PBS series 'Start Up' to highlight New Kensington revitalization effort

New Kensington will be featured in the 10th season of a PBS series highlighting small businesses across the nation.

Gary Bredow, host of “Start Up,” and a small crew were in the city Monday filming an episode focused on Olde Towne Overhaul and its efforts to revitalize downtown New Kensington by acquiring and renovating buildings for use by new businesses.

“We’re very excited to bring more positive energy and attention to New Kensington,” Olde Towne Overhaul President Mike Malcanas said before sitting down for his interview with Bredow at Voodoo Brewing Co. — New Kensington Pub, which Malcanas owns.

Bredow said the 13-episode season will begin airing weekly in late September or early October. When the New Kensington episode will come out is not yet known, as the order of the episodes will be figured out after they are filmed.

The season will feature four episodes in the Pittsburgh area. The other three Pittsburgh episodes are on “SurfSUP Adventures,” a paddleboard business; Churn, an ice cream and coffee shop; and Module, a maker of prefabricated, energy-efficient homes.

Bredow and his crew were slated to head to Baltimore after filming in New Kensington. Other episodes of the season are in Philadelphia, New York City and New Jersey.

Bredow, a native of Detroit, last visited the Pittsburgh area for the first season of “Start Up.” Four Pittsburgh-area businesses were among those featured in the inaugural season’s episodes.

“It’s been a great reunion,” he said.

The show’s format changed over the years from covering three businesses in a single half-hour episode to doing a deep dive on one per episode, Bredow said.

The New Kensington episode will be unique, as it will look at the city’s revitalization, including Olde Towne Overhaul, Voodoo Brewery and two businesses that opened in its buildings — Sweet Alchemy, a vegan bakery; and Las Hachas, an ax-throwing business.

“The overarching theme will be about small businesses coming together to bring a town back,” Bedrow said. “This story is worth telling.”

Jamie Parker, who opened the storefront for Sweet Alchemy in 2021, said the crew filmed her for three hours in the morning. She said they covered her own story, what led her to open her business and what led her to locate it in New Kensington.

“I loved every minute of it,” she said. “I wouldn’t have predicted this.”

Parker said she hopes to have a screening party when the episode airs.

“We want to celebrate this,” she said. “It’s really about the community and its people. Welcoming people back to New Kensington is the important part.”

Las Hachas opened in November. Brian Heidenreich, who owns it with his brother, Zach, and their friend, Brian Mangone, said things have been going well enough that they have expanded hours to Wednesday and Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons.

Fifth Avenue is increasingly lit up at night as Las Hachas and other storefronts are installing exterior lighting, Brian Heidenreich said.

“It’s easy to be enthusiastic about what’s going on,” he said. “The vibe is really positive.”

New Kensington Mayor Tom Guzzo stopped by Voodoo Brewery to say hello and was interviewed for the episode.

At Wednesday’s opening of the Digital Foundry at New Kensington on Fifth Avenue, Guzzo said 63 new businesses have opened in the city over the past 28 months and more are on the way.

“Anything that positively promotes our town is phenomenal,” Guzzo said. “This is awesome.”