1. Beyond Bedtime Books

PHOTO BY JAMIE GRASSMAN/COURTESY OF BEYOND BEDTIME BOOKS

The best bookstores are ones that require a bit of careful navigation. At Dormont’s Beyond Bedtime Books, shelves and stacks of books twist and turn in a labyrinth of unread stories.

On one wall, mass-market paperbacks of popular authors are piled high; on the other, out-of-print books and rarities beckon serious collectors. Children’s books are tucked in a quiet reading area in the back of the store; books by local authors and those about Pittsburgh face the front window; small shelves in the center of the store collect subgenres from gardening to westerns.

It’s a setup that invites discovery. As you pick your way around each corner and shimmy along the shelves, you’ll find yourself considering authors and styles you’ve never encountered; perhaps you’ll judge an old paperback by its cover or take a chance on a nonfiction title that catches your eye.

Throughout your journey, the inviting smell of old pages fills the air and the sound of customers chatting with staff at the counter provides the soundtrack. While regular shopping hours are mostly limited to the afternoon — 11 a.m.-4 p.m., seven days a week — regular “Booze & Books” evenings, held the last Friday of each month, draw overflowing crowds for complimentary wine, giveaways and discounts.

Being tucked into such a cozy space with strangers is a great way to make a new bibliophile friend — and get some recommendations for great reads around the next corner.

2. Songbird Artistry

PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

Behind an eye-catching sign on Penn Avenue in Lawrenceville, visitors will encounter a cornucopia of crafts, merchandise and apparel. This array isn’t from one seller; in fact, it’s from dozens.

“We have 52 vendors right now,” explains Jacklyn Orefice, co-owner of Songbird Artistry. “Our youngest is 16; our oldest is 82.”

The shop, which grew out of a collective of vendors originally housed in the bygone Pittsburgh Public Market, celebrated its ninth anniversary in May. Guests who wander into the shop, which is located across the street from the main entrance to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, will find handmade jewelry, Pittsburgh-centric gifts and decor, beauty products, stationery and many more treasures — including a curated selection of vintage finds, Orefice’s specialty.

The spirit of the shop, however, is in its events, classes and connections. Game nights (some with retro board games from the shop’s collections) help customers become friends; classes in crocheting, mosaics and dozens of other subjects turn curious shoppers into crafters. Orefice says those events have made Songbird Artistry a community staple — in fact, strangers and friends alike came together to prevent the shop from foundering during the early days of the pandemic.

“The community — down to our landlord stopping our rent — nobody would let us go,” she says. Orefice, who co-owns the store with her sister, Jennifer, and their mother, Debbie Maier Jacknin, can frequently be found setting up shop at events throughout the region. “It’s mentally good for us … to be out there in weird spaces,” Orefice says. “I feel like a celebrity because people say the nicest things to me.”

3. Sports Card Junction

PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

If you hadn’t noticed that sports cards are once again big business, Paul Skenes should’ve clued you in. The search for the Pirates phenom’s cards has captivated fans and collectors worldwide; his coveted debut patch card, featuring the insignia he wore in his first appearance alongside his autograph, sold at auction for more than $1.1 million.

You can find it at the Dick’s House of Sport Store in Ross Park Mall. Not far from that valuable piece of memorabilia, you’ll find hundreds of thousands of other cards — and a lot of them are far more affordable.

Sports Card Junction has been selling cards for 30 years, dealing in sports, pop-culture and equally popular Pokémon cards. That’s a long run for any business, let alone one with as much volatility as collectibles and sports cards; founder Chuck Weldon and his son and current co-owner Chad endured a long downturn in the hobby around the time of the Great Recession.

Ever since the mid 2010s, however, business has been picking up. Wander into the shop, and you’ll find kids studying new packs of Pokémon, collectors considering high-value packs of rare sports cards and curious shoppers browsing vintage selections. Vitally, there are cards and packs here at every price point, from “junk wax” sports cards from the early ’90s — many priced at just $1-$2 — all the way to hard-to-find boxes that cost hundreds of dollars. The same is true of individual cards in the shop.

There are rare, autographed items here, but there are also plenty of cards for just a few bucks. Those more affordable options help younger fans start building their collection. Judging by the number of new collectors visiting Sports Card Junction on any given afternoon, they’ll likely keep the place in business for the next 30 years.

This story is part of our 2025 Best of the ‘Burgh staff picks.