There are bar crawls to sample beer and spirits, and art crawls to see paintings and drawings.
And from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday in Downtown Pittsburgh there will be a Spring Stroll Downtown Boutique Crawl — to try on clothing and accessories.
The idea came from Marissa Zimmerman, owner of Whimsical Wardrobe Boutique located inside Ensemble on Fifth, which houses 25 small businesses.
Ensemble on Fifth is a co-working space offering leasing opportunities for retailers and designers. There are multiple term agreements, dressing rooms, a business center, photography area and storage. It’s adjacent to historic Market Square.
Zimmerman invited other area stores to participate. Each will offer customer perks such as discounts or gifts with purchase, drinks and light bites. They are Fresh Nostalgia on Sixth Street, 306 Forbes Boutique & Brow Bar on Forbes, Boutique La Passerelle on Wood Street. Larrimor’s, on Fifth Avenue, is donating 10% of sales to Family House.
Tom Michael, co-owner of Larrimor’s, said people are returning to Downtown and events such as this one are a great way to welcome them back. He said the space is stocked with spring apparel, footwear and accessories. The men’s and women’s apparel and accessories store has been located in the city since 1939, and since 2009 at the current location.
“We are set for spring,” said Michael. “We have always been happy to be Downtown. It’s important to support events such as this one. There are great businesses here.”
FreshNostalgia will offer a signature vodka cocktail, wine and some light bites as well as a gift with purchase. Owner Beth Buenaventura said there had been attempts at similar boutique crawls before the pandemic but they hadn’t been that successful.
“I’ve got my spring arrivals and my store is fully stocked,” she said. “I would love for this to become a regular event. Boutique crawls are about more than shopping. They are a chance to meet other people who share a sense of style and fashion and that can create a sense of community.”
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Zimmerman said it’s a reason to come Downtown. And what is better than an opportunity to sip and shop, she said.
“There are plenty of shopping options in the city,” Zimmerman said. “We want people to know we are here and we have some fun fashions and that we are open year-round.”
