Serendipity Accessories

“Accessories to Express Yourself”:
Serendipity has the “Accessories to Express Yourself” this holiday season. You don’t have to travel far to get that new look for you or a friend, as Serendipity has the hottest trends handpicked and arriving frequently, direct from the fashion capitals of the world. Since it is Cyber Monday, you may want to get some shopping done straight from their website. But if you’re already Downtown stop in to experience the personalized service and expert advice from Serendipity’s style consultants. You’ll be sure to create a stylish new you or find the perfect gift.

Nationally Recognized:
Serendipity is owned and operated by Kimberly and Peter Coppola. Their boutique has been Downtown for 6 years and has recently moved to Market Square. Serendipity has been nationally recognized as a prominent leader in the fashion industry by Accessories Magazine and was chosen to be a stylist for the magazine’s 2009 fall photo shoot. Serendipity is celebrated locally as well, and was voted Best of Pittsburgh 2009 by Pittsburgh Magazine.

Kim and Peter Do More than Accessories:
The couple has recently become published authors; “No More Chasing the Carrot,” is featured in the book "A Cup of Cappuccino for the Entrepreneur’s Spirit”. Serendipity is also involved with many local charities and is a proud sponsor of the Miss USA Pageant for Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Serendipity is open Monday- Friday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. For more information and Holiday hours, visit http://www.serendipityaccessories.com/, their MySpace page or Kim's Fashion Blog.

Mancini's Bread Company and Prantl's Bakery

Make sure you have a crowd pleasing meal this holiday season. Mancini’s Bread Company and Prantl’s Bakery have joined forces in Market Square.  Stop in for the perfect bread and dessert that will leave your guests wanting more.

At Mancini’s you will find everything from white, wheat, rye, pumpernickel, marble, raisin bread, twist bread and much more. Stop in at lunch time and get their famous pepperoni rolls, or other rolled sanwiches. Don't want to wait until lunch? Stop in for a fabulous breakfast roll, served till 10:30 a.m.

You don’t have to travel far for that perfect dessert.  Prantl's burnt almond torte is the “icing on the cake” for any meal. It is made with their famous yellow "scrap" batter cake, creamy custard, homemade buttercream and loads of secret recipe toasted almonds. They also have a generous selection of cakes, pies, pastries and rolls.

Mancini Bread Company originated in 1926 when James Mancini, an Italian immigrant opened a one room bakery in McKees Rocks, PA. At fourteen, Jim apprenticed himself to a baker. Jim, who loved to experiment, developed his own bread formula. He rented a space and began a tradition by baking 100 loaves a night and then delivering the fresh bread to his customers the next morning. The "twist " bread was his trademark. Jim's father, Frank Mancini, built a small bakery building in the West Park section of McKees Rocks for him. Jim's brother, Ernie joined him as a partner. Ernie's son, Frankie, joined the firm in 1971. Although Mancini's® now bakes more than ten thousand loaves a day, the bakery still utilizes most of the same Old World techniques, which Jim Mancini practiced in 1926. The bakery employs forty-eight people and operates twenty-four hours a day except for Tuesday and Saturday afternoons. The bread is delivered to restaurants, grocery stores and hoagie shops in the Greater Pittsburgh area.

Prantl’s Bakery is one of the last of the local independent bakeries in a chain store age. Prantl's has been named one of Pittsburgh's best bakeries, by Pittsburgh City Paper and Pittsburgh Magazine. Over 40 Years of business is contributed to hard work, dedication and of course the famous burnt almond torte. Good news, you can now send a torte! Prantl’s famous burnt almond torte is now available for shipping. Send early to avoid disappointment - their torte freezes beautifully. The "travel" version of their famous burnt almond torte is made with their special recipe "wedding creme" custard so it doesn't require refrigeration. You can now enjoy Pittsburgh's most famous dessert anywhere!

Curbside Pick-up To make life easier during the Market Square Construction, you can pick your orders up curbside.  Eliminate the need to parking Downtown!  Pay for your order on the phone and describe your vehicle and when you pull up a staff member will run your completed order straight to your passenger side door.  Talk about simplifying your holidays!
For more information on how to order visit http://www.mancinisbreadcompany.com/ and Prantl's Bakery Facebook Fan Page.

Last Day for Farmers Market

Today is your last chance this year to visit the Market Square Farmers Market!

We'd like to take this opportunity to thank this year's sponsor:

Right By Nature

Locally owned and operated, Right By Nature is a full service natural foods store.  They make healthy, natural, and organic food available at its freshest and at the lowest prices possible. They secure as much product as possible directly from the source, be it the ranch, farm, bottler, or preparer and they do it with in house staff which limits overhead and builds strong community relationships.

In addition to the Market Square Farmers Market, Right By Nature sponsors several locally based charities with donations of food, time, sponsorships, and by supporting events such as, Earth Day, the Pittsburgh Marathon, and Pittsburgh Bike-a-thon. On Tuesdays they host Neighborhood Nights where we invite a particular Pittsburgh neighborhood into the store for a talk centering around natural foods and offer those members of that neighborhood a 5% discount on their purchases.

As the holiday season begins with Thanksgiving next week, it's the perfect time to visit Right By Nature and treat your family!  To learn more about their fresh local products, view their cafe menu,  or to download their weekly sale circular, visit their website at http://www.rightbynature.net/.

We thank Right By Nature for supporting the Market Square Farmers Market and providing the Downtown community with a nearby option for fresh, local, natural foods.

Las Velas Mexican Restaurant

Las Velas Mexican Restaurant is located above Prantl’s Bakery and Mancini Bread Company. It has all the right elements for the perfect lunch, dinner or happy hour spot, including a fun atmosphere, excellent bar options, and a flavorful menu of recipes inspired by Mexico City and the Riviera Maya region of Mexico. Located in their lower level, the Las Velas Margarita bar is the perfect place to grab a few quick tacos for lunch, or to stop by for a late night bite to eat and a delicious margarita any way you like it. The margarita bar opens this Friday on Light Up Night! Las Velas feels it’s an exciting time in downtown Pittsburgh and are so excited to bring the workers, visitors, and residents a little taste of Mexico City and the Riviera Maya. For menus and more information, visit them online at LasVelasMexican.com.

MSq Construction Update

Construction is moving according to schedule!  Keep holding a good thought for mild weather so it can keep moving.  Some of the things you see there right now...

Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority is finishing their work converting old pipes to new pipes in the center of the Square.

You can see where the finished grade of the Square will be by looking at manhole covers and other fixtures.

Now that we've all become used to the Square at its sub-level, its very startling to see where finished grade will be.  One thinks of the Square as a flat space but by looking at the different manhole heights you can see how steep the slope really is.

Any guesses what this is? 

Its the base of a light pole.  When the team is not working with them they place cones on top for safety and visibility.

And here you get a hint of the conduit that runs underground throughout the Square. 

This is why the underground work has taken so long. These pipes run throughout the Square. The grey pipes hold conduit and the white pipes will hold water to irrigate the trees. Sometimes as a construction project lays pipe, they place strings inside to mark where future wiring will run, so when the time comes to snake the wiring through, they have a guide to assist that process.


The Construction Team has given us a heads up... some very visible changes will be coming our way the end of this week and continuing into next week, so stop by the Square to see what happens!

1902 Landmark Tavern

If you can’t beat the rush hour traffic, don’t join them. Visit 1902 Tavern in Market Square for a daily Happy Hour from 5-7 p.m. 1902 Tavern is Pittsburgh’s original steak and chophouse for over 100 years. They specialize in homestyle pasta, prime steaks and chops; also serving a wide range of fresh steaks, seafood, chicken and more that is guaranteed to satisfy! Their restored Vodka Bar and Grille Room, private dining area and bar upstairs make special events “extra special.” Don’t have tickets to a Steelers game? Join 1902 for all Steelers Sunday Home Games for great Black & Gold Specials. Bar opens at 10 AM – Kitchen opens at 11 AM. New Owner Jeff Fleming and Manager Marty Mariani have done great things to the restaurant– stop in soon and say hello!


This Week at 1902 Tavern:
• $19.02 value-priced dinner specials every day
• On Wednesday, November 11th, all past and present Military personnel get a FREE Lunch or Dinner entree (up to $19.02 value with military proof of identification
• On Sunday, Nov. 15 in preparation for the Steelers home game WIN over the Bengals, with great Black & Gold Specials all day long such as: $7 Boilermakers, $3 Coors Light Drafts, $6 Bloody Marys, $5 Mimosas and $5 Black & Golds (Guinness & Stella)   

                             
Fun fact:
1902 Tavern’s liquor license was the 8th issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and bears the certificate number R-8

Camera Repair Services Inc.

Camera Repair Services Inc.

Background...
Stop by Camera Repair Services Inc. to get all the equipment you need, or to repair your camera so you don’t miss out on capturing your holiday traditions. Camera Repair Service, Inc. has been established for about 75 years, and has been in Market Square for about 20 years. Moving from the previous location on Smithfield Street to Market Square was a great move; they feel customers have so much more access to the store, and can easily stop in for drop offs and pick ups on their lunch break while they spend their time at the many restaurants available in the area.

Services...
They specialize in repairing and servicing every camera, film or digital, old and new, as well as video and A/V equipment, all lenses, flashes and other accessories. Their technical staff has almost 30 years of experience, and prides themselves on efficient service for their customers. Repairs are estimated within a couple days, and normally finished in about a week’s time. They have access to a variety of parts and tools, often for cameras that many other repair centers will not even work on due to the age of the equipment.

Not just cameras...
In addition to repairing all photographic and video equipment, they also have a large inventory of refurbished items for sale. Most of their available equipment is displayed in the cases surrounding the walk-in area of the store. They have a selection of newer digital cameras and lenses for professional equipment, as well as almost every format of film camera made (35mm, 120, 4x5 etc). New students looking for a manual film camera have found the shop to be a great resource, as they always have lenses to choose from for their equipment. Clientele looking for video transfers can also utilize their services. They transfer most tape formats to DVD for $25/disc, and also do older film reels at .10/foot.

More information...
Check out their website as it is a great resource for those out of the area too! They have cameras shipped in from all over the world to repair here. Visit their page at www.camerarepairservice.com, which also has a full list of inventory items that is updated regularly.

Fun fact...
The world map wallpaper surrounding the interior of the shop was kept from the travel agency that used to do business out of this building, and it was kept as a cool feature for the store. A few folks from the G20 summit found it interesting to find their location when they stopped in during their visit.