Good news for small business owners and nonprofits: UpTo Know Good is popping up in three business districts throughout Pittsburgh the next few weeks, to provide discounted branding, design and other creative services. Businesses need not be located in the neighborhood to take advantage of the services.
Today through Friday, UpTo is popping up in Bloomfield at 4736 Liberty Avenue. “UpTo takes a service that most small business owners feel is out of reach and makes it affordable and approachable,” says Christina Howell, executive director of Bloomfield Development Corporation. “With so many legacy small businesses that still exist and more new businesses opening all the time, this project will give a critical mass of businesses in our vibrant main streets the tools to succeed.”
Following this week in Bloomfield, UpTo will pop up at 811 Middle Street on the Northside in partnership with the Northside Chamber of Commerce. For the final week of this series, UpTo will be in the Hill District at 2015 Centre Ave from Monday, November 14 to Friday, November 18 in partnership with the Hill District Community Development Corporation and Urban Redevelopment Authority.
UpTo works with communities to identify vacant buildings for pop-up locations where they can offer discounted creative services. While the work is created in an accelerated time frame—all services are completed in a 24- to 48-hour time frame—the emphasis is on quality. UpTo recently received a grant from the Hillman Family Foundations to do additional pop-ups so more business owners can access their services.
“We know how hard it is for main street businesses and nonprofit organizations to get access to quality creative services,” said Eric Sloss, co-founder of UpTo. “We are breaking that barrier down, rethinking how the creative industries can provide quality and good service in a short timeframe while educating business owners about quality and the real cost of marketing assets.”
Following a strategy session with a client, UpTo’s freelancers build everything on site. During the pop-up period, services are offered à la carte at a reduced rate and range from logo designs, brochures and press releases to other digital marketing services.
Hours of operation at each weeklong event are Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Walk-ins are welcomed but customers are encouraged to register for a consultation. Services, which range from $50 to $300, can be secured by cash, debit or credit card.