New Restaurants, Businesses Opening in Sewickley

Matt Cuomo already has a slogan ready for his business when East Coast Sandwiches opens this spring in Sewickley’s business corridor.

“Fast and fresh,” Cuomo said. “That’s sort of the gist of it.”

Big plans are in the works for the new sandwich shop that Cuomo said should be ready to open in April, and East Coast Sandwiches isn’t the only new addition to Sewickley.

“There is lots going on in the borough,” Jennifer Markus, co-partner with Village Green, told council recently. Village Green, hired by the borough, includes locals Markus and co-partner Kirsten Stripay. The two work to market and improve the local business district.

Markus said at least four businesses have opened or will open their doors in the next two months.

Several new stores

Karrie Hlista Floral Wedding Designs has already opened at 408 Beaver St., in the old Soho space.

Rosewood Boutique has opened next to at 412 Beaver St., where Kathlyn Richardson, who grew up in Little Rock, AR, sells women’s clothing for less than $100. 

And Sam and Lori DiBattista, owners of Vivo in Bellevue, plan to branch out to Sewickley next month to open another fine dining restaurant under the name Ina.

Danina DiBattista, daughter of the owners, said her parents are looking at mid-April to open. She said the European-style restaurant will be “very similar” to the Bellevue location, but isn’t going to be defined by the existing restaurant.

“We didn’t want to pigeonhole ourselves too much,”DiBattista said.

The restaurant will feature an outdoor eating area and garden, according to Village Green partners.

Ready for a change

Local business leaders and borough officials say there’s a definite change coming to Sewickley’s business district.

Sewickley Mayor Brian Jeffe, who described himself as pro-business, said some media depictions of Sewickley’s business district have emphasized the vacant storefronts rather than the positive happenings.

There is plenty in the works, from new gas lines to street paving, that he’s excited about in the business district, the mayor said. About a half-dozen new stores are calling Sewickley home and with more on the way, he said, along with new developments planned. Beaver Hall  Associates, for example, is constructing 20 townhomes at the corner of Beaver and Peebles streets.

“It’s easy to be negative, but [there are] so many positive things coming up,” Jeffe said. 

Cuomo said he’s grateful that East Coast Sandwiches is part of the resurgence.

“I think we’re opening at a good time,” he said.

New sandwich shop

Demolition work is underway at the new site of East Coast Sandwiches, where Cuomo said the restaurant is being designed to suit the casual, no-frills dining location.

The shop will feature hot sandwiches made to order, an antipasto bar and a deli case with meats sold by the pound. The eat-in or take-out deli will operate daily until 7 p.m. and plans to emphasize local and sustainable foods, Cuomo said.

He will stock difficult-to find items, such as dry goods and imported olive oils and vinegars not widely sold in the Pittsburgh area.

Cuomo said many people are busy during lunchtime and don’t have the flexibility of a casual sit-down lunch. Customers who place an order should be in and out within 10 minutes, he said.

"Most of the time, people don’t want to sit around for an hour at lunch.”

He plans to set up outdoor seating at the corner of Beaver and Walnut alongside the building. East Coast Sandwiches will offer Wi-Fi.

Cuomo plans to offer delivery during lunch hours, and he said food items won’t exceed $10. Children’s menu items, such as hamburgers and hot dogs, also will be available.

Cuomo said he believes his business is opening at a fortunate time.

“I think it’ll do well. There’s nothing like it here.

“It’s been a dream for a long time and it’s happening. It’s almost happened. We’re almost there,” he said.