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Portland, Ore.-based Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co. is to open Schoolhouse Pittsburgh, a retail, office and manufacturing space, at the end of October at 206 N. Euclid Ave., East Liberty. The first business will be The Bureau, a cafe run by The Vandal in Lawrenceville.
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New cafe in East Liberty pairs Portland's Schoolhouse Electric and The Vandal in Lawrenceville

The Vandal

New cafe in East Liberty pairs Portland's Schoolhouse Electric and The Vandal in Lawrenceville

A new coffee shop from the operators of The Vandal in Lawrenceville is headed to East Liberty, in conjunction with the Portland, Ore.-based Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co. Owner Joey Hilty and business partner Emily Slagel are calling it The Bureau, a cafe within the high-end lighting, housewares and furnishings store, opening at the end of October.

Schoolhouse Electric — called Schoolhouse Pittsburgh — will debut in the Detective Building at 206 N. Euclid Ave., where Schoolhouse Electric is spending $8.2 million to update the building as its East Coast/Mid-Atlantic headquarters.

Founded by Brian Faherty in 2003, Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co. homed in on Pittsburgh while working as a supplier for Ace Hotel in East Liberty back in 2015.

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Situated within the shop, The Bureau will serve espresso drinks and feature a menu of house pastries as well as $6-$9 smørrebrød: Danish-inspired open-faced sandwiches (usually on rye) in combinations like squash, ham and sage; salmon rillettes; or cream cheese and seasonal jam. Look for a rotation of Portland-based roasters among coffee drinks, such as Coava as well Brooklyn-based Parlor, the house coffee at The Vandal. 

The Vandal will also be the caterer for the space during and after store hours, serving dishes and cocktails for events like Schoolhouse Pittsburgh’s grand opening party on Nov. 15, as well as public, private or corporate events. Mr. Hilty sees the cafe’s partnership with Schoolhouse as an opportunity to build relationships with Portland chefs and other restaurants for events. 

“People want an experience rather than just a physical product,” Ms. Slagel said about the direction of retail shopping. ”Schoolhouse Electric understands that.”

A Schoolhouse representative could not be reached for comment.

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In addition to free parking and Wi-Fi, Schoolhouse Electric will offer what it’s calling a design library and an open-to-the-public outdoor plaza, according to filings with the Urban Redevelopment Authority. It is the first store Schoolhouse has opened in a nearly decade, according to the company website. 

“[Pittsburgh] reminds me a little bit of Portland when we started this business 15 years ago,” Mr. Faherty says on the site. “Just like then, we want to serve the community.

“It’s been a challenging journey, bringing the space back to life. But we’re saving a building that was on the city’s chopping block, and we’re hopefully going to open a lot of doors – I’m excited about what that could bring.”

The Bureau in Schoolhouse Electric: "The Detective Building"

The Vandal in Lawrenceville is opening a cafe in what will be Schoolhouse Electric, a high-end housewares shop from Portland, Ore.

In addition to its retail presence and office space on the second, third and fourth floors, Schoolhouse Pittsburgh has carved out space for manufacturing, assembly and basement-level distribution.

Beauty Shoppe is also housed in more than 21,000 square feet spread across three floors for coworking, meeting and office space. It’s one of seven of Beauty Shoppe’s coworking spaces up and running or in progress in the Pittsburgh area.

Nelcon Construction — behind projects like La Gourmandine Bakery in Hazelwood and Orangetheory Fitness in East Liberty — steered the construction; and Moss Architects did the build-out. The firm is behind restaurants such as Union Standard Downtown, Vivo in Sewickley and multiple Burgatory locations.

Schoolhouse bought the Detective Building from the URA for $250,000 in 2016. Financing to rehabilitate it was secured through Wells Fargo Bank loan for $3.35 million — $1.76 million through Wells Fargo SBA lending; a $1.94 million loan with URA affiliate, Pittsburgh Urban Initatives; a $300,000 URA Enterprise Zone loan; and over $800,0000 in owner equity.

The former police bureau was built in 1972 in Formalist style associated with cultural, institutional and civic buildings of the era.

Melissa McCart: mmccart@post-gazette.com

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First Published: October 11, 2018, 5:00 p.m.

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Portland, Ore.-based Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co. is to open Schoolhouse Pittsburgh, a retail, office and manufacturing space, at the end of October at 206 N. Euclid Ave., East Liberty. The first business will be The Bureau, a cafe run by The Vandal in Lawrenceville.  (The Vandal)
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