Weekend in the 'Burgh: Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix + Hey Betty!

Hi darlings!  I'm writing this update fresh off of my car ride returning from my second home, Pittsburgh PA.  My mom's a native to the city, and I went to college out there; I love everything about it, from the food to the shopping, from the Yinzer accent to the skyline!

 I mean, really, swoon!

 

My honey and I specifically took the trip out for the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, an International Car Show and vintage car race that takes place at the biggest park in the city.  People travel from all over the world to show their cars and/or be a spectator.  Literally every type of car, both vintage and modern, is represented.  I was beyond excited when I found out that my dream car, the Thunderbird, was the Spotlight Car this year!

One day.....(wearing my $5 top from Arden B. and $23.00 shorts from LOFT!)

The event is held for charity, and is entirely free! There was a $20 charge to park our car at the official event parking, but if you park elsewhere in the neighborhood, there is zero charge to be a spectator.  Talk about beyond a bargain!

We spent a full day at the Grand Prix, and then spent a second day visiting our favorite neighborhoods and trying some new places to eat.  Here are a few highlights from our trip!

How adorable was the Airbnb where we stayed?  It had a rooftop deck!  PLUS it was only $55 a night!  If you're new to Airbnb like I was, definitely check it out!

Ice Cream at our favorite place, Dave and Andy's!

View of Downtown from my morning run.

Enough about our vacation, let's get to the good stuff:  where I went shopping!  Because we had such a short time frame I planned out two stops ahead of time:  Hey Betty! Vintage Clothing in Shadyside and the Community Thrift Center in the West End.  

After a scrumptious brunch at Cafe Moulin in Shadyside on Sunday morning, we decided to walk the 15 minutes to visit Hey Betty! on Ellsworth Avenue.   Not going to lie, the name may have had an influence on me deciding to stop by!  However, as soon as I walked in I knew this was the right place to spend our precious time.

Hey Betty! has been open since 1988, and the owners have been buying and selling vintage since 1980.  The store is so well known in the area that celebrities have been known to stop by; vintage lovers Chloe Sevigny, Helen Mirren, and Jamie Lee Curtis have visited, just to name a few! You can see where the reputation comes from immediately when stepping inside.  The store is packed wall to wall with amazing vintage; literally anything you could possibly be looking for, from all different eras.   

One thing I noted right off the bat was the offering of men's clothing and accessories.  The immediate left side of the store is dedicated to shirts, jackets, coats, shoes, pants, hats, and even glasses for men.  So far on my travels many of the vintage shops I have visited have been curated by women and have mostly sold only women's items, so this was definitely a treat for my honey as well!  

On the woman's side, the first section seemed to be a mix of featured items on hangers, underneath a display of hats and other accessories.  Other sections seemed to be a bit more defined: there was a rack of sweaters, a rack for dresses, and one for skirts and pants.  Towards the back of the store tucked by the dressing room is a smaller closet-like area with vintage sleepwear and slippers (amazing!).  They have a separate back room for larger evening gowns and heavier jackets.  Intermixed throughout are handbags, gloves, hats, and even housewares!  A glass case front and center hosts jewelry, pillboxes, and cuff links.  

We spent some time taking everything in.  I absolutely LOVED these two jackets:

 

The light blue brocade jacket is still haunting me...it was slightly too small, but I can't stop thinking about it!  It was priced at $60, which I think is a GREAT price for such a beautiful jacket in mint condition.  Oh dear, writing about it is making me want to call and buy it over the phone!

I ended up purchasing this beautiful mosaic ring.  It caught my eye out of all of the items in the case!  Since we were on vacation I just wanted something small to remember our trip by, and this was totally perfect!

How cute are the matches from Hey Betty!?

Overall I LOVED Hey Betty!.  It's clear why it's a stop for celebrities and others passing through the Burgh!  It's definitely going to be a regular stop for me whenever I visit the Steel City.

I had planned a second stop at the Community Thrift Center in the West End, which I was also excited to check out for some great deals.  For some reason I thought the store closed at 5:00PM, so when we arrived at 3:50 I was surprised to hear they were closing in 10 minutes!  I was only able to skim over part of the selection; the store is large, and is comparable in feel and organization to a Goodwill or Salvation Army.  As they were ordering us to bring any final purchases to the registers I grabbed and bought this dress, without trying it on:

For $5.99, I think it was definitely worth it!

Have you done any thrift and vintage shopping in Pittsburgh?  Let me know where I should go next time I'm in town!

That's all for now darlings!  Until next time...

xoxo, Bettie