittsburgh has reestablished itself as a leader in technological innovation.
c. Pittsburgh has evolved into a diverse economy consisting of high technology, finance, healthcare, retail, law, and education sectors.
d. Pittsburgh’s economy is fueled in great part by information technology and biotechnology firms that grew out of the regions strong universities.

3. A common misperception is that people flee Pittsburgh in droves—when in fact Pittsburgh has one of the lowest rates of domestic out-migration of any major metro in the country. Can you expound on this?
a. Pittsburgh has been one of the least successful major regions in attracting international migrants. In fact, only Cincinnati has a smaller percentage of population comprised of international migrants. The other major reason for Pittsburgh's population decline is that deaths have outnumbered births for about 15 years. This is a hangover affect from the 80s, when a huge proportion of 20-somethings left the Pittsburgh region. Steel mills shuttered and the region lost 150,000 jobs. Young adults had to seek work elsewhere in the country. This is the main demographic that would have been having children throughout the 90s until today. Pittsburgh experienced a catastrophic net domestic migration loss of 50,000 for several years in the 80s.
b. Due to the economic downturn, you may find many families returning to this area to be closer to families and find jobs.
c. A more favorable corporate tax policy at the state and local levels would go a long way to attract new businesses to the area and people will follow.
d. I believe an aggressive marketing and advertising campaign would also attract new jobs and people to the area.

4. What has been the impact of the financial crisis on First Commonwealth (and other regional banks/financial organizations)?
a. First Commonwealth (and many regional banks) are well capitalized and have a strong balance sheet with room to grow.
b. First Commonwealth was NEVER in the sub-prime mortgage business that has crippled other banks.
c. First Commonwealth is growing core deposits; we are making loans and adding customer relationships; we are opening several new branch offices this year; we are hiring new employees to staff our many job openings.

5. What about the stock market? As a financial advisor – what are you telling clients right now?
a. Buying opportunity – stocks are on sale
b. Stay calm
c. It’s a great time to work with an advisor (for those who have procrastinated or put the idea on the back burner)
d. This type of market is not for the do-it –yourselfer
e. Many people spent more time picking out their last TV or refrigerator than they spent working on a financial plan


Additional Guests: Jo Ann Forrester, SI Business Associates
Faye Ritter, Allegehny Group