Head to the City for the Ultimate Flea Market
Neighborhood Flea returns for 2015, bringing with it an assortment of goods, workshops, food and more.
PHOTO COURTESY NEIGHBORHOOD FLEA'S FACEBOOK PAGE
flea market fun
It’s baa-aack! After a successful 2014, the Neighborhood Flea returns for its second season with a pop-up location at 23rd Street and Penn Avenue in the Strip District.
This isn’t your typical flea market. The eclectic urban marketplace — which pops up on the second Sunday of each month — features a mix of vintage-clothing collections, handmade works, artist prints, housewares, flowers, farm goods, coffee, food trucks and more.
New attractions this year include pop-up fitness stations, hands-on workshops — including creating your own perfume with essential oils — and live music.
Wigle Whiskey also will be joining the celebration with events (and cocktails) at its distillery in the Strip District [2401 Smallman St.] and the Barrelhouse on the North Side [1055 Spring Garden Ave.].
The fun kicks off from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 10, aka Mother’s Day. Parking is available at the lot on 23rd Street between Smallman Street and Penn Avenue.
Wigle Whiskey also plans to provide a free shuttle from its distillery to the Barrelhouse from 12 to 3 p.m. For more information, visit neighborhoodflea.com.
meet the designer
The principal designer at CJ Interior Design Studio LLC in Point Breeze, Christine Jones says she fell in love with design and architecture while traveling the world with her husband, Mike. “From historical Italy to modern Stockholm, I loved how the interior space could make you feel a certain way,” she says. “I also experienced culture and the way space was used differently based on the needs of that particular culture.” After studying interior design at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, she has been featured on HGTV’s Showhouse Showdown, where she was the winning designer. Here, she answers Pittsburgh Magazine’s style questions.
What’s the best way to update a room?
As a PPG color consultant, I learned that one of the simplest ways to transform a room is by painting it. It is also one of the least expensive ways. [Also,] new accent pillows and a couple of new lamps can go a long way.
What advice would you give to do-it-yourself types planning to give a room a makeover?
For more expensive transformations, I would consult a professional. . . . I have worked with some very frustrated clients (who) have made some costly mistakes because they just did not think through the entire process or didn't have a vision for the project.
As far as trends right now, is there a color palette or design element you love?
Design trends follow fashion trends. Mid-century and Scandinavian influences are really hot right now. As far as color, my signature color is gray. I use some form of gray in every design. I find it to be a balancing color.
news + events
While Wilkinsburg is rich in history, the borough also is home to a number of vacant buildings. The first-ever Vacant Home Tour of Wilkinsburg will school you in both.
Developed by students at Carnegie Mellon University in partnership with the Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation and Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation as a way to address blight, the free, self-guided tour takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 9.
Other points of interest along the tour include the Wilkinsburg Train Station, Hosanna House, Wilkinsburg Boys & Girls Club, Landmarks Preservation Resource Center, Singer Mansion and the Garden Dreams Urban Farm & Garden.
(Registration will take place at the Wilkinsburg Borough Building at 605 Ross Ave.)
Happy Birthday, Pyrex! The venerable glass kitchenware is turning a century old. To celebrate, Charleroi will be renamed Pyrex, PA for 100 days.
Charleroi is home to World Kitchen, which manufactures Pyrex glass. The plant is hosting a birthday celebration from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 16 at the intersection of McKean Avenue and Fifth Street that includes a pancake breakfast, games, giveaways and a photo booth, plus the unveiling of the “world’s largest measuring cup.”
World Kitchen and Pyrex also will present a $10,000 check to Charleroi, to be directed toward the local fire and police station as well as beautification efforts in the town.
(Event details at pyrex100.com)
