Pittsburgh is preparing for the NFL draft by transforming downtown with pop-up businesses and renovations to attract crowds and boost the local economy. Mayor Corey O’Connor said extensive preparations are underway, including the transformation of up to 50 vacant storefronts into pop-up businesses and renovations to Market Square.”So, obviously, we have Market Square, we have Arts Landing. So a lot of infrastructure that needs to be done in the next 40-plus days. So we’re excited to speed those processes up. But these are also not just for the draft. These are long-term. And these are places where we’re going to have events year-round,” O’Connor said.The mayor emphasized the efforts of a new economic development leadership team focused on attracting new businesses to fill downtown gaps before the draft. He encouraged interested parties to contact the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership to set up pop-up stores, ranging from yoga studios to restaurants.”So, anybody out there that’s interested in a pop-up store in downtown throughout the draft, please contact the PDP. It’s a great way to promote your own business. And it could be anything, could be from a yoga studio, art studio to a restaurant. So all of those things we’re trying to get filled for downtown, and a lot of people did answer the call and are coming down,” O’Connor said.The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership reported that 24 new ground-floor businesses opened downtown in the past year, including nine supported through their programs. Residents like Tammy Pagareski see the opportunity as beneficial but express concerns about the potential crowds.”I think it’s going to help benefit Pittsburgh a lot, especially downtown,” Pagareski said. “I like it because it is good for the city, but I’m not sure about the crowd itself. It will make downtown really hectic to be around.” According to the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, about 100 projects and improvements are expected to come to life in the coming weeks. The NFL draft is scheduled for April 23-25.
Pittsburgh is preparing for the NFL draft by transforming downtown with pop-up businesses and renovations to attract crowds and boost the local economy. Mayor Corey O’Connor said extensive preparations are underway, including the transformation of up to 50 vacant storefronts into pop-up businesses and renovations to Market Square.
“So, obviously, we have Market Square, we have Arts Landing. So a lot of infrastructure that needs to be done in the next 40-plus days. So we’re excited to speed those processes up. But these are also not just for the draft. These are long-term. And these are places where we’re going to have events year-round,” O’Connor said.
The mayor emphasized the efforts of a new economic development leadership team focused on attracting new businesses to fill downtown gaps before the draft. He encouraged interested parties to contact the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership to set up pop-up stores, ranging from yoga studios to restaurants.
“So, anybody out there that’s interested in a pop-up store in downtown throughout the draft, please contact the PDP. It’s a great way to promote your own business. And it could be anything, could be from a yoga studio, art studio to a restaurant. So all of those things we’re trying to get filled for downtown, and a lot of people did answer the call and are coming down,” O’Connor said.
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership reported that 24 new ground-floor businesses opened downtown in the past year, including nine supported through their programs. Residents like Tammy Pagareski see the opportunity as beneficial but express concerns about the potential crowds.
“I think it’s going to help benefit Pittsburgh a lot, especially downtown,” Pagareski said. “I like it because it is good for the city, but I’m not sure about the crowd itself. It will make downtown really hectic to be around.”
According to the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, about 100 projects and improvements are expected to come to life in the coming weeks. The NFL draft is scheduled for April 23-25.