love, Pittsburgh is a University of Pittsburgh supplier which features a curated assortment of locally made gifts from over 120 Pittsburgh-based artists and makers. This local, woman-owned business was born on July 4, 2017, with a storefront on Mount Washington. Over the past six years they have expanded their business to include locations in: Downtown Pittsburgh on Liberty Avenue, the Strip District on Penn Avenue, and a dedicated “store within a store concept” located on the Fifth Avenue side of the University Store in Oakland. With four locations all available in the Steel City, they make it easy to shop locally at the location nearest you, especially for those on campus by the University Store!
Co-Founders and Owners, Kelly Sanders and Monica Grunick, serendipitously met at a Pittsburgh Technology Council event in late 2016. The two instantly bonded over the talent of artists and the maker community within Pittsburgh. Kelly having grown up in Pleasant Hills and Monica being from Bethel Park, they are both very familiar with the local retail and art scene. When the first location on Mount Washington became available, the two saw an opportunity to fill the sunny shop with amazing gifts from these local artists all with a beautiful view of the city. They started with 40 Pittsburgh artists in 2017 and have since grown to feature the works from over 120 artists.
When asked what the mission behind the business being what it is today, Sanders said: “Our women-owned business strives to give locals and visitors a way to support the Pittsburgh maker community by providing a curated assortment of gifts celebrating the creativity of our city.” Kelly and Monica are proud that love, Pittsburgh is a women-owned and all women-staffed business. They wrote an article which shares how their dynamic team leads to improving their business every day!
Along with their amazing in-person gift selections love, Pittsburgh also had the opportunity to get creative in 2020 due to the pandemic. Kelly says that time taught those at love, Pittsburgh to dig deep into alternatives to the traditional retail experience. This led to reaching customers in creative ways such as a focus on blog writing, making all products available online (some items were in-store only at the time), and offering shopping by appointment and curbside pickup. Many of these concepts have stayed in place even after the pandemic restrictions were lifted and are still enjoyed by customers today. These resourceful steps taken during trying times go to show love, Pittsburgh’s commitment to being a part of their local retail and artist community.
love, Pittsburgh is proud to say that sustainability and giving back to their community are two pillars that support their thriving business. They are a certified sustainable business having received multiple GOLD Certifications from Sustainable Pittsburgh, the most recent being their GOLD designation at the Strip District location in June 2022. Visit their sustainability initiatives and practices webpage for more information. As "Champions of Local”, love, Pittsburgh says it is “in their DNA to support their community, their city”. This mindset gives way to their second pillar of “giving back to the community”. love, Pittsburgh has multiple programs to help support this mission including their Hello Neighbor gift box, Tree Pittsburgh program to help support Pittsburgh’s urban forests, and a donation bank for Nose 2 Tail, a local cat rescue. Read more about these amazing programs.
To continue their support of the Pittsburgh community, Kelly and Monica also have partnered with the University of Pittsburgh to offer internships for the past four years. And you can find two proud Pitt alumni in their ranks including co-founder Monica and the manager of the Strip District location, Amber! We also reached out to the Executive Director of University Stores and Strategic Initiatives, Monica Rattigan, who shared the following about the relationship with love, Pittsburgh at the University Store:
“I am very excited about our partnership with love, Pittsburgh. I reached out to Monica and Kelly a few months ago as the stores were looking for a new way to engage with local business and bring local products to the store. love, Pittsburgh has an amazing mission, and we love their product and vision. It’s an honor to have them in our space and I anticipate a very successful collaboration with the University Store on Fifth.”
When asked if there are any other fun facts, details or information they would like to share with our readers, love, Pittsburgh noted the newest addition to their business – a concept store in Market Square called “love,”. Find out more about this exciting new expansion to the already beloved local gift shop.
love, Pittsburgh is a must-visit in the Pittsburgh area. You might just find your one-stop holiday shopping store this year! You can learn more about Kelly and Monica’s inspiring origin story, artists, products, locations and more on love, Pittsburgh’s website.