Westmoreland 250: 10 unique things in Jeannette
Jun. 28—(Editor's note: To mark Westmoreland County's 250th birthday this year, we've come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a suggestion for a future installment, please email gtrcity@triblive.)
Jeannette has a storied history as a hard-working town that churned out glass from several plants.
Now, that glass is sought after by collectors as the town embarks on a rebirth with new businesses and the potential for more development.
Jeannette became a municipality in 1888, named after the wife of one of its founders, H. Sellers McKee, who brought his glass-making operation to town. About 12 years later, the number of glass making plants, and population, had grown, earning it the nickname "Glass City."
But there was other industry — Pennsylvania Rubber Works, Fort Pitt Brewery and Elliott Group, which remains in operation — in the early 1900s that attracted residents with jobs.
The downtown is centered around Clay Avenue, but residential development sprawls outward.
Here are 10 unique things in Jeannette:
Sobel's Obscure Brewery
There's beer, but also there's a 12,000-square-foot restored department store that serves as Sobel's Obscure Brewery's taproom. The brewery, in the former Gillespie Building at 500 Clay Ave., has the original floors and tin ceiling. Additional phases of the renovation include an outdoor seating area in a vacant lot next door as well as additional bar and banquet space on the second floor.
The brewery, which holds events regularly, has spurred more interest in empty neighboring buildings on Clay Avenue, prompting more businesses to open.
The Nest Restaurant
If seafood is your thing, The Nest Restaurant is the place to be. The Clay Avenue spot is known for its seafood options, ranging from oysters and mussels to crab legs and lobster, including a massive 22-ounce tail. Specials, posted on the restaurant's Facebook page, are always changing.
The upscale restaurant at 407 Clay Ave., which is owned and operated by members of the Nestico family, has been an anchor in Jeannette's business district for decades and is a go-to for locals looking for a special meal.
Jeannette Community Band
Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, the Jeannette Community Band has a slate of concerts at area festivals and event centers in Jeannette and surrounding communities.
The band was formed by Jeannette High School alumni and community members to march in a 1988 parade marking the town's 100th anniversary as the Jeannette Centennial Band. Afterwards, the group decided to keep the spirit playing, and it is now 65 members strong. The band has played more than 300 concerts since its inception, and members practice Tuesday nights.
The group plays a mixture of musical genres, including show tunes, marches and classical as well as an annual Christmas concert.
You Are Here
The You Are Here art gallery at 406 Clay Ave. provides space for local artists to showcase their work and for budding creatives to collaborate on projects. The gallery opened in 2018 and hosts the Oh, Scrap! art materials thrift store, live music, a yarn circle, a woman artist discussion group and the ongoing MAD*LAB, through which community members help to make benches and mosaic planters to be placed around Jeannette.
Past exhibitions have focused on women artists and images of local places and people.
The Glass City
Brightly-colored stained glass creations decorate the windows of The Glass City storefront that doubles as a restoration and painting business. Amy Jo and Doug Davis opened the location at 301 Clay Ave. in 2015 and sell supplies for stained glass hobbyists as well as offer classes in the craft.
There's a wide variety of handmade stained glass sun catchers for sale, from crosses and animals to larger items like windows. The business has worked with area groups such as churches to repair, restore and create stained glass decor.
Enrico's Bakery
The baked goods pumped out of family-owned Enrico's Bakery have been a sweet staple for more than a century.
The bakery opened in 1920 on Division Street and it has been at 610 Lowry Ave. for about 60 years. The small spot is filled with glass cases containing doughnuts, cookies and other baked goods. Generations of the Enrico family have owned it.
Touches of the town's and bakery's storied history remain, from the dozens of black-and-white photographs that hang on the walls to an old-fashioned scale used to weigh dough. The bakery is known for its hard rolls and maple rolls, as well as Italian favorites such as focaccia bread. Enrico's partnered with Sobel's in 2021 for a Maple Roll Stout in which the brewery used the treats to create a unique beer.
The bakery also works with Cafe Italiano to supply some baked goods for customers.
Wilson Candies
Another longtime business in Jeannette is Wilson Candies. It has been family owned and operated since 1947 out of a factory and storefront at 408 Harrison Ave.
Recipes for the chocolates have been passed down and refined over the decades. The business works with local schools and groups for fundraising opportunities as well as wholesale and a second retail location in nearby Hempfield.
They have chocolate items galore: chocolate-covered pretzels, boxed chocolates, truffles, caramels and figures made of chocolate. The chocolatier is known for its Wunder Bar, which comes in four varieties all with bite-sized chunks of chocolate.
AB Ceramics and More
There are plenty of ways to be creative at AB Ceramics and More, a shop with space for classes, dozens of ready-to-paint ceramic bisque items and a pottery studio. The shop pours its own molds, and there is a wide variety of themed items on racks waiting for a creative painter.
AB Ceramics and More has worked with other Jeannette businesses to provide custom touches, including coffee mugs for Glass City Cafe and bathroom tiles at Sobel's Obscure Brewery.
If ceramics and pottery aren't your thing, AB Ceramics and More schedules events using different creative skills, such as needle felting and building clay platters. It is at 307 S. Fourth St.
Elliott Group
The fingerprints of Elliott Group are all over Jeannette. The company, more than a century old, has its U.S. headquarters in town, where various pieces of equipment are designed, built, tested and prepared for shipment for use in industries such as oil and gas, liquefied natural gas, cryogenics and petrochemical.
What the company has done for the community has left a mark. An amphitheater on Clay Avenue bearing its name is regularly used for public events, including Concert and Food Truck Thursdays. It has been a sponsor for other events, including the Sparkle of Christmas parade.
Elliott Group has made unexpected donations to the city in the past for needed equipment and helped the Jeannette high school football team purchase its state championship rings in 2018.
Jeannette Area Historical Society
A plethora of historical artifacts, including some of that glass, has found a home at the Jeannette Area Historical Society's Clay Avenue headquarters. The museum at 415 Clay Ave. has displays of old photographs, items from businesses that no longer exist, sports memorabilia and a reference library, among others.
The nonprofit group, established in 2002, holds events throughout the year, and its museum is open to to the public from noon to 4 p.m. Thursdays.
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Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta by email at rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .
