Each Wednesday, students and Oakland residents gather in front of the William Pitt Union to browse local vendors at the Pitt Public Market.

Local small businesses, including Nicky’s Chicago Style Hot Dogs and Weird Little Earrings, vend at the market from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. three Wednesdays per month. On Sept. 9, 10 vendors set up shop and sold their products to the Pitt and Oakland community.

According to University spokesperson Meredith Herndon, the Pitt Public Market started in 2015 as an initiative from the Student Government Board and Pitt’s Dining Services to connect the Pitt community to small, local vendors. Pitt’s Dining Services organize and set up the market every week. 

Herndon said the event was previously held once a month, but due to its popularity, it transitioned to a weekly market. 

MAD Bakeshop sells vegan, gluten-free baked goods and attended the market for the first time on Sept. 9. Anita Alfonsi, the owner and founder, started MAD Bakeshop three years ago because of her and her family’s dietary restrictions.

“I’ve been vegan for about 5 years, but I was a vegetarian for 27 [years] before that,” Alfonsi said. “Half my family is gluten-free, so I’ve been baking for them forever.”

Alfonsi, who used to live in Oakland, said she decided to be a vendor because she wanted to be an option for students with specific diets.

“Some of the students have allergies and diets that are different — vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free — [I] could help some of them,” Alfonsi said.

Students are able to use their meal plan at any of the food vendors by turning their Dining Dollars into tokens. The tokens do not expire and can be used throughout the school year, according to Herndon. Pitt Ca$h, Panther Funds, cash, credit and debit are also valid forms of payment. 

According to Alfonsi, most people pay with their credit or debit card.

Eva Quevedo Rubio, a sophomore athletic training major, said she appreciates being able to use her Dining Dollars and Panther Funds at the market so she can try new food vendors.

“I like having all these restaurants come out to campus. I can explore them and then maybe go to [their permanent locations],” Quevedo Rubio said. “Some people might not be inclined to walk around and find new places. It’s good visibility for [the vendors].”

Abby Smith, a junior studying criminal justice and Spanish, is a weekly vendor with her small business Abeaded. Smith handmakes blue and gold bracelets and began selling them this summer. For her, the Pitt Public Market is a place for locals to support small businesses.

“It’s really nice to shop local and to support people in your community, and that’s something that, walking through here, you’re able to do very easily,” Smith said. “I like that a lot better than I like Amazon and corporations. I think that can save the world — shopping locally.”

Deybrian Castro, a first-year criminal justice major, said the market is “really refreshing” for the Oakland community.

“We always see The Eatery, we have Starbucks, we have Chick-fil-A — all the big companies around here — and then we come to the Pitt [Public] Market and have a refreshing feeling,” Castro said. “It’s nice to try food from all these new places and small [businesses].”

Anike Quinones, a first-year sociology major, goes to the market every Wednesday after class with her friends to get food and discover local businesses.

“A lot of people that go [to Pitt] are not from Pittsburgh, so it’s nice to see small businesses,” Quinones said. “The market is always nice to stroll through.”

Lauren Rajasenan, a senior studying chemistry and politics and philosophy, also visits the market every week for the food trucks. She waited for her Buffalo Blazing fries and chicken from Street Fries 4Ever as she talked about the market’s impact on Oakland.

“It’s a great way to try out local food trucks, local businesses,” Rajasenan said. “It also offers an opportunity to get the community together, because I’m always seeing people I know [and] friends I haven’t seen in a while.” 

As she was eating a cheesecake sample from Kyle’s Cakes N’at, Joyce Jimenez, a first-year studying political science and sociology, said the market brings a nice change and variety to campus.

“You get to get familiar with the small businesses and the community that Oakland has to offer,” Jimenez said. “It’s like, ‘Oh, my God, the market’s here again!’”

Gabriella Nazario, a sophomore psychology and sociology major, said she enjoys the accessibility of the Pitt Public Market.
“I don’t like spending too much money on going out, but I feel like here, because it’s all in one place, it makes it a lot more convenient for everybody,” Nazario said.

The final Pitt Public Market of the semester will be on Nov. 18 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.