The Refillery, a sustainable, zero-waste store, opened a pop-up storefront in the ground level of Encore Apartments. This initiative is made possible through the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s Project Pop-Up program, which was designed to create a more vibrant street-level environment downtown.
12
Potential months of transformative opportunity for businesses
2nd
Location of The Refillery in Pittsburgh
Saturday, March 2nd marked the grand opening of The Refillery’s new pop-up storefront on the ground level of Encore Apartments at 100 7th Street. With funding from the Hillman Foundation, and support from the property owner, McCaffery, The Refillery is the first of several businesses that the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership hopes to place Downtown through their ongoing Project Pop-Up program.
With dozens of people in attendance, The Refillery created a day full of fun, festivities, and opportunities to meet and learn from their team members and vendors. The festivities began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, featuring McCaffery Vice President, Dean Welch, Director of Economic Development at Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, Cate Irvin, and several members of the Project Pop-Up Selection Committee, including Siena Kane from the Urban Redevelopment Authority, John Valentine from the Downtown Neighbors Alliance, and Kelly Sanders from love, Pittsburgh.
This first grand opening event marks a milestone of the Project Pop-Up initiative, which provides entrepreneurs with an opportunity to activate pop-up retail shops in available storefronts in Downtown Pittsburgh. Engaged property owners donate their vacant storefronts to the program for
6-to-12 months rent-free so that selected applicants can occupy and transform the spaces to create more vibrant street-level environments Downtown.
While retail occupancy in the Golden Triangle is currently at a robust 92.1%, bringing more storefront concepts downtown will further contribute to its growing small business community. Activation can range from six months to one year, with the potential for extended occupancy.
This is the second stand-alone retail location in Pittsburgh for The Refillery, a sustainable and eco-conscious store that allows customers to bring clean containers from home to refill with personal care and home essentials. Its extensive selection includes refills such as hand soap, dish soap, laundry detergent, as well as shampoos, conditioner and other items.
"We're excited to welcome The Refillery as our first Project Pop-Up location," said Cate Irvin, director of economic development for the PDP. "Through this initiative, our goal is to bring innovative small businesses to our neighborhood, and I'm confident they'll enrich our growing community. We are also deeply grateful to McCaffery for providing not only a fantastic storefront space but also in helping with the build-out. They played a pivotal role in bringing The Refillery to Downtown and contributing to this initial success of Project Pop-Up.”
Larissa Russo, owner and founder of The Refillery, expressed gratitude for the opportunity: "We're honored to be part of Project Pop-Up! Downtown is the vibrant heart of our city, making it the perfect location for The Refillery's eco-friendly offerings. We want to thank the PDP and McCaffery for their generosity, guidance and support through this process. Navigating something that's so new and different can be intimidating, but their support helped us feel confident and ready to hit the ground running!"
About Project Pop-Up
In collaboration with Downtown property owners and through the generous support of the Hillman Foundation, Project Pop-Up is currently seeking applications from prospective pop-up retail businesses to transform vacant storefronts into vibrant, activated spaces, creating new and exciting destinations in Downtown Pittsburgh. While retail occupancy in the Golden Triangle is currently at a robust 92.1%, the goal of this initiative is to implement storefront concepts that will further contribute to Downtown’s growing small business community. Activation can range from six months to one year, with the potential for extended occupancy.For complete program information, please visit downtownpittsburgh.com/project-pop-up.
About the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership
Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP) is a dynamic, nonprofit organization comprised of business and community leaders, property owners, civic organizations, foundations and residents who provide energy, vision and advocacy for Downtown Pittsburgh. Working collaboratively with its partners, the PDP strives to create a positive Downtown experience for residents, workers and visitors alike. The PDP’s strategic initiatives include clean and safe services, transportation, economic development and advocacy. For more information, visit www.DowntownPittsburgh.com, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/downtownpitt and “like” us on Facebook.
About The Refillery
The Refillery is dedicated to providing sustainable, plastic-free alternatives for home and personal care essentials. Visit therefillerypgh.com/ for more information.
About McCaffery
McCaffery is a privately owned, full-service commercial real estate company that has been in the business of investing, developing, leasing and managing real estate for more than 30 years. The McCaffery portfolio of planned, completed and managed projects exceeds 20 million square feet and includes office, mixed-use, hotel, and residential properties, as well as large, master-planned communities and land developments. McCaffery is known in Pittsburgh for the award-winning restoration and redevelopment of the Strip District Terminal, The Cork Factory and Lot 24, and was named NAIOP Pittsburgh’s 2019 Developer of the Year. For more information, visit McCafferyInc.com.