{"id":15203680,"date":"2026-07-10T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/liberty-avenue-shows-how-bloomfield-changed-and-where-it-could-go-next\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T09:33:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T13:33:23","slug":"liberty-avenue-shows-how-bloomfield-changed-and-where-it-could-go-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/liberty-avenue-shows-how-bloomfield-changed-and-where-it-could-go-next\/","title":{"rendered":"Liberty Avenue shows how Bloomfield changed \u2014 and where it could go next"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.publicsource.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260518-Bloomfield-Liberty-Ave-Pittsburgh-04.jpg?fit=1024%2C682&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image\" alt=\"A man in a black apron stands outside Bloomfield Groceria, a corner grocery store with green and white awnings and a sign above the entrance.\" \/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Editor\u2019s note:<\/strong>\u00a0This story first appeared in a Public Source neighborhood zine, a print project created to highlight the people, places and stories shaping Pittsburgh communities. Find a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicsource.org\/upper-east-end\/#homewoodzinemap\">physical copy near you<\/a>\u00a0or view the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicsource.org\/pittsburgh-homewood-larimer-zine\/\">digital version here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rich Trocchio is a Bloomfield old-timer who wants to see the neighborhood change.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou could probably talk to 100 people and 90 would say the same answer: \u2018We like it just the way it is,\u2019\u201d Trocchio said. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t work anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Liberty Avenue and its side streets, that tension is playing out in real time. Longtime residents and business owners say Bloomfield risks falling behind without new development, while others have resisted changes that could reshape the neighborhood\u2019s character.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trocchio is the owner (and sandwich maker) of Bloomfield Groceria, a corner store on Cedarville Street that is one of the few old Italian stores remaining in the neighborhood known as Pittsburgh\u2019s Little Italy.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" width=\"780\" height=\"519\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.publicsource.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260518-Bloomfield-Liberty-Ave-Pittsburgh-01.jpg?resize=780%2C519&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"The neighborhoods of Bloomfield and Garfield as seen from a higher distance, with the horizon near the top of the frame. The rooftops of rowhomes, churches, and West Penn Hospital dot in warm tones against the green of a sloped hill in the far distance.\" class=\"wp-image-1334592\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The slopes of Bloomfield and Garfield on May 18. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg\/Pittsburgh\u2019s Public Source)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s a deli counter in the back, manned by Trocchio\u2019s son, and neatly stocked shelves of pasta and other dry goods in the center of the store. Trocchio said a lack of growth in the neighborhood has cut down on the foot traffic needed to sustain stores like his.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" width=\"780\" height=\"519\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.publicsource.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260518-Bloomfield-Liberty-Ave-Pittsburgh-05.jpg?resize=780%2C519&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"A man in a collared white shirt and black apron stands in his store in front of a rack of loaves of bread and behind a shelf of pasta. In the back, American flags hang and the edge of a green and white striped awning.\" class=\"wp-image-1334596\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rich Trocchio, in his Bloomfield Groceria store, May 7. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg\/Pittsburgh\u2019s Public Source)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBloomfield is so far down the shitter now,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat we need, we need right now, we need what\u2019s happening in Lawrenceville.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He was referring to the buildup of apartment buildings \u2014 and the new population and foot traffic that come with them \u2014 that has occurred on Butler Street over the past decade or so. One new development almost came to Bloomfield recently: A new grocery store and 248 apartments were planned for a plot near the Bloomfield Bridge, but the city\u2019s zoning board rejected the plans after receiving some pushback from neighbors concerned about the size of the proposed building.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI had a woman come in here and say, \u2018We beat that thing,\u2019\u201d Trocchio said. \u201cI said, \u2018You blew it.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI can\u2019t bring people in that don\u2019t exist.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" width=\"780\" height=\"519\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.publicsource.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260518-Bloomfield-Liberty-Ave-Pittsburgh-08.jpg?resize=780%2C519&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"A person in black shorts and black high socks walks past the window and brick facade of the Pleasure Bar along an urban street. Inside, two men sit by the bar as seen through the window. The traffic light pole is painted in the colors and pattern of the Italian flag.\" class=\"wp-image-1334599\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Pleasure Bar along Liberty Avenue, May 18, in Bloomfield. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg\/Pittsburgh\u2019s Public Source)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jamie Campau bought the Pleasure Bar in the late 2000s. Originally opened in 1941, it\u2019s one of the oldest businesses still operating in the neighborhood.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said business still hasn\u2019t recovered from the impact of the COVID pandemic on the restaurant industry.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI hate complaining \u2014 nobody had any idea what to do with the first pandemic in 100 years,\u201d Campau said. \u201cBut they fucked COVID up. This place was shut down for three or four years. I still haven\u2019t reopened the bar \u2026 with food costs increasing, it\u2019s a completely new universe.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" width=\"780\" height=\"1172\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.publicsource.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260518-Bloomfield-Liberty-Ave-Pittsburgh-10.jpg?resize=780%2C1172&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Potted flowers hang from awnings above two neighboring rowhouses. A plastic chair sits on the stoop of the front home, which has yellow siding a red painted railing.\" class=\"wp-image-1334608\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The stoops and awnings of Bloomfield, May 18. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg\/Pittsburgh\u2019s Public Source)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said the neighborhood\u2019s texture is different from when he arrived in town about 20 years ago, but it remains an integral part of the city.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt was a little more fourth-generation Italian\u201d back then. \u201cRowhouses had grandmothers on the porch with grandsons patrolling the streets. All that\u2019s gotten bought.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-a-changing-face\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">A changing face<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The neighborhood\u2019s population has been relatively stable lately. Census estimates compiled by the University of Pittsburgh\u2019s Center for Social and Urban Research show the neighborhood <a href=\"https:\/\/ucsur.pitt.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/Census%20Reports\/UCSUR_Profiles_of_Change_20142024_March2026.pdf\">shrunk by 3%<\/a> from the early 2010s to the early 2020s.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The neighborhood\u2019s demographics changed more significantly: While still a predominantly white neighborhood, the area\u2019s multiracial population more than quadrupled over the decade, according to the Census estimates, and the Hispanic population more than doubled. The foreign-born portion of the population rose from 9% to 13%.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Census measurements of self-reported ancestry show 35% of Bloomfielders in 1980 reported Italian ancestry. 22% did so in the most recent estimates.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" width=\"780\" height=\"519\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.publicsource.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260518-Bloomfield-Liberty-Ave-Pittsburgh-07.jpg?resize=780%2C519&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"The glowing light of a neon sign reads &quot;BAR&quot; with a martini glass beside it. People with cocktails are illuminated by its pink light as seen through a window at dusk. The brick building has a spotlight shining down on a sign that reads &quot;bar restaurant.&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-1334598\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">People dine at Fet-Fisk, a Nordic-inspired restaurant and bar that has drawn national accolades from the likes of the New York Times and Bon Apeitit Magazine, May 18, along Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield. The acclaimed establishment is housed in the former Italian-American staple Lombardozzi\u2019s Restaurant, which closed in 2020 after an almost 50-year run. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg\/Pittsburgh\u2019s Public Source)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some neighborhood stalwarts like the Pleasure Bar and the Sacred Heart of Jesus are still around, and some new life has moved in. The Del\u2019s building was taken over by Camino Cocteleria &amp; Cocina, and Lombardozzi\u2019s is now Fet Fisk, an award-winning, high-end Scandinavian restaurant. Other relatively new offerings include a taco spot (Baby Loves Tacos), a bagel shop (Phat Bagel) and a soup-centric cafe (Brothmonger).&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" width=\"780\" height=\"520\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.publicsource.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260518-Bloomfield-Liberty-Ave-Pittsburgh-02.jpg?resize=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Two people stand for a portrait behind a business counter. Behind them are rows of games on a mustard-colored wall. The person on the left wears a black brimmed hat and shirt with purple leaves, the person at right wears an Ocean City fanny pack and a lavender shirt with a cartoon of Death with a sickle riding a rainbow unicorn. \" class=\"wp-image-1334593\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jae Crone, left, and Jay Imbrie in their game shop, Mimic\u2019s Market, on Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield on April 16. (Photo by Quinn Glabicki\/Pittsburgh\u2019s Public Source)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"h-new-ambition-but-no-destination\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">New ambition, but no destination?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two of the neighborhood\u2019s newer entrepreneurs are Jay Imbrie and Jae Crone, who moved to the neighborhood together after opening the tabletop game shop Mimic\u2019s Market. The pair does not see Bloomfield as a neighborhood in decline.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBloomfield was this hip place when we were growing up\u201d in the South Hills, Imbrie said. When they were ready to start their business, \u201cWe knew Bloomfield was an up-and-coming queer neighborhood. We are a queer family, and it worked.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" width=\"780\" height=\"519\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.publicsource.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260518-Bloomfield-Liberty-Ave-Pittsburgh-06.jpg?resize=780%2C519&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"People sit at folding tables laughing and playing games together inside the Mimic&apos;s Market storefront. The space has stacks of all different kidns of games, the walls are painted teal, a star light hangs from the ceiling.\" class=\"wp-image-1334597\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">People play games at Mimic\u2019s Market on the evening of May 18, in the Liberty Avenue storefront and gaming space in Bloomfield. The folding tables have become the stage for a community gathering around roleplaying, cards and board games, as well as Pokemon leagues and miniatures painting nights. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg\/Pittsburgh\u2019s Public Source)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI hope we\u2019ve caught on to an early part of a wave here,\u201d Imbrie said. \u201cThis is probably where we\u2019re going to live for the rest of our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They said business is good, and they are beginning to look for more space to accommodate a growing range of game tournaments and events.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Produce shop owner Gina Merante<strong> <\/strong>has been in the neighborhood for more than a decade. She holds court at a table set up across the sidewalk from her shop, Linea Verde, telling regulars approaching the store to \u201cgo ahead in.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" width=\"780\" height=\"520\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.publicsource.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260518-Bloomfield-Liberty-Ave-Pittsburgh-03.jpg?resize=780%2C520&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"A woman with gray hair smiles as she looks over her shoulder while arranging produce in her store. Behind her, a window shows the outside street scene. Plants in colorful pots sit in the window light.\" class=\"wp-image-1334594\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gina Merante checks out a customer in her shop, Linea Verde, on Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield, April 16. (Photo by Quinn Glabicki\/Pittsburgh\u2019s Public Source)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s enough ambition,\u201d in the neighborhood, she said. \u201cWe don\u2019t have a destination. Donatelli\u2019s was a destination.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said she wished that the building vacated by Del\u2019s would have been turned into an outpost of the chain of mega-restaurants <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eataly.com\/us_en\">Eataly<\/a>, \u201cSo you could go to Eataly at the entrance to Little Italy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Charlie Wolfson is a reporter for Pittsburgh\u2019s Public Source. He can be reached at charlie@publicsource.org.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicsource.org\/liberty-bloomfield-pittsburgh-changing-from-italian-roots\/\">Liberty Avenue shows how Bloomfield changed \u2014 and where it could go next<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicsource.org\">Pittsburgh&#039;s Public Source<\/a>. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"inmi-source\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.publicsource.org\/liberty-bloomfield-pittsburgh-changing-from-italian-roots\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">News \u2013 World \u2013 Pittsburgh \u2013 rss.app1 \u2192 manual entry<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How shifting demographics, stalled development and new businesses are reshaping Bloomfield\u2019s main corridor.<br \/>\nThe post Liberty Avenue shows how Bloomfield changed \u2014 and where it could go next appeared first on Pittsburgh&#039;s Public Source. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15203682,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[272],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15203680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pittsburgh"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15203680-20260518-bloomfield-liberty-ave-pittsburgh-04.webp",1024,682,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15203680-20260518-bloomfield-liberty-ave-pittsburgh-04-300x200.webp",300,200,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15203680-20260518-bloomfield-liberty-ave-pittsburgh-04-620x413.webp",620,413,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15203680-20260518-bloomfield-liberty-ave-pittsburgh-04-768x512.webp",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15203680-20260518-bloomfield-liberty-ave-pittsburgh-04-940x626.webp",940,626,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15203680-20260518-bloomfield-liberty-ave-pittsburgh-04.webp",1024,682,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15203680-20260518-bloomfield-liberty-ave-pittsburgh-04.webp",1024,682,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15203680-20260518-bloomfield-liberty-ave-pittsburgh-04-998x665.webp",998,665,true],"ignition_item":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15203680-20260518-bloomfield-liberty-ave-pittsburgh-04-670x446.webp",670,446,true],"ignition_item_lg":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15203680-20260518-bloomfield-liberty-ave-pittsburgh-04.webp",1024,682,false],"ignition_article_media":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15203680-20260518-bloomfield-liberty-ave-pittsburgh-04-510x510.webp",510,510,true],"ignition_minicart_item":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15203680-20260518-bloomfield-liberty-ave-pittsburgh-04-160x160.webp",160,160,true],"profile_24":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15203680-20260518-bloomfield-liberty-ave-pittsburgh-04-24x24.webp",24,24,true],"profile_48":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15203680-20260518-bloomfield-liberty-ave-pittsburgh-04-48x48.webp",48,48,true],"profile_96":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15203680-20260518-bloomfield-liberty-ave-pittsburgh-04-96x96.webp",96,96,true],"profile_150":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15203680-20260518-bloomfield-liberty-ave-pittsburgh-04-150x150.webp",150,150,true],"profile_300":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15203680-20260518-bloomfield-liberty-ave-pittsburgh-04-300x300.webp",300,300,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"news.iNthacity","author_link":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/author\/atombo\/"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/articles\/news\/usa\/pittsburgh\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Pittsburgh<\/a>","tag_info":"Pittsburgh","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15203680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15203680"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15203680\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15203681,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15203680\/revisions\/15203681"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15203682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15203680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15203680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15203680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}