October 2017 Behind the Bubble UPDATED

Jason Margolis goes a bit deeper into why traditionally eschewed communities (like Dormont) are now looking a lot more attractive rather than loony, expensive places like Mt. Lebanon.

Needle & Pin Welcomes You to The New Dormont

INTRO

As evidenced in the brilliant satire of Facebook’s Fake Lebo 

Do you like the new addition to my deck? Sorry about the chair.
I had people from Dormont over last night and it got a little crazy.

(https://www.facebook.com/fakelebo/photos/a.429819744928.190887.302688029928/10155626967049929/?type=3&theater), Mt. Lebanon’s sense of superiority in part rests on the inferiority of other nearby communities.  Dormont, perhaps more than any other, has been one of Mt. Lebanon’s primary punching bags.

Our series Behind the Bubble promised to both address issues within Mt. Lebanon as well as those “just beyond the bubble’s rim” (December, 2016).  In April 2017, we interviewed the mayor of Green Tree.  October’s BtB will take a look at the recent rise of Dormont, and feature one particular new establishment that is emblematic of its growing economic and cultural base.

DORMONT NO DOORMAT

According to local officials and public documents, Dormont – a community often mocked by Lebo-ites for being economically and culturally inferior – is on the rise.  While property values dollar-to-dollar are still much lower than Mt. Lebanon, the percentage-wise increases are now outpacing traditionally wealthier South Hills communities.

Amidst and supporting this increased economic activity is a growing “foodie” scene.  Over the past five years, newer restaurants like My Thai on Liberty Ave. are replacing older drinking establishments and bringing out a combination of locals from the neighborhood and patrons from around Pittsburgh.  Perhaps the best example of Dormont’s economic, cultural, and restauranteur rise is the opening of Needle & Pin this past summer.

COLIN SMITH and NEEDLE & PIN

Needle & Pin owner Colin Smith working the well-stocked bar area

Needle & Pin proprietor Colin Smith is connected with other restaurants around Pittsburgh, including Wingharts.  But when it was time to open up a restaurant of his own vision – one that drew on his 15 years studying cocktails and food through intensive study as well as side-by-side apprenticeships with some of the beset restauranteurs around the world – he chose Dormont as the location.   The neighborhood, Smith commented, provided an “excellent welcome – they have been very kind.”

The concept of Needle & Pin is Anglo-Indian cuisine with one of the most stocked and diverse gin bars in the United States.  It was inspired by a cookbook from an English woman living in India in the 1920s, from which Smith began to learn the “hybridizing” process.  

The hybrid nature of NEEDLE & PIN’s cuisine serves as a nice metaphor for the restaurant’s presence in Dormont.  NEEDLE & PIN’s place within the community combines a highly innovative cocktail program and menu with accessible, warm, and people-friendly service.  Dormont, Smith explained, hearkens to his past while also mapping out his future:

I grew up in Washington, PA, and I knew cultured people there… people hold on to the bad raps long after its gone… Dormont sees the coming tide of growth in Pittsburgh, the residential areas pushing out.  Dormont is hot.  I just bought a house here and saw people writing checks for the asking price or more.  Not every place that has a bad rap deserves it.  The bad rap lasts long after it should.

When Smith was asked what Dormont offers new businesses and restaurants that other surrounding communities do not, he responded, “Hope.”  He continued:

Dormont used to be known as the place you have to drive through to get to the rest of the South Hills…. But once I saw Potomac Ave., it became apparent that Dormont was ready to invest in self. I started studying the demographics, and I have never seen demographics that screamed as much YES YES YES. 375,000 people live within 4 square miles, almost no one is upside down on their mortgage, and outside my window there is a triple intersection. I don’t need to advertise. There is so much traffic, regardless of whether or not “cultured” or not. Smith added that he could have never gotten this type of property in a more “expensive neighborhood.” Speaking to his belief in the future of Dormont, he added, “If I had the money, I would buy up the block as far as the eye can see.”

If you visit Needle & Pin (3271 West Liberty Ave.), you can expect to learn about the chemistry behind your cocktail, the natural and organic ingredients in your drinks and foods, and the geo-political history that shaped your appetizer.  It is also likely that you will have a darn good time with good people.

With a strong mix of hope and humility, Needle & Pin is a tangible and tasty symbol of “the new Dormont.”  It is likely that Dormont’s image will remain fixed in the eyes of some others in the South Hills, and provide some good guffaws on Fake Lebo.  But it is even more likely that its residents attending increasingly successful schools, living in affordable and appreciating homes, and dining in world-class restaurants just blocks from their front porch, will not care.


Update October 1, 2017 11:25 AM Since the time that Jason had submitted his October BtB, Pittsburgh Business Times featured the Booming Housing Markets by Zip Code. Look at my zip code, which our municipal engineer labeled 15234 as the "outskirts of Mt. Lebanon."