Making the right moves

Crowdfunding could boost plans for coffee shop and moving venture in McKees Rocks

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

While scouting sites to open a second location, the owners of Black Forge Coffee House toured many communities in and around Pittsburgh. They settled on a spot in McKees Rocks.

The borough along the Ohio River just west of Downtown has some of the same challenges as Allentown, the city neighborhood where Black Forge opened its first location three years ago: crime, poverty and a battered retail corridor that has struggled to bounce back from the decline of the region’s manufacturing base beginning in the 1970s.

“We know from the experience of opening in an area without a booming business district that we have to work hard to create a destination,” said Nick Miller, co-owner of Black Forge, which has grown into a thriving venue for metal-themed music events, art exhibits and other entertainment and community gatherings.

Mr. Miller and his business partner, Ashley Corts, are confident they can replicate their success in McKees Rocks — this time in a bigger space where they also plan to roast their own coffee beans, expand food preparation and provide more seating and parking.

Thanks to a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter that closed last week, Black Forge raised more than $35,000 — exceeding its goal of $30,000. The Black Forge owners plan to use that money as a down payment on the former Chartiers Trust Bank building on McKees Rocks’ main street, Chartiers Avenue.

The purchase price is $260,000. Black Forge expects to spend $35,000 to $40,000 on renovations to the vacant brick structure owned by Focus On Renewal, a community services agency in McKees Rocks that formerly ran some programs there.

Crowdfunding could also boost the