J. Jones Evening Wear celebrated the grand opening of its Mount Lebanon boutique June 30 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring the Mount Lebanon High School cheerleading squad.
“We are thrilled to be in Mount Lebanon,” owner Jill Jones said.
The South Park native owns a 10,000-square-foot prom and bridal store in Weirton, West Virginia. Her second location, at 660 Washington Road, caters specifically to the South Hills homecoming and prom market.
“We had to come here,” Jones said, explaining that she saw a need for a formalwear boutique in the area. “There are no full prom stores between West Virginia and Zelienople.”
J. Jones specializes in affordable evening wear from top designers, with homecoming and prom gowns ranging from $400 to $1,200. The boutique also plans to host bridal pop-up shows and offer tuxedo rentals and formal gowns for galas, weddings and other special events.
During the grand opening, Jones announced that one of her custom-designed gowns had been selected to be worn at the wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, held in New York City on July 3. The celebration also featured dress giveaways, a charm bracelet bar by Charmed Creations, catering from Bravo Italia, Rowing’s Italian Ice and live broadcasts from Star 100.7 FM.
After a soft opening earlier this year, J. Jones is preparing for the busy homecoming season. The 3,000-square-foot boutique offers dresses, jewelry and a variety of boutique clothing and accessories.
“I love Mount Lebanon, and I love the community,” store manager Jessica Sperlazza said. “As long as these girls walk out of here feeling more beautiful than when they came in, then I’ve done my job.”
The Mount Lebanon cheerleaders will serve as brand ambassadors for the boutique. Every dress is registered by school to ensure no two students wear the same gown to the same dance.
Izora, a permanent makeup studio and academy that previously occupied the space, relocated to the upstairs suite.
Jones said the municipality’s support for small businesses helped convince her to open in Mount Lebanon.
“They are very supportive of their businesses in the community,” she said. “It just felt right.”
That same sense of community attracted hairstylist Tony Joseph, who opened T2 Hair & Nails in July at 671 Washington Road.
“I had always heard such great things about Mount Lebanon,” Joseph said. “It felt like such a great community.”
When a client told him Davin Interiors was relocating to Pittsburgh’s Strip District, Joseph seized the opportunity to lease the storefront.
An Ellwood City native, Joseph grew up working in his family’s salon before attending Bella Capelli Academy, a Paul Mitchell partner school. He later worked at several South Hills salons before deciding to open his own business.
“I always had a goal of opening something of my own someday, and we have a terrific team here,” Joseph said.
His staff includes hairstylist Charlotte Graham and nail technician Anna Tanner.
T2 Hair & Nails specializes in luxury hair services, including cuts, color, blowouts and nail care for women and men.
“We create dimensional blondes and rich-looking brunettes,” Joseph said.
Specialty cafe and dessert shop Treats n Beans also plans to expand into Mount Lebanon later this year.
The Jordan-based company, founded in 2012, will open its third U.S. location at 698 Washington Road, the former home of Cafe Flore, which closed in January for repairs.
Treats n Beans serves French crepes, pancakes, waffles, specialty coffees and teas. The company already operates a successful Oakland location serving the college community, along with a satellite location on Bower Hill Road inside King Crust Pizza.
Meanwhile, Cochran Road is also welcoming a new business.
Mount Lebanon resident Dr. Preeya Fozdar plans to open Twin Hills Primary Care in September at 460 Cochran Road. The 3,200-square-foot office previously housed Golden Fingers Spa.
Board-certified in internal medicine, Fozdar said she fell in love with Pittsburgh while completing her residency at UPMC. After spending the past year at Johns Hopkins, she decided to open a practice close to home. She and her husband, Mount Lebanon native Kyle Baicker-McKee, live nearby with their two dogs.
Twin Hills Primary Care will offer both traditional and concierge medical services for patients seeking more personalized care. Fozdar said the concierge model allows physicians to spend more time with patients because they manage smaller patient panels.
Her goal, she said, is to build lasting relationships with patients and neighbors reminiscent of the family physicians she remembers growing up.
She also plans to hold regular Tuesday afternoon office hours at Mediterra, where residents can stop in, enjoy a cup of coffee and get to know her.
“I want to be that person for people who don’t have that,” Fozdar said. “This is the closest to a small-town doctor we’re going to have in this day and age.”
Twin Hills Primary Care is expected to open in September. The practice accepts most major insurance plans, and appointments are already available through its website.
