Why Is Allentown So Goth?

What makes a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, and what does it take to reinvent one after it declines? Over the last decade, Allentown has been reborn thanks to generous support from fellow small business leaders and neighbors eager to see their main street come back to life. And the new folks? They’ve got a decidedly different way of looking at the world. Today we’re talking about the goth kids, the misfits, and the metal heads, and why they say the hilltop has been the perfect place to set up shop.

Thanks to our guests, Kelly Braden — night market organizer and owner of Grim Wizard Coffee and The Weeping Glass — and Zak Bellante, owner of Death Comes Lifting. They recommended a bunch of great places in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood, including:

• Grim Wizard Coffee
• The Weeping Glass
• Dr. Tumblety’s
• Death Comes Lifting
• Puvithel 
• Alla Famiglia
• Onion Maiden (pop-up only)
• Leon's Caribbean
• Star Mind Shop
• Inner Groove Brewing
• Bottlerocket Social Hall
• North Ave Candles
• Soil Sisters Plant Nursery
• The Open Road

Learn more about our sponsors: 

• Join AIDS Free Pittsburgh and True T Pittsburgh from 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday, May 30 in Allegheny Commons East Park for the 6th annual Too Hot for July HIV awareness event, including free HIV and STI testing, music, dancing, performances, and more. Visit TooHotForJuly.com.
• The 65th annual Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival takes over the Cultural District in Downtown Pittsburgh from May 31 to June 9. It’s 10 days of free art and music from noon to 9 p.m. daily. Learn more at trustarts.org/TRAF.

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