This is probably the first funky business I visited as I began to explore Pittsburgh neighborhoods several years ago. As I walked in the door with a girlfriend, we felt like we had just stepped into our element-funky, fun, a little naughty, a LOT cool - a very interesting shop that woman (and men) will enjoy. I especially appreciate the non-traditional way this business started. I find that the most interesting businesses I've discovered are very 'outside the box' in how they were started. A word of advice for those planning to open a business perhaps??? This business (owned by lovely person Christine Berardi) is a stop on the Shadyside Saunter walking tour with Sole City Tours. Read more below (from their website - www.hiptique.com!)
"Read any book about how to start a business and know that is the exact opposite of how hip’tique was created. Just two months after moving to Pittsburgh, hoping to one day open a boutique, I found a 120-year-old building on a great street in Shadyside. The building was filled with love by the previous owners who had an antique store for the past 17 years. However, the building was never rehabbed. I still told them on that day I was going to buy the building… and I did. |  |
I went home, typed up a five-line agreement, met with the owners for breakfast at Ritter’s, and signed our lives away. Both sides knew full well the agreement would not hold up in a court of law. However, the trust was mutual and ten months later we closed ... | |
... exactly six months to the day of my closing, hip’tique opened. I said I would open on November 13th, 2004, and I did. However, nothing was priced and I had no clue how to operate the register. I was like a kid playing store. Since then, hip’tique has grown and changed numerous times since we opened. We dropped the ‘décor’ from our name and now carry great clothing lines, jewelry, and purses, as well as personal gifts for you, your home and even your baby. That is our story… power tools to hip’tique. It was a huge transition but I can once again be a ‘hip chick’. I can wear a dress, bring my dogs to work, and listen to music while never being forced to talk about NASCAR again. Most importantly, I get to know the great people of Pittsburgh. Lesson learned – the books are not always right! Visit www.solecitytours.com to take a Pittsburgh walking tour of this neighborhood! | |
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