Downtown Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle has nearly 50 empty storefronts—just as the NFL Draft is set to bring hundreds of thousands of visitors. A local nonprofit is racing to fill dozens of those spaces before April.
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is always working to fill vacant retail spaces, but the draft brings more urgency to those efforts, said Cate Irvin, senior director of economic development. The group revived a “pop-up” program in which businesses access retail space – pending an agreement from the property owner — for six to 12 months.
“This gives businesses a chance to test the waters and see if they want to commit to a longer-term lease. We’re looking specifically at kind of a retail classification, and within that is included, restaurant retail, traditional retail and services like salons,” Irvin said. “We do have a requirement now for our pop-ups that they all need to be up and running by April.”
One of those pop-ups opened last month: Confleurtti, a flower shop just outside Market Square.
“The last [Downtown floral shop] closed in 2021 … so when they applied for Project Pop-Up, it was fantastic,” Irvin said. “We’re not looking to just put businesses in that’ll do well for three days. We want businesses that’ll do well for three to 30 years.”
Confleurtti owner Ashleigh Nixon opened her business in 2020, hosting pop-up floral arrangement classes. When she heard the draft was coming to town, she said it was a good opportunity to try opening a physical store.
“I have [the store] for six months, which will go to the very first day in June, but it’s still an opportunity to do all I can,” Nixon said. “If it is successful, then I could extend the lease at market rate … There’s been some deals and discounts available to me that have been very needed and helpful that may have not been there [before the draft announcement].”
While Nixon is not an official NFL vendor, she plans to prepare Steelers- and Pittsburgh-related floral arrangements for the big event in April.
“I might do some team leis for parents and families and maybe even players to wear,” Nixon said. “I have something up my sleeve for sure.”
One way the partnership is working to keep businesses downtown after the draft is through a rent abatement program, offering rent subsidies for the first year of the lease. In 2025, eight new businesses opened through the program, contributing to 19 overall total new street-level retail openings. The rent abatement program offers half off of the monthly rent, up to $2,000.
“Right now, we’ve actually had to close our applications until the third quarter of 2026 just because we had so many,” Irvin said. “Come spring, there’ll be another wave of openings … which is perfect in time with the draft, giving visitors a chance to see what all we have to offer.”
Some of the empty storefronts require construction to be retail ready. For those, the partnership plans to install window displays featuring locally made art, including “vinyl wraps that can go on the sides of the building,” Irvin said. “It kind of still creates a visual identity and sort of aesthetic, while highlighting local, emerging artists.”
Irvin said the Partnership hopes to fill 20 to 30 retail storefronts in time for the draft, which is scheduled for April 23-25. It is expected to generate $120 million to $213 million in economic impact, based on prior draft numbers. The main stage will be located outside of Acrisure Stadium on the North Shore. Other events will be spread throughout the North Shore and at Point State Park.
VisitPittsburgh, the tourism agency leading draft preparation, estimates a crowd of 500,000 to 700,000 fans.
Last December, planning officials with the NFL visited the region and gathered local businesses to meet with subcontractors, in hopes of securing a contract to become an official vendor for the draft. These businesses underwent months of NFL-led training to be a part of the NFL Draft Source Program.
There are about 100 active businesses in the program that were selected out of several hundred applicants, Draft Source lead Myisha Boyce said.
Belynda Gardner, a director of leadership, development and inclusion at the NFL, said last month that officials will be back a “couple of more times” leading up to the main event.
“Our focus will really be to make sure that everyone is aware of the plans for draft, the things that might be impeding the community as well as really just making sure that the businesses have what they need to be able to be successful,” Gardner said.
Newly inaugurated Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor told the city to “redd up” for the draft earlier this month.
“We know Pittsburgh’s going to be in the international spotlight for the NFL Draft in April and that’s brought a lot of energy, collaboration and momentum to Downtown,” O’Connor said in a statement to the Pittsburgh Media Partnership Newsroom. “My administration is focused on the overall growth, including opportunities for our small businesses, so I say let’s make the best of that energy to support existing efforts — like the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s — to get local businesses into storefronts to build a vibrant Downtown not just for the draft, but for every day.”
Abigail Hakas contributed to this report.
Erin Yudt is a reporter with the Pittsburgh Media Partnership Newsroom, part of the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University. She most recently was a multimedia content producer and digital reporter at WKBN in Youngstown and is a graduate of Point Park University. Reach her at erin.yudt@pointpark.edu.
Abigail Hakas was a staff reporter for the newsroom until September 2025. She is now managing editor of the Latrobe Bulletin. Reach her at editor@latrobebulletinnews.com.
The PMP Newsroom is a regional news service that focuses on government and enterprise reporting in southwestern Pennsylvania. Find out more information on foundation and corporate funders here.
