Big News For Braddock (Allentown, Wilkinsburg: how much, eat, rating)

[neurodistortion]

I think an art gallery/coffee shop/music venue would do wonders in Braddock. I'm not talking some decrepit little place but something that attracts national acts in the same format as Mr. Smalls in Millvale. Like Mr. Smalls is to the North Hills, it could be the premier music venue in the Mon Valley. It would of course have to be executed correctly and it would have to be marketed heavily but it could be the potential key to revitalization.

[globalburgh]

Originally Posted by madg0at

I am finding it difficult to compare this endeavor with his previous three establishments. Each of his existing places are in or around East Liberty (Salt is as far in to Garfield as Bakery Square is in to Larimer), an area he is quite familiar with and is centered around where his clientele already lives, dines and shops. Before he started his restaurants the area had already passed its inflection point upward so the risks he took, as far as geographical choice, were, in my mind, mostly in the minds of people who hadn't seen the changes happening that had started years before. East Liberty is accessible, has established business and residents, safe in the areas in question and has been trending further upward for quite a number of years.

Braddock has none of that and that is the root of the monumental risk Sousa is taking. Braddock has no business to speak of, no population, relatively inaccessible compared to other areas and is deader than dead. This endeavor wouldn't even be possible without the 340+k in grants and other sources to finance the 714k. That significantly mitigates the financial risk to Mr. Sousa. I fear that even if other businesses want to follow suit that they'll not have the ability to find support and financing to do so nor attract enough business to stay afloat. Kevin Sousa might be a local celebrity, but the next person probably isn't.

I share your concern. Will Sousa's celebrity overcome the lousy economic and political geography of Braddock? If he succeeds, then I will have to rethink revitalization and gentrification.

[stburr91]

Originally Posted by madg0at

I'll preface this post by wishing Kevin Sousa the best on this new adventure and I will definitely try it when it opens because I have enjoyed his other restaurants and know the food will be great.

That aside, I am finding it difficult to compare this endeavor with his previous three establishments. Each of his existing places are in or around East Liberty (Salt is as far in to Garfield as Bakery Square is in to Larimer), an area he is quite familiar with and is centered around where his clientele already lives, dines and shops. Before he started his restaurants the area had already passed its inflection point upward so the risks he took, as far as geographical choice, were, in my mind, mostly in the minds of people who hadn't seen the changes happening that had started years before. East Liberty is accessible, has established business and residents, safe in the areas in question and has been trending further upward for quite a number of years.

Braddock has none of that and that is the root of the monumental risk Sousa is taking. Braddock has no business to speak of, no population, relatively inaccessible compared to other areas and is deader than dead. This endeavor wouldn't even be possible without the 340+k in grants and other sources to finance the 714k. That significantly mitigates the financial risk to Mr. Sousa. I fear that even if other businesses want to follow suit that they'll not have the ability to find support and financing to do so nor attract enough business to stay afloat. Kevin Sousa might be a local celebrity, but the next person probably isn't.

I might just not be "creative" or enough of a "visionary" to see the potential here, but I sure can count on all my fingers and toes the negatives, pit-falls and fallacies of trying to compare this project to his previous, successful, restaurants. Still I wish him all the best, he'll need every bit of it and Braddock sure can use a break.

Wow, I was going to post in this thread yesterday, saying almost the exact same thing.

I couldn't agree more, that opening a restaurant Braddock, is just not comparable to where he located his other restaurants.

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I do think Braddock is a lot more accessible than many people think--arguably as good or better than The Waterfront, for example, for many people living in the East End.

I would agree, that Braddock is as accessible from the East End as The Waterfront. The problem is, that East Enders tend to go into the city for their entertainment and dining, not further east. It was just the opposite when I was growing up in the East End area, people generally didn't go into the city for entertainment, they tended to go further east (usually to Monroeville).

[BrianTH]

Definitely this would require a change of current habits for a lot of East Enders--that is both the potential and the risk of this move.

That said, Regent Square's successful little restaurant scene is a bit of exception to the rule of East Enders heading inward for dining. Of course Regent Square is basically an honorary member of the East End, but I suspect a lot of its patrons do in fact have to head eastward/outward to get there. Braddock is a whole different ballgame, of course.

[PreservationPioneer]

I find most people drive to whatever destination they are going to, anyway. The good news is parking won't be an issue in Braddock. The bad news is there will only be one place to go in Braddock until more places open up. If you're like me, and enjoy walking around and looking at abandoned buildings, that won't be a problem. I wish this development had gone to somewhere with existing businesses, though (Stowe?).

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

I wish this development had gone to somewhere with existing businesses, though (Stowe?).

Hopefully, "if you build it they will come..."

[globalburgh]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

I wish this development had gone to somewhere with existing businesses, though (Stowe?).

You raise an interesting discussion point. If you wanted to revitalize a Pittsburgh neighborhood, where would be the best place for Sousa to place his newest venture?

[Evergrey]

I think this is a cool announcement... and I think it will have positive benefits for Braddock. I think a Sousa restaurant would succeed anywhere.

However, I don't think this will "fix" Braddock... I tend to agree with Chris Briem's analysis...

Nullspace

[PreservationPioneer]

Originally Posted by globalburgh

You raise an interesting discussion point. If you wanted to revitalize a Pittsburgh neighborhood, where would be the best place for Sousa to place his newest venture?

In my opinion, somewhere that has existing businesses that could benefit from a new draw to the area. Perhaps it would be better to choose stagnant but still stable neighborhoods, like Brookline or Bellevue or Forest Hills, that could use a boost. Or perhaps, if you were to go the way of choosing a neighborhood that is on its last legs that needs substantial revitalization, at least choose one with both existing businesses and an intact business district (Homestead, West End Village, Mount Oliver, Allentown, Stowe, Swissvale, etc.). This is all just my opinion, though. Hopefully, Braddock will be able to build on the investment.

[stburr91]

I was thinking this may work in Wilkinsburg.