Twinkling lights, wreaths, candy canes, Santa Claus, reindeer, and poinsettias – nothing feels better than decorating your home for Christmas. The end of November is here, which means Christmas décor goes up! However, if you recently completed a move, you may not have a ton of Christmas decorations, or you may simply want to purchase new ones for your new home. All My Sons Pittsburgh has a list of the best Christmas stores in Pittsburgh to get absolutely everything you need to make your new home the most festive home on the block this Christmas!
1. Kraynak’s is located at 2525 E. State St. in Hermitage, and during the holidays, Kraynak’s is so much more than just the best Christmas store in Pittsburgh. If you have never been to Kraynak’s, it is like a winter wonderland. Although you may be Christmas shopping, Pittsburgh movers suggest that you take your kids and let them be in awe of all of the Christmas décor and displays. Kraynak’s is where you can find artificial trees, outdoor lawn decorations, different assortments of lighting and bulbs, wreaths, figurines, and thousands of other decorations.
2. Jim Jenkins Lawn & Garden Center is located at 1877 Painter’s Run Road in Upper St. Clair and is another winter wonderland, but with fresh trees and wreaths.
3. Garden Ridge is located at 2000 Casteel Drive in Coraopolis and is a massive home décor store. Pittsburgh movers recommend this store if you are looking for more of a variety of Christmas tree styles, as they have over 100 on display. Garden Ridge also has over 50 styles of holiday inflatables and over 200 yard decorations.
After some amazing turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and sweet potato pie, families across the nation rush to sleep in anticipation to wake up at 3 a.m. and make their way to the lines outside of major department stores. Black Friday is a Thanksgiving holiday tradition, and for most families, it is a time to stock up on their favorite items, purchase that pricey item they have been eyeing, or purchase Christmas gifts for the entire family. All My Sons Moving & Storage Pittsburgh know that families who have moved to Pittsburgh this year may be a little tapped on cash, so the following list includes the Black Friday deals in Pittsburgh in order to get the most out of the major shopping holiday.
– Banana Republic – 50%-70% off everything in store from November 20-25.
– Carter’s Babies and Kids – 20% off a $40 purchase.
– Coach – Bags starting at $79, wristlets at $19, and gifts starting at $19, 30% off entire purchase.
– Gap Outlet – Extra 15% off including clearance, and 50%-70% off the entire store.
– Harry & David – 20% off one item.
– Brooks Brothers Factory Store – 40%-80% off throughout the entire store. Men’s suits 2 for $499. Deals end November 25.
– Chico’s Outlet – 40% off the entire store.
– Kitchen Collection – 10 day sales event, and numerous items 50% off and more.
These are just some of the Black Friday Deals in Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh movers urge you to check each individual store’s expiration dates, as some are stopping their deals on Orange Wednesday rather than Friday. Get the best deals on kitchenware for your new home at the Kitchen Collection this Black Friday!
Sure, after moving to Pittsburgh you may want a traditional turkey dinner. But how about taking a more unique approach to celebrating Thanksgiving this year? All My Sons Moving & Storage Pittsburgh has been moving families in and out of the area for over two decades. If you have recently relocated to Pittsburgh and are looking for a new tradition, check out these four unique ways to celebrate Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh with your friends and family.
1. Give Back. Research the local volunteer donation opportunities in Pittsburgh and find one that best suits your family’s charitable style. The North Hills Community Outreach has a Thanksgiving on Every Table program that is as old as your Pittsburgh movers – 25 years! In 2014, the program provided Thanksgiving dinner for 600 families. If you are not looking to cook a feast after your move to Pittsburgh, give another family the gift of Thanksgiving dinner.
2. Have a Vegan Thanksgiving. VegFest turns into VegFEAST on Thanksgiving for a truly unique way to celebrate Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh. This turkey dinner features everything but the roasted bird, and all proceeds go to benefit the local Justice for Animals group and the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society.
3. A Political Thanksgiving. Although this may not tickle the fancy of everyone, Pittsburgh locals can join Braddock Mayor and Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate John Fetterman for Friendsgiving at the Rex Theater.
4. Water Tour of Pittsburgh. There perhaps could not be a more unique way to celebrate Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh after moving into the area other than by touring it by water. Take your family to Thanksgiving on the Gateway Clipper, enjoy dinner, and set sail for a tour of Pittsburgh.
Deciding to move to Pittsburgh during the holidays could be the best decision you ever made – or it could be the worst. Although you may be thrilled about having a new home, you may not be thrilled about having to pack everything up and move. Since the moving process can be stressful, it is important to make sure that you hire the best Pittsburgh moving company to handle your belongings.
All My Sons Moving & Storage Pittsburgh is a leading moving and storage company in the United States and has some tips to choosing a Pittsburgh mover during the holidays.
1. Getting the best rate. The trick to choosing a Pittsburgh mover during the holidays is that your moving costs should be way less. The peak moving months are June, July, and August, so moving during the holidays is, although an inconvenience to your holiday plans, ideal in terms of price. You should contact at least three Pittsburgh movers and receive at-home moving estimates from each. Then, professional movers cannot stress enough to not go with the cheapest option! You will want to go with the company that has the best reputation and offers the most bang for their buck. Keep in mind that when it comes to hiring a moving company – you get what you pay for. Save yourself from a disastrous moving experience by spending a little more on a great moving company.
2. Get an ETA for your move. Once you receive a quote and set on a moving date, ask your Pittsburgh movers about how long it will take them to pack, load, transport, unpack, and assemble all of your items (if you are hiring a full-service mover). If you are moving to Pittsburgh from out of state, ask them how many days it should take them to arrive at your new residence and get everything unpacked. You can even go the extra mile and supply them with a route that you have researched and mapped out to be the most ideal and time efficient.
During the month of September, residents and local Pittsburgh movers noticed a lot of new restaurants popping up throughout the city. In fact, about 15 restaurants have moved to Pittsburgh and more are rumored to come.
Pittsburgh moving companies like All My Sons Moving & Storage are always happy to move new families into the area. When families ask where they should go for dinner – the options are limitless, and that is a feature that most residents love. Once your Pittsburgh movers have finished unpacking all of your belongings and reassembled all of your furniture, let the family take a break and check out the new restaurants who have moved to Pittsburgh just in time for you to enjoy them!
- Burgatory – build your own burgers
- BAKN – for a special twist on breakfast served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Cucina Vitale – Italian-American cuisine
- McCarthy’s Kitchen – farm to table dining
- Franktuary – specialty dishes are franks and poutine
- Pints on Penn – craft brews, burgers, baked Buffalo cauliflower
- Umbrella Café – café, smoothie and juice bar, and bakery
- The Yard – the second location to open, located downtown
- B52 – vegan food that is Middle Eastern and Mediterranean inspired
- Chaz & Odette – international cuisines and “burgers with personality”
- Morcilla – inspired by dishes from Spain; small plates and family-style dishes
- Poros – the destination Greek restaurant in Pittsburgh and a favorite among Pittsburgh movers
Pittsburgh is famous for a lot of things, but food in Pittsburgh is one of the biggest. Henry John Heinz (as you can guess from his name) created the famous Heinz ketchup in Pittsburgh. If you were born after 1886, you may or may not be familiar with the famous Clark Bar as well, which was sold to NECCO in 1999 and is not commonly seen on shelves anymore. However, Pittsburgh movers take a special liking to the famous Primanti Bros. sandwiches. In fact, you cannot have a conversation about local food with any Pittsburgh native without the name Primanti being included.
During the Great Depression, laborers needed a way to eat their entire meal with only one hand, so that they could still work with the other. The solution to this problem: a sandwich topped with French fries and coleslaw – wrapping your cheese, meat, bread, fries, and coleslaw together in one. For the true taste of Pittsburgh after moving to town, Primanti Bros. is the answer.
Despite the overwhelming popularity of Primanti Bros. creative sandwiches in Pittsburgh, the city is known as a melting pot and it can be seen through the variety of famous foods. Some other food traditions include pierogis and Italian wedding soup.
Your Pittsburgh movers will also be pleasantly surprised if you supply them with the local Pittsburgh sweet, cold treat of Klondike Bars.
Other top foods that you can find in town after moving to Pittsburgh are:
Fried Zucchini
Pittsburgh Salad
Chipped Ham
Devonshire Sandwich
The Roethlisburger
Eat ‘n Park Smiley Cookies
The year 2015 has seen a robust housing market, which makes not only home sellers and real estate agents smile, but also local moving companies.
In 2015, Pittsburgh was named in the top 11 cities in the world for livability rates. As a result, Pittsburgh moving companies like All My Sons Moving & Storage have seen a spike in the amount of families and millennials moving to Pittsburgh.
According to moving companies across the nation, Pittsburgh movers are not the only ones noticing that the robust housing market is making the moving business boom. Moving companies throughout the state of Florida have gone on the record saying that business is good and that profits are so great, that they are able to open newer and larger facilities.
According to the June report from IBISWorld, a market research company, nearly $15 billion of the moving services industry is coming from rising home sales and housing starts. The report also said that the numbers are expected to continue to increase over the next five years.
So, All My Sons Moving & Storage of Pittsburgh can expect revenue to rise at the IBISWorld reported rate of 0.8 percent, including the 1.4 percent jump this year alone. What do those percentages look like in terms of dollar revenue for moving companies in the United States? The answer is $14.5 billion.
Professional moving companies are urging new homeowners who are taking advantage of the current market to do extensive research before hiring a local moving company. If you are moving to Pittsburgh, make sure that you receive at least three moving quotes from local movers and choose not based on lowest price, but off of licensing, insurance, and important legal documentation so that your move is secure.
The moving industry has been under fire the past two years, as rogue moving companies are popping up not only across the nation, but across the world. A rogue mover is a moving company that does not actually exist or is not a legitimate, licensed, and certified mover. Recent tips from the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) have told consumers to read the reviews and do as much online research on moving companies as possible before hiring one. However, a couple in England would become the prime example of why all of those tips may not be enough.
Becky Szenck, her fiancé Mark Higgins, and their seven-month-old Ariyah were looking to move from an apartment into their new home roughly 20 minutes away. They went online and read 30-40 reviews on a local moving company – one that even their friends recommended on Facebook. On the day of their move, the movers showed up and swiftly loaded all of their belongings onto their moving truck. During the process, the movers had told the couple to label their boxes as best as they could – a tip that the majority of moving companies recommend so that it makes unpacking easier. However, the couple quickly learned that the movers had them label the boxes so that they could take the more expensive items first, and never come back. The couple never saw their belongings again and it totaled around $15,000 in goods.
All My Sons Moving & Storage is a top local moving company in Pittsburgh and hopes that this never happens to any family moving to or from Pittsburgh. So, All My Sons and the FMCSA recommend that you always go online and check a moving company’s credentials – their legal credentials such as licensing, US DOT number, MC number, and insurance information. Also make sure that when hiring a Pittsburgh mover to never sign any documents that are blank or do not come with a legal Bill of Lading/Tariff.