Retail incubator in Pittsburgh's Hill District showcases minority-, women-owned businesses

A retail incubator is allowing local entrepreneurs to showcase their businesses in Pittsburgh’s Hill District.

Gallery on Centre, part of the Avenues of Hope initiative, was launched with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday.

“The Gallery on Centre is something we should all be proud of and will serve as a model for equitable development in every neighborhood,” Mayor Ed Gainey said. “The Avenues of Hope initiative showcases the city of Pittsburgh’s commitment to investing in Black communities.”

Participants at Gallery on Centre will have access to retail space to sell their products, as well as technical assistance and opportunities to participate in collaborative events, said Tammy Thompson, executive director of the Catapult: Startup to Storefront program.

“This is an amazing opportunity for new entrepreneurs from the Hill District or those wanting to start a business in the Hill District,” Thompson said. “We hope that the residents of the Hill District will be proud to have our programming and these new businesses operating in their community.”

The 1,422-square-foot space at 1840 Centre Ave. includes a conference room and two meeting rooms. It will house six businesses, with extra shelf space available for future participants.

Many of the entrepreneurs featured at the site are Hill District residents or have close ties to the neighborhood, according to the Urban Redevelopment Authority. All of the businesses are minority-owned, and most are owned by women.

“It is the kind of project we envisioned when creating the Avenues of Hope initiative. It demonstrates how place-based strategies can serve as wealth-building tools, providing opportunities and bringing much-needed investment to the neighborhood,” URA Deputy Executive Director Diamonte Walker said.

Gallery on Centre, she said, will be a “core component of the continued revitalization of Centre Avenue.”

In August 2020, the PNC Foundation awarded $1 million to the URA over the course of five years to fund the Catapult: Startup to Storefront program. To date, about $450,000 of that money has been allocated to the program and the Gallery on Centre renovation, the URA said.

Catapult: Startup to Storefront is a 12-month program that aims to support new and growing minority-led businesses in the city. Paramount Pursuits provides business consulting, while the PNC Foundation, the URA and the City of Pittsburgh provide funding for the initiative.

Since the program launched in 2018, Catapult has graduated five cohorts of businesses — four Startup to Storefront cohorts and a Catapult Kids cohort. In total, the program has had 47 graduates.

Two cohorts are now in session — Startup to Storefront with 17 participants and Catapult Culinary with 15 participants.

By August, nearly 100 businesses will have graduated from the programs. All of them are run by Black or Latino entrepreneurs and about 85% are women.