Downtown Pittsburgh flower shop saved by faithful customer
Just a few weeks ago, the two co-owners of Harold's Flower Shop were in a nervous panic.
After 75 years of doing business in Downtown Pittsburgh, the family-run flower shop risked having to leave the neighborhood.
DoubleTree by Hilton decided not to renew its tenant's lease to the storefront space tucked into the hotel property on Bigelow Square, where Harold's Flower Shop has operated for the past 35 years.
Randy Del Vecchio and Ray Marinpetro — cousins in their early 60s who have worked at the shop since they were 6 or 7 years old — set out on a frantic search to find an affordable location Downtown, with the DoubleTree lease due to expire in November.
They found a solution through a longtime customer whose organization owns a six-story building on Fifth Avenue: Douglas Williams, president and CEO of Renewal Inc., a nonprofit that helps people who have been incarcerated lead productive, responsible lives.
Once he learned of the situation, Williams said, he did not hesitate for more than five minutes before deciding to invite the longtime florist to rent a 1,700-square-foot storefront space in its building at 700 Fifth Ave. left vacant by the Hertz rental car company.
“We're all about giving people second chances,” said Williams, noting the spirit of Renewal's mission aligns with the move to assist a local business in need of its own reboot.
Del Vecchio summed up his response to the gesture in one word: “Relief.”
The pair of owners said it was important to them to stay Downtown, both to continue serving longtime customers and to be part of the area's booming commercial fabric as Downtown continues on a development upswing.
“So many florists have closed up shop down here,” said Del Vecchio, “and we didn't want to go that way.”
City and community leaders have stressed the goal of ensuring smaller, locally based businesses aren't forced out amid rapid growth.
“The combination of historical businesses and the folks that are making a go of it now — that's Pittsburgh,” said Sean Luther, executive director of Envision Downtown, a public-private partnership spurred by Mayor Bill Peduto and housed within the Downtown Pittsburgh Partnership. “We are a city that really respects and cherishes our traditions, but we're also at the point where we're seeing all this really cool new stuff, and that blend is what makes Pittsburgh not look like Columbus, Ohio.”
Greater Downtown's population grew by 19 percent between 2010 and 2015, up to more than 14,000 residents, the partnership found.
Along with resident growth have come several new hotels and a slew of trendy restaurants.
“We're still at this cool transitional place where a lot of different factors are breathing life into Downtown,” Luther said, “and from a retail perspective, that can be challenging, as street-level rents are pushed up just because there's so many people working and living there.”
As the owners of Harold's Flower Shop prepare to pack up and move to a higher-profile spot next month, they are handing loyal customers a small yellow card announcing the move and offering a 10 percent discount on their first purchase at the new location.
“It's exciting,” Marinpetro said. “It's a new beginning.”
Natasha Lindstrom is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 412-380-8514 or nlindstrom@tribweb.com.
