Hip’tique
5817 Ellsworth Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA, 1232
(412) 361-5817
www.hiptiquePA.com
If you were to stroll down Ellsworth Avenue in Shadyside, it would be near impossible to miss Hip’tique—a boutique located in a 120 year old Victorian house that is painted bright green, pink, and blue. Nestled into a row of shops that, in comparison, seem lackluster, Hip’tique offers a shopping experience as distinctive as the building’s exterior. The unique theme of Hip’tique permeates throughout the store, not excluding co-owners Leah Pistella and Keisha Champagne in its path. This MANIAC was given the opportunity to take a few minutes to find out some more about one co-owner, Leah Pistella.
Pistella is a Pittsburgh native that grew up in Morningside and attended Oakland Catholic High School with her partner in business, Keisha Champagne. Always a fashionista, Pistella has worked in retail since age 13. Determined to make a career out of her love of fashion, she attended West Virginia University and graduated with a degree in fashion merchandising. When she moved back to Pittsburgh, Pistella took a few jobs at different stores as a retail manager until her family-oriented lifestyle encouraged her to take a breather from the world of retail. After becoming close with Hip’tique’s current owner at the time and becoming the boutique’s first employee, when the opportunity to buy the shop presented itself Pistella knew it was a no-brainer. She teamed up with high school friend and fellow fashion lover Keisha Champagne and fulfilled her dream of owning a boutique.
Pistella says her favorite things about Pittsburgh are the city’s accessibility and friendliness. Her favorite neighborhood is Shadyside, home to Hip’tique and her husband’s bar, the Shadyside Saloon where you will often find her frequenting after hours. Pistella says she likes the Steelers best out of the city’s sports offerings, and even has some of the black and gold squad’s wives as customers. Her favorite designers include Rebecca Taylor, Collective Concepts, and Yumi Kim. And the snow? This is one Pittsburgher that does not mind the frequent flurries.
Pistella says that her shop is unique and successful because of the merchandise and great customer service Hip’tique offers. She says the store offers merchandise that is “Fashionable—style oriented, not fad oriented.” Pistella’s favorite things about owning her own business is getting to connect with customers and building a relationship with repeat business. She also enjoys being able to make the decisions about what the store sells. Other than that, the flexibility of setting her own hours to accommodate family life is nice.
Hip’tique offers a wide range of designers that present a variety of prices. “You can buy a dress for forty dollars or a dress for four hundred dollars,” Pistella says. Designers featured in Hip’tique’s colorful hut of fashion include some of Pistella’s favorite designers, including Rebecca Taylor, along with others that rank highly in her wardrobe, including Tracy Reese, Susana Monaco, Isabel Lu, and more. So if you find yourself in Shadyside and are tired of the hum-drum of Walnut Street, be sure to take a venture to the one of Pittsburgh’s best kept secrets – Ellsworth Avenue – for a unique shopping experience at Hip’tique.
-Colleen McGuckin
