The Bloomfield Development Corporation along with Dollar Bank sponsored a Free Business Financing Workshop for existing and start-up businesses. It was held on April 26 at Alexander’s Italian Bistro, 5104 Liberty Avenue. While everyone enjoyed delicious appetizers, Colleen Molinero from Dollar Bank talked about the different loans available for small and new businesses and how to apply for them. She was followed by Raymond Garofalo also from Dollar Bank who explained how important a good personal credit score is and gave us tips on how to get and maintain one.

Josette Fitzgibbons and John Burke from the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh were there as well. They described the help available to businesses though the URA. Jossette explained the Streetscape, Facade and Best fit programs offered by our Mainstreet Program.

FREE Business Financing Workshop
Presentation Courtesy of Dollar Bank

All the speakers took questions, there were all very easy to talk to and provided a lot of information in less then two hours. If you would like information on the presentation, please call or e-mail Terry Aiello, Mainstreet Manager or contact the offices at 412-681-8800.

Look for financial workshop in the future sponsored by other Bloomfield banks and the BDC.

On Monday, April 26, the Bloomfield Development Corporation will host a free workshop for small businesses. Types of loans, application strategies, personal credit requirements, lending resources and business planning assistance will be discussed by speakers from the BDC, Dollar Bank, Urban Redevelopment Authority and the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence.

Details are below, and to make your reservation, email Karla Owens or call the BDC at 412-681-8800.

To help promote the event, download a printable PDF flyer.

Monday, April 26, 2010
6:00 PM

Alexander’s Restaurant
5104 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224

Bloomfield Events Calendar

2009 Best of Pittsburgh Readers’ Poll Results

City Paper’s “2009 Best of Pittsburgh Readers’ Poll” included several winners from Bloomfield. While we didn’t have as many winners as last year, we got a few repeat victories (“Best hipster bar/club”, “Best karaoke bar”, “Best hamburger”), and one new business (Pinky’s Pet Parlour) on the list:

Culture & Nightlife

Best hipster bar/club
1^st Brillobox

Best karaoke bar
1^st Nico’s Recovery Room

Food & Drink

Best Italian restaurant
2^nd Del’s

Best Southeast Asian restaurant
1^st Tram’s Kitchen

Best coffeehouse
1^st Crazy Mocha, various locations

Best hamburger
1^st Tessaro’s

Best cheap eats
3^rd Ritter’s Diner

Goods & Services

Best place to buy used CDs
2^nd Paul’s Compact Discs

Best place to still buy vinyl
3^rd Paul’s Compact Discs

Best pet grooming
3^rd Pinky’s Pet Parlour

People, Places & Propaganda

Most of these categories aren’t location-specific, but the following winners are tied to Bloomfield in meaningful ways:

Best blogger
1^st Pitt Girl, Virginia Montanez: Before PittGirl revealed her identity, she wrote a guest post for us. Look for another guest post from the artist formerly known as PittGirl in the new year.

Best bus route
1^st 54C: We’re proud to share this route with a lot of other great neighborhoods.

Best Form of Alternative Transportation
1^st Biking: We’ve had bike lanes since 2007, and urban cycling magazine Urban Velo is based here.
2^nd Walking: Bloomfield is a Walkers’ Paradise.

Best thing about hosting the G-20
1^st Publicity and exposure for our city: We had some of that.

Best Pittsburgh politician
2^nd Bill Peduto: Councilman for City Council District 8

Best of 2009 Staff Picks

Besides the readers’ poll results, City Paper staffers also choose “Best Of” winners of tomorrow — some of Pittsburgh’s best that readers may not yet know about, in categories that weren’t on the ballot. Each pick is explained in a short description that is worth reading, so click on the main categories for more information.

Culture + Nightlife Staff Picks

Best reinvention of a venue
Howlers Coyote Café

Food + Drink Staff Picks

Best food to come in both carnivorous and vegetarian forms
Thai Gourmet’s General Tso’s chicken/tofu

Congratulations to all of the Bloomfield businesses that were recognized this year. Maybe next year we’ll put together a Bloomfield ballot — what do you think?

The Department of Environmental Protection is looking to help small businesses become more energy efficient. With the growing concerns for the environment and saving money, this is a great way to get started.

This program, that was started in 2004, provides grants to small businesses to help them with the costs of becoming energy efficient and preventing pollution. The deadline to apply for this grant is  Jan. 15, which is just in time for the winter heating bills. Check out this document to apply and to make sure you qualify for the grant.

For more information, contact Polly Grimpe from State Rep. Dom Costa’s office at 412-361-2040.

Urban Hike’s scavenger hunt in Bloomfield on Saturday will include some clues that highlight local businesses. This is a photo scavenger hunt, so if you’re a business owner, you may notice participants taking photos of the outside of your business. However, teams will be told to ask permission if they wish to photograph inside a business.

We’re interested in telling the stories of the businesses of Bloomfield. If you’re a Bloomfield business owner with a story about your connection to our community, please email John and we’ll get in touch with you to set up an interview. Don’t miss this opportunity to tell your story!

On Friday, February 13, 2009, Children’s Hospital will be holding a community fair at the Oakland facility to introduce employees of the new Children’s Hospital to the surrounding business communities. The event is from 12–3. I will be attending with representatives from the BBA with literature on Bloomfield. If anyone has any business cards, flyers, promotional pieces on your business, please let me know and I will make arrangements to pick them up and disburse them to the future Children’s Hospital employees. The expected attendance is 300.

For more information, call the BBA at 412-681-2054.

Friday, February 13, 2009
12–3 PM

Children’s Hospital Oakland Facility
3705 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Bloomfield Events Calendar

2008 Best of Pittsburgh Readers’ Poll Results

City Paper’s “2008 Best of Pittsburgh Readers’ Poll” included several winners from Bloomfield. While winning “Best Italian restaurant” is no surprise for Pittsburgh’s Little Italy, our businesses were also recognized in several other categories, including “Best Thai”, “Best Vietnamese” and “Best hamburger”:

NIGHTLIFE & CULTURE

Best overall club/bar
1^st Brillobox

Best hipster bar/club
1^st Brillobox

Best bar to see strippers
3^rd Cricket Lounge

Best karaoke bar
1^st Nico’s Recovery Room

FOOD & DRINK

Best Italian restaurant
1^st (tie) Bravo & Del’s

Best Thai restaurant
1^st Thai Cuisine

Best Vietnamese restaurant
1^st Tram’s Kitchen

Best hamburger
1^st Tessaro’s

GOODS & SERVICES

Best place to buy used CDs
1^st Paul’s Compact Discs

Best place to still buy vinyl
2^nd Paul’s Compact Discs

PEOPLE, PLACES & LIFESTYLE

Best bartender
3^rd Brian, Brillobox

Best of 2008 Staff Picks

Besides the readers’ poll results, City Paper staffers also chose “Best Of” winners of tomorrow — some of Pittsburgh’s best that readers may not yet know about, in categories that weren’t on the ballot. It’s no surprise that Bloomfield businesses were among their picks:

Staff picks: nightlife + culture

Best place besides your bedroom to imbibe & scribe
Drink & Draw night at Brillobox
4104 Penn Ave., Bloomfield. 412-621-4900 or www.brillobox.net

Best place to get your Slavo-Punjabi groove on
Pandemic DJ night at Brillobox
4104 Penn Ave., Bloomfield. 412-621-4900 or www.myspace.com/pghpandemic

Staff picks: food + drink

Best vegetarian food that we don’t exactly know what it is
Vegetarian chicken ham, Thai Cuisine.
4627 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield. 412-688-9661

Best beer of mysterious origins
$1 fridge night at the Bloomfield Bridge Tavern
4412 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield. 412-682-8611 or myspace.com/polishpartyhouse

Best cure for a hangover
Vegetarian pho at Tram’s Kitchen
4050 Penn Ave., Bloomfield. 412-682-2688

Best brew for teetotalers
House-brewed birch beer or cream soda at Church Brew Works
3525 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield. 412-688-8200 or www.churchbrew.com

Staff picks: goods + services

Best place to rent movies that isn’t the Internet
Dreaming Ant
4525 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield. 412-683-7326 or www.dreamingant.com

Best place to bone up on Chomsky
The Big Idea Infoshop
504 Millvale Ave., Bloomfield. 412-687-4323 or www.thebigideapgh.org

Each staff pick was followed by an explanatory paragraph, so make sure you click on the category titles to read more.

Congratulations to all of the Bloomfield businesses that were recognized this year.