Put Your Money Where Your Morals Are: The Power of a Buy-Cott in Pittsburgh

Still doing your part to avoid giant corporate retailers like Target and Amazon?

We all know about boycotts—refusing to spend money at businesses that don’t align with our values. But have you heard of a buy-cott? Instead of just avoiding companies that fund harmful policies, emboldening billionaires, or treat workers poorly, a buy-cott is about actively choosing to support businesses that share your ideals. Anger and outrage get the most clicks, and for months I’ve only been seeing businesses to avoid; so I made one of businesses to support, although that idea is way less sexy.

In Pittsburgh, shopping local isn’t just good for the economy—it’s a statement. Every dollar spent at an independent business strengthens our community, keeps money in the local economy, and supports entrepreneurs who are doing things the right way. Whether it’s a bookstore that champions free speech, a coffee shop that pays fair wages, or a grocery store that sources from ethical farms, your purchases reflect your principles. Every dollar is a vote.

I’m making it even easier to shop your values with a searchable database of blue-leaning, progressive businesses in Pittsburgh. Ditch the corporate giants like Amazon and Target and shift your spending to businesses that actually care about workers, sustainability, and human rights.

Your wallet is a powerful tool—use it to build the Pittsburgh you want to see. Stay tuned for the database launch! For now, it’s the list below, which is subject to edits, additions, subtractions, etc. Just let me know by commenting below! As a reminder, businesses listed here are ones that support democracy, equality, and fair labor practices. Italics mean that it is a better choice, but not ideal (for categories that may otherwise be lacking options).

P.S. If anyone has the tech-skills to help me with something like this, please let me know!

Arts, Hobbies, & Entertainment

Arts & Hobbies

• Arts and Crafts PGH

• Center for Creative Reuse

• Chronicles of Cheryl

• Cut and Sew Studio

• Firecracker Fabrics

• Freedhand Craft Studio

• Happy Lil Canvases (LGBTQIAA-owned)

• Loree Mayer Design

• McWalker Yarns (Woman-owned)

• Moon Craft & Yarn Studio (Woman-owned)

• Most Wanted Fine Arts Gallery

• Pearl Arts Studio LLC

• Queer Craft Market

• Strawberry Luna

• Sweater Weather Fibers

• That Pottery Place

• The Frame Dame

Entertainment (theatres, music, venues)

• Boom Concepts

• Confluence Ballet Co.

• Eleven Stanley Productions

• Glitterbox Theatre

• Heritage Players

• Spirit

• Steel City Shakespeare Center

• Sunken Bus

• Tuff Sound Recording

Automotive & Transportation

Auto Services (dealerships, repair, towing, hauling, etc.)

• 6Sixx Details (BIPOC-owned)

• B&B Hauling and Transporation (BIPOC-owned, Formerly-Incarcerated Owned)

• Green Apple Auto

• J Koko Hauling (BIPOC/woman-owned)

• Lennix Auto, Carrick

• Lincoln-Lemington Trucking

• Morningside Automotive

• Pine Hollow Auto Repair, McKees Rocks

• Six Star SPF

• Walter’s Automotive East Liberty

Bike Shops

• Banker Supply

• Cottle Built Bike Repair

• Free Ride Bicycle Collective

• Kindred Bike Shop

• Makeshift Bikes

• Thick Bikes

Gas Stations

• GetGo

Local Transit and Rideshare

• Periwinkle Ladies Travel Club (Woman-owned)

• Lyft

Community & Organizations

Nonprofits & Local Organizations

• 412 Food Rescue

• Babesburgh

• Dress for Success

• Grow Pittsburgh

• Kingsley Association

• Latino Family Center, Glen Hazel

• PGH Brewery Diversity Counsel

• Proud Haven (Shelter for 18-25)

• SisTers

• The Good People’s Group

• Transitional Characters, social services (BIPOC/woman-owned)

• Ujamaa Collective

Events & Specialty Services

Tattoo, Piercings

• Black Horizon Tattoo (Kate and Ash specifically)

• Blood Eagle Tattoo

• Emmancreate

• Fly Trap Tattoo

• Golden Gaia Tattoo

• Hecate and Hestia Tattoo

• Joy in Sorrow Tattoo

• Kindred Spirit Tattoo

• Kyklops Tattoo

• Little Shadows Tattoos (LGBTQIAA-owned)

• Love Day Tattoo

• PMA Tattoo (LGBTQIAA-owned)

• Rogue Tattoo

• Saul Good Piercing

• White Willow

Event Services

• Bespoke & Beloved Events

• Jazz Music Travel Services

• NeeKhalee Master Suite event services (BIPOC/woman-owned)

• Steel City Weddings

Photography

• Ashley Ann Photography 412

• Blood Honey Photos

• Blue Bird Photos PGH (LGBTQIAA-owned)

• Carlie Gabrelcik Photography

• East End Photohouse

• Edm.Film

• Rustbelt Mayberry Photography

Food & Beverage

Alcohol (breweries, distilleries, brands)

• Acclimation Brewing

• Acrospire Brewing

• Allegheny City Brewing

• Back Alley Brewing

• Barrel and Flow Festival

• Costar Brewery

• Coven Brewing

• East End Brewing

• Eleventh Hour Brewing

• Fermata Brewing Company

• Golden Age Brewing

• Hazel Grove Brewing

• Hazelwood Brew House

• Local Remedy Brewing

• Maggie’s Distillery

• New France Brewing

• Trace Brewing

• Two Frays Brewing

• Velum Fermentation

• Voyager Cider

Bars & Nightlife

• Brillobox

• Harold’s Haunt

• Love Katie Distillery

• Mike’s Beer Bar

• Mixtape

• Storyville

• The Goldmark

• Tina’s Wine Bar

• Victory Pointe

Cafes

• Abeille Voyante Tea Co.

• Anthos Bakery

• Arriviste Coffee Roasters

• Bantha Tea

• Bloom Cafe, Mars

• Butterwood Bakery

• Cafe Cravings, Mt. Washington

• California Coffee Bar

• Carnegie Coffee

• Curbside on the Run

• Day la Sol Cafe and Grocer

• De Fer Coffee (Ally-owned)

• Fig Tree Cafe

• Grim Wizard

• Happenstance Cafe (BIPOC/woman-owned)

• Lemon Tree Cafe

• Lili Coffee/Liliput

• Living Juicy Raw Cafe

• Mel’s Petit Cafe

• Needle and Bean Cafe

• Zeke’s Coffee

Groceries & Specialty Foods (bakers, butchers, etc.)

• 52nd Street Market

• Allegro Hearth Bakery

• Asian Merchandise Inc. (Pittsburgh Asian Market on Penn)

• Be Wilder Farm

• Bryant Street Market

• Cakes by Han

• Chantal’s Cheese Shop (Woman-owned)

• Cookies by April (Woman-owned)

• Corapolis Cash Market

• Costco

• Dana’s Bakery

• East End Food Co-Op

• Farmer Girl Eb

• Fat Butcher

• Freeman Farms

• Love Made Edible

• Madeleine’s Bakery

• Micah Made Cookies

• Novel Breads, Mars

• Oriental Market, McKnight Rd

• Penzey’s Spices

• Pittsburgh Community Kitchen

• River City Growers (Disability-owned business enterprise)

• Salem Market and Grill

• Strip District Meats, Inc.

• Sugar x Butter (BIPOC/woman-owned)

• Tiny Seed Co Farm

• Third Space Bakery (Woman-owned)

• Tom Friday’s, Brighton Heights

• Wild Rise Bakery

• Giant Eagle

Restaurants

• 5801

• Amboy Restaurant (AAPI-owned)

• Antonio’s Pizzeria Brookline

• Apteka

• Baby Loves Tacos

• Bantha Tea

• Bedford Dwellings

• Beta Bites

• Butterjoint

• Cafe Con Leche

• Carmi (BIPOC/woman-owned)

• Casa San Jose

• Community Kitchen

• Conflict Kitchen

• DiAnoia’s

• Dos Reyes

• El Rincon Oaxaqueno (Latine-owned)

• Everyday Cafe

• G’s on Liberty

• Gaucho Parilla

• Grandma Joan’s (BIPOC/woman-owned)

• Grapow

• Graze Craze North

• Happy Bellies

• La Feria

• Ladle’s Restaurant (Woman-owned)

• Las Velas/Madero

• Leon’s Carribbean Restaurant (BIPOC-owned)

• Maddio’s Pizza and Subs

• Moonlit Burgers

• Nied's Way (BIPOC/woman-owned)

• Onion Maiden

• Pamela’s Diner

• Round Corner Cantina

• Royal Myanmar

• Senti

• Senyai (Woman-owned)

• Spak Brothers

• Spirit PGH

• Thai Me Up

• The Boonseek

• The Vandal

• Umami

• Vegan Goddess

• Zenith

Health & Wellness

Fitness & Recreation

• All Bodies Welcome Yoga

• California Cycle Path

• Death Comes Lifting

• Free Will PGH

• M.U.V.

• No Off-Season Sports??

• Nope Fitness, Bethel Park (Woman-owned)

• Om Lounge Yoga (Woman-owned)

• Persad

• Pittsburgh FIT

• Pittsburgh Fitness Project

• Yoga Innovations Collective, Mt. Lebanon

Healthcare (clinics, dental, pharmacies, therapy, etc.)

• Allegheny Reproductive Services

• Birth Doulas of Pittsburgh

• Central Outreach

• Chestnut Hills Dental (Dr. Bonsteel)

• Dr. Brian Lamb, AHN Primary Care

• Heartfelt Therapy

• Jere-Ann Wagner (Reiki Therapy)

• Liberty Dispensary

• Mihalko Medical (previously Hieber’s Pharmacy) (Woman-owned)

• Metro Community Health Center

• Motherhood Redefined

• Organic Remedies Dispensary

• Paul Gleeson Dentist

• ReproChoice (LGBTQIAA/AAPI-owned)

• Shadyside Dentistry (Dr. Leahy)

• Spektrim Wellness

• Stephanie McCracken, Counseling WEllness Pittsburgh

• Take Care Collective (LGBTQIAA/Woman-owned)

• The Midwife Center

• Village Center for Holistic Therapy

• Wexford Medical Massage

• Why Knot Wellness

• CVS

Pets & Animals

• Diamond in the Ruff, Southside

• Lawrenceville Pet Supply

• Lucky Paws Pet Resort

• Pawsitive Reactions, LLC (Woman-owned)

• Petagogy

• Wagsburgh

Retail & Shopping

Beauty & Personal Care (cosmetics, hair, nails, spas, salons)

• Ace Collective Spa and Wellness

• Alchemy Nail Studio

• Anastasia’s Crown Spa

• Anna Skin

• Be. Salon, Mt. Lebanon

• Beli Nails Pittsburgh

• Brow and Crown Collective

• Butch’s Styles and Cuts (BIPOC-owned)

• Creative Beauty Studio at Sola (Woman-owned)

• Cultural Hair Lounge (BIPOC-owned)

• D&M Nails

• Daisy Beauty Nails, Aspinwall

• Domestic Witch

• EveryBody Integrative Massage

• Evolve Beauty Collective

• Heirs LLC (BIPOC-owned)

• Illustrated Nails

• Inclusive Aesthetics, Dormont

• Inner Element Wellness

• Ivy Spa, North Hills (LGBTQIAA-owned)

• Lovett Sundries

• Lunasea Hair And Day Spa

• Maddie Taylor at KnotNowNotLater (LGBTQIAA/woman-owned)

• Meg Frattare Salon

• Miss T’s Beauty Lounge (Woman-owned)

• Monarch Collective Studios

• Moon Dust Salon

• Motive Salon

• Nails on Point, Dormont

• Not Your Mother’s Nail Salon

• Onyx and Aura PGH

• Page Boy PGH

• Pompadour Salon (Woman-owned)

• Rebel Razor

• Salon Botanico

• Shadow and Glow Hair

• Smash Craft Curl

• The Grateful Head Salon

• The Last Nail

• Tonic Salon, Wexford

• Una Biologicals

• Uncommon Loft Salon (LGBTQIAA/woman-owned)

• Vibrant Styles and Salon

• Wild Rose Hair Studio

Books & Media

• Bad Bitch Bazaar

• Beyond Bedtime Books (Woman-owned)

• Blythe Books

• City Books

• City of Asylum Books

• E.J. Post, author (shameless, I know)

• Golden Bridge Publishing

• libro.fm (audiobooks)

• Mystery Lovers Bookshop, Oakmont (Woman-owned)

• Petite Creative Books (Binding Services)

• Spark Books (Woman-owned)

• Stay Gold Books

• Stories Like Me (LGBTQIAA/AAPI-owned)

• The Big Idea

• Vintage Max Bookstore (Woman-owned)

• Vinyl Remains

• West of Mars Editing Services

• White Whale

Clothing & Accessories

• Amarah’s, Brookline (Woman-owned)

• Brambler Boutique

• Calligramme

• Dandelion Kids Consignment

• East End Community Thrift

• Iron Horse Atelier (alterations/tailor)

• Juju Boutique

• Knotzland Bowties

• Old Flame Mending

• Olive & Marlow

• Senseless (BIPOC-owned)

• Topaz Thimble (alterations and pseudo-coworking space)

• Urbana, Oakmont

Goods & Gifts (general retail, local artisans)

• Alternative Histories

• Astrology N More by Alisa

• Boheme Shops

• Curated Flame PGH

• DH Divination

• Jackie Woah Vintage

• Kards Unlimited

• Love, Pittsburgh

• Maude’s Paperwing Gallery

• North Ave Candles

• Tees & Tea Gifts

• Umber Chocolates

• Weeping Glass Oddity

• Wildcard

• Wooly Bear Books

Home & Garden

• Bandy Woodworks

• Catch Fly Gardens

• East Wheeling Clay Works

• Floriated Interpretations

• Greenhouse Co-Op

• Magruder Farmhouse

• Quality Gardens, Mars

• Red Roses Floral

• Retro on Eighth

• Spoons Kitchen Exchange

• The Bearded Iris Florist (LGBTQIAA-owned)

• Two Little Blooms Garden

• Vintage Era

Jewelry

• A Case of Random

• Electric Cat Ninja

• Harp and Hound Jewlery

• Lucky Lady Jewelry

• Luster PGH

• Skeleton Jewelry

Services & Professional

Childcare

• A Giving Heart (BIPOC/woman-owned)

• Catepillars to Butterflies (BIPOC/woman-owned)

• Imagination Works, Homewood (BIPOC/woman-owned)

• La Escuelita Arcoiris (Latine-owned)

• Little Explorers Learning, Southside (BIPOC-owned)

• London Bridges Child Development (BIPOC/woman-owned)

• Ryann’s Room (BIPOC/woman-owned)

• Shine Bright Child Care (BIPOC/woman-owned)

• Sky’s The Limit Learning Center (BIPOC/woman-owned)

• Taylor’s Tots (BIPOC/woman-owned)

• TLP Ministries (BIPOC/woman-owned)

Housing, Utilities & Home Services

• 2 Wives Clean

• 6 Degrees Consulting Contractor (BIPOC-owned)

• Black Boot Builders

• Cassidy Page Realtor

• Chelsea Sklarsky Realtor

• Downtown Design (builders)

• EngineHouse

• Hannah Jayne Realtor

• Jan Stevens Realtor

• Jon Gordon Realtor, Berkshire Hathaway

• Kelsey Windorff-Perez, Coldwell Banker

• Kimberley Keys Realtor

• LJD Cleaning 412

• Low Country Building Solutions (BIPOC/woman-owned)

• Oxford Development

• Margo Cicci Realtor

• Marshall Electrical Services (BIPOC-owned)

• Mistick Construction

• Molly Aura, Realtor

• Monica Thomas Realtor

• Paul Barbieri Lanscaping and Gardening

• RookeCreative (general contractor)

• Shawn Brooks Realtor

• Walnut Capital

• Wendy Weaver Realtor

Insurance & Financial Services

• Alliant Credit Union

• East End Co-Op Credit Union

• Kabeyia & Kompany Accounting (BIPOC/woman-owned)

Learning & Skill-Building

• Gingerly Press

• Hack PGH

• Workshop PGH

Legal & Consulting

• Attorney Jillian Zack

• Ella Eisenhour

• Kathleen Schneider (lawyer and tax person)

• Maxshure Mobile Notary

• Verdell Dean, Attorney

Paper Products & Printing

• Gingerly Press

• Minute Man Press Southside

• More Than Words Stationery

Tech & Electronics

• Games Unlimited

• Green Apple Barter

• Woven Digital Designs for website & design