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As the NFL Draft nears, a self-described silly goose from Jim Thorpe is setting his sights on Downtown Pittsburgh, with help from a local nonprofit eager to fill empty storefronts.
There are nearly 50 empty storefronts in the city’s Golden Triangle — just as the NFL Draft is set to bring hundreds of thousands of visitors. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is always working to fill vacant retail spaces, but the draft brings more urgency to those efforts, said Cate Irvin, senior director of economic development, last month. The group revived a “pop-up” program in which businesses access retail space — pending an agreement from the property owner — for six to 12 months.
“[My wife’s mother] sent me a text message on January 24 and said to look at this story about half of empty downtown Pittsburgh storefronts to be filled ahead of NFL draft,” Treichler said. “It was in the Butler Eagle.”
“I read [the] article, and then I went immediately to [The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership] website just to be like, ‘OK, let's see,’” Treichler said. “Location is the most important thing... I think we're going to crush it [here in Pittsburgh].”
Three days after reading the article, Treichler heard back from the Downtown Partnership, hopped on a Zoom call, and planned their five-hour drive from Jim Thorpe to tour a few potential second retail locations. His wife’s family is from McKees Rocks, and he had been to the Steel City a few times before this trip — but was not aware the NFL Draft was going to take place in Pittsburgh.
"My intention is to find long term property, like places to sink my teeth into, and just spread the silliness.”
Treichler has been looking into opening a second location since last December. The Silly Goose “hatched” on September 29, 2024 — National Goose Day; a pure coincidence, he said. The store’s social media presence has grown to nearly 60,000 across TikTok and Instagram, showcasing the store’s shop full of silly, quirky gifts, located in the heart of Jim Thorpe.
“I didn't know at the time that [the store] would be as successful as it would, and I didn't really have a polished idea in my head. I just knew I feel like if I poured my soul into something, I could make it great,” Treichler said.
It takes about five employees to operate the Jim Thorpe location, and Treichler is preparing to recruit locals for positions and local artists for the brand’s original merchandise. He plans to expand Jim Thorpe area artists’ footprint in Pittsburgh too.
“We have a warehouse of stock; we just need to get it [to Pittsburgh],” Treichler said. “I will wait for the right opportunity to come along... The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership gave that opportunity where it would not be high risk to come in and give it a shot. But my intention is to find long term property, like places to sink my teeth into, and just spread the silliness.”
One way the partnership is also working to keep businesses downtown after the draft is through a rent abatement program, offering rent subsidies for the first year of the lease. In 2025, eight new businesses opened through the program, contributing to 19 new street-level retail openings. The rent abatement program offers half of the monthly rent, up to $2,000.
The former Peter Lawrence Women's Apparel store on Wood Street in downtown Pittsburgh announced a new location earlier this month. The store is set to become a second physical location of PGH Candle, a homemade candle business based on the North Side. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is working to fill spaces like these ahead of the NFL Draft in April.
Treichler said he is open to a pop-up location and to participate in a rent abatement program, but that depends on securing a lease with property owners. If that happens, he plans to open the store by mid-March.
Some of the empty storefronts in the Golden Triangle require construction before they are retail ready. For those spaces, the partnership plans to install window displays featuring locally made art, Irvin said.
Irvin said the Partnership hopes to fill 20 to 30 retail storefronts in time for the draft, scheduled for April 23-25. It is expected to generate $120 million to $213 million in economic impact, based on prior draft numbers.
The main stage will be located outside of Acrisure Stadium on the North Shore. Renderings of the planned stage were released earlier this month. Other events will be spread throughout the North Shore and at Point State Park.
Newly inaugurated Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor told the city to “redd up” for the draft last month.
“Downtown storefront activation is a priority, both as we prepare to welcome visitors for the NFL Draft and as part of the mayor’s broader vision for a thriving, active downtown. We’re working with partners to reduce friction for small businesses, support existing Downtown businesses, and help new concepts open and grow over the long term,” Office of Economic Development directors Mary McKinney Flaherty and Steve Wray said in a prepared statement.
They said they are prioritizing a “vibrant central business district with more active storefronts, More foot traffic, and the kind of day-to-day energy that benefits workers, residents, and visitors alike.”
VisitPittsburgh, the tourism agency leading draft preparation, estimates 500,000 to 700,000 visitors will attend draft-related events over the three-day period.
Erin Yudt is a reporter with the Pittsburgh Media Partnership Newsroom, part of the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University. She most recently was a multimedia content producer and digital reporter at WKBN in Youngstown and is a graduate of Point Park University. Reach her at erin.yudt@pointpark.edu.
The PMP Newsroom is a regional news service that focuses on government and enterprise reporting in southwestern Pennsylvania. Find out more information on foundation and corporate funders here.
Editor’s note: The story that led Nate Treichler to explore Pittsburgh as a location for his business was originally published by the PMP Newsroom and republished by the Butler Eagle, one of over 30 news outlets that are a part of the Pittsburgh Media Partnership. PMP Newsroom stories are available for republication by partner outlets and other media organizations.
Header image: The Silly Goose Unapologetic Gifts & Novelties owner Nate Treichler outside his store in Jim Thorpe, about a five-hour drive from Pittsburgh. He plans to open a second location in the Steel City by mid-March. Photo credit Myah Stackhouse.
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