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Packs and Dogs…not you average bar
by Mountain Girl ~ February 15th, 2008. Filed under: Business, Community, Development, Infrastructure.
There has been a lot of discussion about the new establishment occupying the former Village Dairy space on Shiloh Street. It seems that the sight of that bright orange sign in the window has caused some uneasiness and speculation about the future of our business district.
Let us first figure out what this new place called Packs and Dogs is and what it is not. Owner Len Semplice (who also owns Redbeard’s) is attempting to take his cue from a successful business model that has been put to the test in other city neighborhoods. Namely, offering high-end imported and craft beers along with a menu centered around sandwiches, burgers, fries, and of course, hot dogs. For those that aren’t familiar with this type of business, think Dee’s SixPax & Dogz in Regent Square, or The Sharp Edge with locations in Sewickley, Shadyside/E. Liberty, and Carnegie. These places are not dive bars pushing six packs of Bud for $3.99 or serving shots and beers to already drunk people in the middle of the day. They feature and sell imported and craft beer that costs about four times as much as the aforementioned domestic. The demographic that they draw is not the Sloppy Joe’s crowd or the 18-year olds that try to get into Jack’s on the South Side with fake I.D.’s. If done correctly, Packs and Dogs will introduce an entirely new group of people to the business district.
The bars/restaurants that I mentioned are not only progressive in terms of their beer selection, they offer vegetarian options and have chosen to make their establishments non-smoking. I suspect Len will take his cue from the latter as well and create a unique place that will actually draw people from other neighborhoods to Mt. Washington specifically to check out his place. The neighborhoods in which The Sharp Edge’s and Dee’s are located are thriving and Regent Square in particular is upheld as a model for business district revitalization.
It is imperative as we try to revitalize our community to keep an open-mind when it comes to the kinds of businesses that will do well enough here to inspire other business owners to set up shop. All bars cannot and should not be lumped into one category. And let us not forget that this new place will be run by someone we all know and trust. Can anyone in Mt. Washington say they haven’t been to Redbeard’s at least once (if not once a week)? I only ask that before you join the “oh no not another bar!” hysteria that you think about what you’re throwing your weight behind. To protest a legitimate businessperson who believes in Mt. Washington as much as we do is to allow another storefront to remain vacant and another opportunity for a Family Dollar or a check-cashing place to move in.
February 16th, 2008 at 9:11 am
Great news~~~!!! thsis sounds like a great place that I imagine i will be visiting frequently. i enjoy a good dive bar from time to time (and our business district is full of them), but this place seems like it will be quite different from what we already have….i acan’t wait! anyone know when it opens?
February 16th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Me and a few of my friends started a site called TheBarkerReview.com. It’s a site dedicated to reviewing Hot Dog shops and I must say I’m excited to have a place like this in my backyard. I’ll be first in line to try one of these dogs and give my review.
On a personal note, I hope that this place is smoke-free, has a killer section of craft beers and has veggie dogs/sandwiches. I haven’t been to any other dog shop that offers all of these options all in one place. D’s allows stink faces to come in there and blow cancer on me. Which is why they won’t get the highest marks on our site.. 20/20 Barkers.
Only time will tell how this place flushes out and I have all the faith in Lenny. He was quick to put the ash trays away during the wonderful 14 hours Pittsburgh was smoke free last year. So he’ll do the right thing.
February 20th, 2008 at 10:46 am
I understand there is a group planning to attend the hearing and jump on the “oh no not another bar” bandwagon. The problem is that bars like sonny’s and sloppy joes have set a bad example and could stand in the way of our communty getting nice places that also happen to serve alcohol. If there is anyone out there reading this that wants to be able to have a selection of great places to eat and drink up here then please consider attending the hearing posted in the window to combat the folks who are trying to stop it from coming. Like you said in the post, The owner of redbeards has proven to be a good business owner, and i have seen young, seniors, and sometimes even families in there eating and I cant think of a good reason to deny this person a permit. For those of you who are opposed, perhaps we can use our energy to get nuisance bars closed down and not prevent good ones from opening.
February 20th, 2008 at 11:30 am
what time is the hearing???? date time?
February 20th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
I cant wait! Finally a business that will attract a higher class of patrons than the drunks I see hanging out in sonnys, sloppy Joes and Michaels. Nobody goes there except for cigarette chompin low lifes during the day and prostitutes and drug dealers at night. Isnt that the whole idea to turing a community around??? upgrading the quality of businesses that will attract NEW people and ideas to our neighborhood?
February 21st, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Amen Cityguy, those nuisance bars need to GO. I hear over and over that Mt. Washington will never be a Shadyside or Regent Square but I say YES WE CAN and we can do it better!
If you don’t believe we can, then please, for the good of the 15211, move to the suburbs.
February 21st, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Lenny who owns Redbeards has done so much for our community in the way of donations and also volunteering his time when we have had special events in the past. I can’t say that about Sonnys or Sloppy Joes. In fact, time and time again I’ve seen drunks stumbling out of Sloppy Joes and then getting behind the wheel. Instead of protesting what I feel would be an asset to 15211 lets try to use our energy on closing down the bars that are attracting the kind of people we do not want in Mt. Washington.!!
February 24th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Interesting story by Brian O’Neill in todays Post-Gazette. Page A-2. Its called The concentric circles of Regent Square. It talks about D’s SixPax & Dogz!! One comment I read “no community is more democratic than a neighborhood. Its boundaries are whatever the residents think they are, and they shift with time. Its casual meeting places can be bars, diners, coffee shops or playgrounds, but they need to be there for a real neighborhood to form, as Regent Square has…..
February 24th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Diane:
You beat me to it! I also read the Brian O’Neill piece and was going to blog about it because it is particularly relevant to our neighborhood. Thanks for mentioning it.
What also piqued my interest was the article on the front page about Ashtabula, Ohio. Specifically, the quote below regarding the kind of Main Street businesses we want to avoid and the underlying socioeconomic issues that also must be addressed in order to revitalize our neighborhood.
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Shortly after taking office, he took a friend from New Mexico on a guided tour of the town.
“I drove him all through the city and he looked at me and said, ‘Tony, you know you’ve got a town in trouble when three stores in the city have the word dollar in their title.’ ”
Mr. Cantagallo laughed
“A couple days later, it wasn’t so funny,” he said. “That’s the level of our shopping. We’re dealing with people who want to buy things for a dollar. That is the standard by which they’re living.”
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Read more here:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08055/859990-176.stm
MG
February 24th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
MG: I had to laugh regarding the article about Ashtabula,Ohio.
When the guy mentioned seeing too many stores with the word dollar in their title, 15211 already has Lucky Bucks and I know some people up here want a Family Dollar to go on Shiloh Steet. Its not laughable, now that I think about it, its very depressing.
February 25th, 2008 at 7:36 am
Diane:
Again though, I think the last part of the quote I mentioned bears repeating. “We’re dealing with people who want to buy things for a dollar. That is the standard by which they’re living.”
I think we have to take care to ensure that a) revitalization efforts address community needs as well as those of tourists and b) economic benefits from tourism should help the entire community. Easier said than done, but I think we’re obligated to try.
MG
February 27th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
This may be old news but I just watched the City councils hearing on TV and they unamimously approved the Packs and Dogs spot on Shiloh Street! Looks like we are on our way to becoming a “cool” neighborhood now. There was also something said about the Mt Washington Lions Club working with Councilamn Deasy to enhance the Virginia and Shiloh Intersection to make it safer for blind pedestrians. I am assuming this means there will be some sort or beeping sound to signal that it is safe to cross. Kudos to this group to getting this accomplished.
February 28th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Great News! Does anyone know when they will open?
February 28th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
I’m not sure East Edge. I heard that City Council approved the resolution to allow the liquor license to change hands. Rumor has it, Packs and Dogs may be open as soon as May!
MG