Thank you to our community for showing up!
Hello, Neighbors! 👋
The last time we spoke, our team was gearing up for our most ambitious event yet: A Grand Opening celebration featuring four musical artists, flash tattoos, and several local food and beverage vendors.
Well, we stand here today proud to announce that IT WAS AWESOME.
We've been sitting with this for a few weeks now, and the thing that keeps coming back to us is this: none of it was a coincidence.
Every band, every vendor, every person in that room — they were all there for a reason.
Some of those reasons go back further than Chem Co even existed. We want to tell you about that:
The Bands 🎶
We had four acts play the grand opening, and somehow, every single one of them had a real connection to this place.
A full-circle moment we didn’t plan, but absolutely adored.
Shay Park was our first performer of the night… and also the very first person to rent a desk at our co-working space! Before our space was a thing people had heard of, they took a chance on us.
Meeting of Important People has a connection that goes back even further. One of the band's members is the person who sold Marla the building: the space that used to be Sapling Press, and before that, a chemical factory (where the name comes from).
The person who handed over the keys was there, playing music in the building they once owned.
To tie it all together: Krönoly's Drew is dating Anna, one of our baristas. And Johnny Crush & The Olds? Ben, Marla's husband, is a member.
The Tattoos 🖤
C’mon, who wouldn’t want this logo tattooed on them? It’s a pretty great logo.
Tara Woods came and did flash tattoos at the event. Tara is Kaylee's cousin: Kaylee being one of our baristas. What can we say? We like to keep it in the family.
Marla, Anna, Kaylee, and Ben all got Chem Co. tattoos that night. Permanent ones! We're nothing if not committed.
(Psst, by the way, we're hiring. If working somewhere you may randomly get a tattoo sounds appealing, we’d love to meet you.)
The Food & Bevs 🍺
Chef Bud came back for another pop-up! He did our very first one here, and we were not about to open officially without him.
Mi Empinada and Two Frays Brewery rounded out the food and drink, both local Pittsburgh businesses that are part of this community, just as we're trying to be.
We started this space with a pretty simple idea: that the best communities aren't built, they're found. We’re pleased to report that we’ve found ours.
We are now officially, officially open. There’s so much more to come. Thank you for being here. ✨
That’s it for this week!
Swing by the space soon; we miss your face. Or come meet us for the first time. Either way, the coffee's hot and the vibes are immaculate.
— The Creative Chem Co. Team
P.S.