Weldin’s Stationery store to turn final page

After 167 years, a piece of Pittsburgh history prepares to close its doors

Scott McAllister had not seen any place like it.

From the wooden staircase with the wrap-around balcony to the old original wood furnishings and shelves, Weldin’s Stationery store was unique.

“It’s just something that you didn’t see,” said Mr. McAllister, of the store’s former Wood Street location. “It was just something that you would see in a movie.”

Now an employee of Weldin’s for 15 years, Mr. McAllister said he was inspired by the store’s deep roots in Pittsburgh’s history.

“Just like everyone else from the

Pittsburgh region, a lot of people have come in over time with their parents, grandparents and uncles, and I guess I was kind of into that same thing,” Mr. McAllister said. “They’ve been a wonderful family to work for.”

But after 167 years of operating, the J.R. Weldin Co. is planning to close its doors for good. Now located at the base of the Gulf Tower in Downtown, the store’s main attraction — its personalized stationery products — will no longer be available when the store shuts down in the near future.

“Pretty soon. I mean, we’re not closing the doors right away at least, but probably within a few months,” said Maggie

MacPherson, the store’s owner.

What’s kept the business strong for almost two centuries is its strong commitment to tradition. The J.R. Weldin Co. has stayed in the family since its founding by Josiah Ross Weldin in 1852.

Despite moving from its spot on Wood Street in 2014 to its current location, a majority of the original wooden oak shelves are intact and in use. Black-and-white photos of the storefront dating back to the St. Patrick’s Day flood of 1936 were set prominently high on the bookshelf behind the cash register.

Along with its stationery, the store has come to be known for its resident cats. Its current tenant is a tabby named B.B.

Organizing a tangled ball of yarn in the store’s back storage space on a rainy Tuesday afternoon, Ms. MacPherson said the store is “one of a kind.”

“I’m not glad to leave, but we’ve been realizing that we’ve been doing this for a long time, so it’s something new. We’ll have a change,” Ms. MacPherson said.

For her entire life, Ms. MacPherson has been helping her family continue the tradition of running the store. She also has heard stories from customers and their own traditions regarding the store — stories of multiple family generations buying Weldin’s stationery

for their wedding invitations.

“There’s no other store quite like it in the city,” Ms. MacPherson said.

In his 15 years at the store, Mr. McAllister said he’s had the opportunity to get to know the customers and their history with the store. One customer told him he was a messenger boy for the Union Trust Building and often would have to stop by the Wood Street store to fetch cards for people. He ended up shopping at the store well into his 80s, Mr. McAllister said, and was a shopper there for 60 years.

What makes the familyrun store special is how the people who work there build strong relationships with customers to the point where they know what products each customer may like.

“A lot of the larger stores just don’t have the product we have or the knowledge about different products,” Mr. McAllister said.

From engraved wedding invitations to fountain pens, Ms. MacPherson said high quality products coming from brands such as Crane & Co. make a difference for the customer’s experience.

“The city needs that, it really does,” Ms. MacPherson said.

Through the years, Ms. MacPherson said famous people sometimes stopped by.

“When they were in Pittsburgh, they would say, ‘what’s interesting?’ And people would tell them to come here,” Ms. MacPherson said.

“It was nice to have that business.”

Recently, the store has put up signs that read “Closing sale” and “50% off.” The news, Ms. MacPherson said, has left her customers sad and disappointed.

“We’ve been such a fixture for generations and generations,” Mr. McAllister said.

“We’ve both maintained and met so many people through our time here.”

Mr. McAllister said its been “a privilege and a pleasure to meet so many people along the way.” He’ll miss them, he said.

Ms. MacPherson said she has no set plans for the future once the store closes, but would like to take it easy. She hopes another business will open to keep the stationery tradition alive in Pittsburgh.

As for the future for B.B., Ms. MacPherson said a customer has already pledged to take care of him in their home.