Graduation season is upon us! Here are TABLE’s picks for some unique graduation gifts from Pittsburgh local businesses to make these graduates feel like you have their back for the next chapter of their careers.
Graduation Gifts from Local Pittsburgh Businesses
Greeting Card from Wildcard
Make the graduate in your life feel special by going beyond a last-minute Hallmark card with one of the quirky and unique graduation gifts and cards from Lawrenceville retailer Wildcard (4209 Butler Street). We suggest You graduated! Now you can read just for fun! for any of the tired English majors out there.
Stationery from Scribe Fine Papers
A journal is a great gift for a kid starting a new phase of life to reflect and document their path, or just to show them the time-honored adult tradition of owning a bunch of nice journals but never writing in them. Scribe Fine Papers (731 1/2 Filbert Street) has some luxurious leather ones, that you can even get embossed with your grad’s name. Or throw in a fountain pen and some ink for an extra touch of class.
Bouquet from Fox and the Fleur
Graduation is about entering a new season of life, and Fox and the Fleur (105 Brilliant Avenue in Aspinwall and 412 Beaver Street in Sewickley) offers seasonal flower arrangements that use the best blooms for whatever time of year you’re celebrating in. (You might remember them from our Easter flower recommendations, too!) You can commission a bouquet based on your grad’s favorite flowers for a memorable summer arrangement for the grad party. Roses from CVS are SO over. Go custom.
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh Membership
Learning doesn’t have to stop in school! One of Pittsburgh’s best deals is its museum system’s membership, which covers the Warhol, the Kamin Science Center, the Carnegie Museum of Art, and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Encourage lifelong enjoyment of arts and culture after graduation with a gift membership.
Sauna Session at Signal Sauna
School is exhausting. Buoy up your weary grad by booking a 75-minute sauna and cold plunge at Signal Sauna (6595 Hamilton Avenue) as a graduation gift? The pop-up outdoor sauna has options for a silent or guided session. Founder Ryan Campbell is a Pitt grad—one of the many insightful entrepreneurs that come out of Pittsburgh’s universities. Help your grad get that finals-week tension out of their neck just before they head out for interviews or their first day on the job!
Books from Local Booksellers
Books are a great graduation gift. You can’t go wrong by tugging on the heartstrings with the nostalgia of Dr. Seuss’s Oh, The Places You’ll Go, or a longstanding classic like Plato’s Republic. For fiction fans, Michael Chabon’s Mysteries of Pittsburgh is the classic postgrad Pittsburgh summer novel. Find a copy at The Cozy Corner Bookstore (5879 Ellsworth Avenue), White Whale Bookstore (4754 Liberty Avenue), Caliban Book Shop (410 S Craig St), or new Amazing Books on Walnut Street.
Cookware from In the Kitchen
No more cafeteria food and instant ramen! Graduation is a time to culinarily strike out on your own and learn some new skills. You can get some strainers, cast iron pans, or whisks at In the Kitchen (1725 Penn Avenue). Maybe an instant pot or chef David Chang’s Anyday microwave bowl to be adventurous?
Décor and Furniture from Weisshouse, Loft Home, Not Usual Studios
Everyone remembers their first piece of “adult furniture,” whether it was a couch, kitchen table, or floor lamp. Whether your grad is moving into a new dorm for their Masters or into their first apartment, you can’t go wrong with a new home décor item as a graduation gift. For bigger furniture investments, take a look at Weisshouse and Loft Home. Or, consider a vintage accent like a lamp from Not Usual Studios.
Coffee Mug from Contemporary Craft or Union Project
Mugs are one of the best go-to gifts. Functional, beautiful, and something that they’ll use every single day for coffee or tea, however they take it. Plus, adult life is tiring, so coffee is a necessity. The snappy sayings on many of them also come in handy on a workday Monday! In Pittsburgh, head to Contemporary Craft (5645 Butler Street) or Union Project (801 N Negley Avenue) to get one-of-a-kind ceramics. Or, for the intrepid traveler doing study abroad, take a look at travel mugs from Welly, based in Pittsburgh.
Financial Planning with YTS Wealth Management
Let’s be real. Gifts are great, but one of the biggest gifts you can give somebody is security for their future. While a teen or college grad might roll their eyes at the prospect of opening up a Roth IRA, it’s a lifelong investment for them. Schedule a consultation for a recent grad with YTS Wealth Management or another local firm like Schenley Capital.
Story by Emma Riva
Subscribe to TABLE Magazine‘s print edition.