My Best of the ‘Burgh: Jessica’s Picks

PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

Best Bookstore: White Whale

I admit to being attached to my Kindle, which allows me to instantly download the latest bestseller and snuggle in for a story, but there’s just something special about going to an actual bookstore — especially when it’s the White Whale.

Opened in 2016, the charming storefront on Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield carries a broad selection of contemporary and literary fiction and nonfiction as well as poetry, history, philosophy, local authors, independent presses and children’s books.

But the White Whale (yes, it’s named in homage to Herman Melville’s classic “Moby-Dick”) is so much more than just a bookstore. The family-owned business hosts a plethora of author readings, poetry nights, writing workshops and book clubs among other community events.

Best of all, its employees are passionate about books. Staff members are happy to share their recommendations with eager readers, no matter the genre. If you’ve ever connected with a fellow book aficionado over a novel you both loved, you know what an enjoyable experience it is. That’s just the norm here.

It’s also a welcoming environment to just chill — and maybe raise a toast. A few years ago, the White Whale expanded into the neighboring retail space and now has an in-house cafe serving up coffee during the day and locally crafted wines, cocktails and beers in the evenings.

PHOTO: PITTSBURGH MAGAZINE ARCHIVES

 Best Home Decor Store: Hot Haute Hot

If you don’t think a furniture store can be cool, then you’ve never been to Hot Haute Hot.

The Strip District staple, which was founded in 1999, carries an eclectic mix of furnishings and home decor, plus jewelry, textiles and vintage goods. Walking through the door on Penn Avenue and up the stairs to Hot Haute Hot is like entering a different world, or maybe it just feels that way because so many of the thoughtfully curated pieces come from different places around the globe.

The showroom changes weekly, although there’s always dozens of colorful kilim rugs to ogle and artwork on the walls to inspire alongside the kind of lighting that can’t be found at Target or online at Wayfair.

If that isn’t enough to get you to stop in, Hot Haute Hot also recently began a collaboration with Twin Pine, bringing even more vintage finds, décor and unexpected treasures into the two-level space.

There’s no sad beige decor here, and definitely no Millennial Gray. For anyone intimidated by the thought of radically changing their decor, on-staff designers are there to help, guiding customers through the process of introducing color and pattern into their home. Besides in-store consultations, customers may also schedule an appointment with the design team.

PHOTO COURTESY CARDELLO LIGHTING

Best Lighting Store: Cardello Lighting

Since I moved to Cranberry in 2008, I’ve passed Cardello Lighting on Route 19 thousands of times. I’ve never stopped in, though, until recently.

For months, we’ve been remodeling our kitchen; I’ve agonized over every design decision, none more so than the lighting. After many nights of scrolling the Internet for options, I decided I needed to see some lights in person and headed over to Cardello.

I wish I had done it sooner.

The expansive showroom is filled with a variety of quality ceiling fan and lighting options and, even better for me, a knowledgeable staff that helped guide me in my search for the perfect pendant lights. A particularly helpful staff member set me up a free account, where I was able to scroll through different fixtures and compare them on my own personalized page.

In business for more than 75 years, Cardello is an independently owned lighting and electrical retailer. While the business has several electrical counter locations throughout the region, its only showroom is in Cranberry.

Even if you don’t live north of Pittsburgh, Cardello is worth the trip. Trust me, I speak from experience.

PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

Hieber’s Pharmacy

Although the setting is fairly new, Hieber’s actually is Pittsburgh’s oldest pharmacy.

The business originally was established as Hieber’s Drug Store by the Hieber brothers in the Strip District in 1860. Over the years, it moved locations several times. By 1945, the business, then owned by Frank Stanish, settled in Oakland, where it remained for decades.

In 2019, Dr. Rosemary Mihalko bought the business and, in a full-circle moment, opened a second location of the pharmacy in 2024 at The Terminal in the Strip District. The Oakland location has since closed.

In some ways, exploring the 4,535-square-foot space is like taking a step back in time. The knowledgeable staff offers a wide range of services, including non-sterile and sterile compounding, prescription filling, medication therapy management and immunizations.

But what really sets Hieber’s apart is its old-fashioned soda fountain, the likes of which I’ve only heard my parents and grandparents talk about. Incidentally, those frosty treats, made with Pittsburgh’s own Leona’s ice cream, are delicious. All sodas are carbonated in-house and paired with small-batch, locally made syrups from Barmy Soda Co. as well as house-made options and Torani’s.

Fun fact: The pharmacy’s soda fountain originated at the Oakland location, where the pharmacists worked directly with Jonas Salk to distribute his polio vaccine.

Besides the usual pharmacy staples, Hieber’s also carries a variety of handcrafted goods from local makers, among them PSquare Scents, PGH Amy Studio and Soulful Stitches.