{"id":202601,"date":"2026-05-26T16:01:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T16:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/202601\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T16:01:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T16:01:07","slug":"why-songbird-artistry-is-taking-off-in-a-new-direction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/202601\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Songbird Artistry is Taking Off in a New Direction"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Songbird\"<\/a><\/p>\n

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEBBIE JACKNIN\/SONGBIRD ARTISTRY<\/p>\n

After nearly a decade on Penn Avenue, Songbird Artistry has sung its final tune.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Lawrenceville storefront, known for its community, connection and creativity, officially shut its doors on April 12.<\/p>\n

Debbie Jacknin, who opened the store in 2016 with her two daughters, Jenny and Jacklyn Orefice, says closing the storefront wasn\u2019t based on one decision, but rather multiple factors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I would say is that it was a series of decisions\u2026we wouldn\u2019t have closed because of minor factors, but it was a combined amount of things that made us realize that our place on Penn was no longer serving our needs,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

While it was the family\u2019s dream space due to its architecture and prime location, Debbie explains that due to her age, schedule and the area\u2019s increasing rent, she realized it made more sense to focus on shows rather than Songbird Artistry\u2019s brick-and-mortar shop.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be 66 \u2026 and I want to work less, not more,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Parking also played a significant role in their decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere have been so many people who have come up to us and said that they would have stopped by the shop if there had been parking,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s not like other places Downtown. If you\u2019re in Lawrenceville, Bloomfield where we are, if you can\u2019t find parking, you can\u2019t find parking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jacknin says she is actively searching for a new space that will foster the same sense of inclusivity fostered at Songbird Artistry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like we\u2019re leaving a hole in the Pittsburgh community. And this is why we would eventually like to find another space,\u201d she says. \u201cFirst off, we\u2019ve created a space that\u2019s inclusive. I don\u2019t care who you are, but when you walk into my shop, you will feel welcome. And in the society that we live in, that\u2019s more important than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

The owners are currently partnered with Hollow Oak Land Trust to find a new storefront, preferably a Victorian home where they can recreate their signature warm and welcoming environment; they also are working closely with Phipps Conservatory, where they host an array of classes that range from stained-glass mosaics to terrarium making.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the meantime, the family can still be found at different pop-up events and art shows including the Three Rivers Arts Festival, Squirrel Hill Night Market and Picklesburgh. Their products also are sold at various locations including the Heinz History Center, Lucy\u2019s in the Strip and I Made It! Market.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe still are out there. There\u2019s other places you\u2019re going to see us. We haven\u2019t flown the coop, we\u2019re just kind of out there flying around to a different location.\u201d<\/p>\n

The idea behind Songbird Artistry originally hatched when co-owner Jenny Orefice started making jewelry in high school. As the business grew, it led to a booth at the Pittsburgh Public Market under the name Jenns Jems. In 2016, the family business moved into its storefront across from UPMC Children\u2019s Hospital of Pittsburgh as Songbird Artistry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a kettle. I have art inside of me and I have to do it.\u201d Jacknin says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The name Songbird Artistry sparked from Jacknin\u2019s late husband, Larry. When they were first dating, she recalled being on the beach with him while he painted a landscape that included birds. There, she came up with the nickname Larry Bird. After Larry passed away in 2016, the name of the business came to the family quite easily.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve always loved birds. We\u2019ve always loved songs,\u201d she says. \u201cMy kids both have their love of music and singing. And artistry made sense because we were artists who wanted to bring other artists together. And while we\u2019re just closing this nest, we\u2019re going to find a new nest.\u201d\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHOTO COURTESY OF DEBBIE JACKNIN\/SONGBIRD ARTISTRY After nearly a decade on Penn Avenue, Songbird Artistry has sung its…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":202602,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[8588,73,75,74,2918,89445],"class_list":["post-202601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-lawrenceville","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news","tag-small-business","tag-songbird-artistry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=202601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202601\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/202602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=202601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=202601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=202601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}