With the holiday season looming, people are on the lookout for special gifts that will make 2020 a little brighter. Pittsburgh boasts numerous local shops that need your patronage now more than ever. Two new boutiques — one an online-only shop, the other a brick-and-mortar business debuting in the Strip District — are here to help you make the season more stylish.
Hazel Grey
When Kelly Vigliotti’s friends need trendy clothes to wear, they raid her wardrobe.
The Fox Chapel native will soon play stylist on a larger scale when Hazel Grey opens Nov. 28 at the corner of Penn Ave. and 31st St. in the Strip District.
The boutique — named after her dog and favorite color — will sell fashionable and affordable women’s clothing and accessories with all items under $150.
Vigliotti, who learned the ropes at Nordstrom and various boutiques in the area, sources her goods from designers based in New York City and Los Angeles. Her personal style is minimalist, with a neutral color palette, but she says Hazel Grey will have looks to suit all tastes and body types. Big trends this year include loungewear, animal prints, denim, tie-dye and gold jewelry.
She is hoping to launch her website in December and in the spring, add shoes to her inventory.
Vigliotti is excited to welcome customers to her opening on Small Business Saturday, a nationwide effort to support local businesses. The grand opening will feature live music and giveaways with Covid restrictions in place.
“I want to give people a sense of normalcy, but make sure everyone feels comfortable and safe,” she says.
Guests can easily find Hazel Grey in the Strip. While the newly painted façade is white and the font is elegant, the side of the building — which once housed the 31st Street Pub — features a mural of the Incredible Hulk and Wolverine.
Despite numerous hurdles caused by the pandemic, Vigliotti is glad she followed through with her plans. During her recent pop-up event at Trend Salon in Lawrenceville, shoppers applauded her tenacity while perusing the racks.
“I’m proud of myself,” she says. “I figure if I can get through this, I can get through anything.”
enliven Lifestyle Boutique
Leisa Anderson and Chelsea Greggs are sisters-in-law and experts in fashion.
In June, the pair opened enliven Lifestyle Boutique, a Pittsburgh-based online marketplace for fellow trendsetters.
The ever-changing collection, which is sourced from small businesses in Pittsburgh and throughout the country, includes clothing for men and women, herbal supplements, skin care products, private label candles and pet accessories. The pair is constantly looking for new vendors that create unique, Instagram-worthy wares.
With Covid shutting down a lot of storefronts and more folks gravitating to online shopping, Anderson and Greggs — who each have a background in sales — decided to pursue their dream via the Internet.
This year’s most popular items (other than face masks) are shirts with humorously relatable sayings that bring levity to the situation. The “Surviving 2020 One Sip at a Time” tee is a big hit, but so are ones that say “Be a Good Human” and “Create Sunshine, Not Shade.”
Uplifting people isn’t just a fashion fad; enliven works with A Glimmer Of Hope Foundation and Animal Friends, donating pieces or whole collections to each organization.
Supporting others during the pandemic is important to Anderson and Greggs and key to their small business model.
“Chelsea and I both believe in bringing light and love to those around us,” says Anderson, who spent years in retail and restaurant management. “We could think of no other name that seemed as suitable and described our mission as strongly as enliven. Our mission remains to enliven the lives of others.”