Aaron Allen could have opened his cigar business anywhere in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

But in the Greensburg Salem graduate’s eyes, Humidor Cigars & Lounge only made sense in his hometown — Jeannette.

“I truly believe in Jeannette and I truly believe in the people,” said Allen, 37. “By us in the community building businesses here, that’s how we create a retention program with keeping young people here.”

Humidor Cigars & Lounge is one of a handful of new businesses that have opened doors in Westmoreland County recently — including Popsy’s Golf Center and Coffee Tree Roasters in Unity, Lounge Barbershop in Greensburg and Good Life Wine & Spirits in Hempfield.

Also slated to open in the coming weeks is Tough Love Tattoo in downtown Greensburg.

Massoud Hossaini |TribLive  

Humidor Cigars & Lounge

Allen is no stranger to entrepreneurship.

The Jeannette resident owns Greensburg Event Center, Elite Tactical Firearms Training, Allen Vending Services and Allen Investment Group. And by day, he works as a state police trooper.

Allen was introduced to cigar lounges about 10 years ago, he said.

“It’s a space where everyone is included, everyone is welcomed,” he said, “and it’s almost like free therapy.”

Jeannette’s first cigar shop, Humidor offers more than 120 brands of cigars and a variety of cigar-related retail items — including cutters and lighters. Allen and General Manager Chris Cirillo opened the store Oct. 24.

Every Jeannette restaurant will deliver mobile orders to the lounge, Allen said. He aims to host cigar rolling events and Super Bowl watch parties to engage with the community.

Courtesy of Greg Kocinski Jack Oberdorf, 24, of Greensburg (left) and Greg Kocinski, 30, of Latrobe in Popsy’s Golf Center in Unity.  

Popsy’s Golf Center

For the past five years, Latrobe resident Greg Kocinski and his brother-in-law Jack Oberdorf, of Greensburg, have bonded over their love of golf.

During the cold winter months, the pair went to Corsi’s Indoor Golf along East Pittsburgh Street to keep their game sharp. But when Corsi’s closed this year, Kocinski and Oberdorf decided to fill the gap themselves.

“We loved it (at Corsi’s),” said Kocinski, 30. “That was the place we would go to hit balls, so we were sad when there wasn’t a place locally to go to anymore.”

Popsy’s Golf Center, located on Sand Hill Road in Unity, is named after Jim Alcorn — Oberdorf’s grandfather. Alcorn taught Oberdorf and Kocinski how to golf.

“This is kind of a legacy to him to kind of keep things going,” Kocinski said.

The golf center — which opened Nov. 1 — features an indoor putting green and two golf simulators, where users can pick from thousands of courses to play.

“The goal is to create a space for serious golfers and also people who just like to golf casually … to come and hang out, enjoy the game and get the same excitement out of it that we as owners do,” Kocinski said.

Courtesy of Jean Swoope Coffee Tree Roasters in Unity.  

Coffee Tree Roasters

After six years of running Coffee Tree Roasters, owner Jean Swoope is used to the hustle and bustle of the Pittsburgh-area coffee scene.

Swoope, 58, of Squirrel Hill inherited the business in 2019 from her late husband, who founded Coffee Tree Roasters with his father in 1993. More than three decades later, the business has expanded into Westmoreland County — sharing a space with a Somerset Trust Bank along Route 30 in Unity.

It is Coffee Tree Roaster’s fifth location — joining those in the Fox Chapel area, Mt. Lebanon, Pleasant Hills and Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood, Swoope said.

“I think it’s very much a different environment (in Unity),” Swoope said. “We have a lot more people — rather than running in and out, being on the go — really sitting and staying and meeting people.

“The pace feels a little different, and we are embracing it.”

Somerset Trust approached Swoope about joining the bank in a business venture before the covid pandemic. When the pandemic forced Somerset Trust to reevaluate its business plans, the idea went dormant.

In 2023, the bank reached out to Swoope about giving the partnership another go. Within the past two months, Coffee Tree Roasters opened in the back half of Somerset Trust’s Unity location — a former Pizza Hut.

It includes drive-thru service and an outdoor seating area.

“I think we’ve really brought something unique out to Latrobe that you just don’t have in the general area,” she said.

Courtesy of Adam Jacobsen Adam Jacobsen, 38, of Hempfield cuts a customer’s hair.  

Lounge Barbershop

Adam Jacobsen earns a living cutting hair. But the 38-year-old Hempfield resident considers his work a service to peoples’ confidence.

“I look at my job like, yeah, it’s just haircuts,” Jacobsen said, “but everybody knows when you get your hair done or get a haircut, it makes you feel good. … I get to make people feel good about themselves.”

Jacobsen earned his barber’s license in 2020 after a brief stint in the restaurant industry. His wife, who has operated a salon out of their home for about nine years, encouraged him to make the jump.

“It was something I played around with but never took seriously,” Jacobsen said. “When I looked into it, I thought it might be something I enjoyed.

“I like working with people. I like being on my feet and doing a job.”

Jacobsen worked about four years at a barbershop in South Greensburg before deciding to open his own store, Lounge Barbershop, along Greensburg’s East Pittsburgh Street.

The shop opened Aug. 19.

“I’ve got another 20, 25 years in my career,” he said, “and to be able to get into downtown Greensburg right now and be a part of all the stuff they’re doing down here is pretty exciting.”

Good Life Wine & Spirits

Joseph DiSalvo was born into the restaurant industry.

DiSalvo, 60, of Greensburg grew up watching his parents and uncle serve gourmet Italian food at DiSalvo’s Restaurant in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood.

Now, he operates the family’s only remaining restaurant, DiSalvo’s Station in Latrobe. But DiSalvo’s latest business venture — importing and distributing international wines for retail purchase — plays into his Italian roots.

Good Life Wine & Spirits first opened in 2015, exclusively selling imported wines to local restaurants. The warehouse, located along Clark Street in Hempfield, opened its doors Oct. 11 for customers to individually purchase Italian and Australian wines. There also is a wine tasting bar for visitors to test the beverages in-house.

“Why should they be denied these beautiful gifts of wine from Italy that they never knew existed?” DiSalvo said. “That was my motivation to bring what I have to the hometown crowd, to our backyard.”

Courtesy of Chelsea Balon Chelsea Balon, 30, of Greensburg stands outside of her tattoo and piercing shop, Tough Love Tattoo.  

Tough Love Tattoo

Chelsea Balon understands the skepticism surrounding tattoo shops.

“I know that tattoo shops can be intimidating for a lot of people, me included,” she said.

That’s why Balon aims for her tattoo and piercing shop, Tough Love Tattoo, to be an art-centered business.

“I just want to bring a more friendly and welcoming, but also very upscale, art-forward environment,” said Balon, 30, of Greensburg. “Tattooing is at the heart of everything we do, but the heart of that is art.”

Balon signed the lease for her downtown Greensburg storefront this summer. She aims to hire two additional tattoo artists and open doors by the end of November.

In addition to tattoos and piercings, the business will offer laser tattoo removal and tooth gem installations, she said.

Located along South Pennsylvania Avenue, Tough Love Tattoo will be at the heart of the Downtown Greensburg Project’s monthly Night Market. Balon looks forward to being a part of the action — offering flash tattoos and deals on other services during the Thursday evening events.

“The Night Market is just incredible, honestly,” she said. “It is just very inspiring and it’s something I want to be around.”

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