Love Lebo, Mt. Lebanon Partnership’s ongoing campaign to bring Mt. Lebanon residents together and connect them with local businesses, strikes again, this time with a unique learning opportunity—The Love Lebo Learning Series.

This YouTube series, which takes viewers into local businesses to learn the tricks of their trades, publishes a new episode every Sunday at 3 p.m. At the time this was written, it was a pilot program, with episodes covering topics such as how to make a real Italian macchiato with Uptown Coffee, experience a meditative sound bath at Inner Rutz, and how to make risotto with Arancini House. The series started in February and may continue beyond its tentative end date of April 4 if it keeps gaining in popularity.

“There are so many stories behind each one of our businesses,” said Commercial Districts Manager Eric Milliron. “Letting property owners talk about their business and their story creates a real connection between a customer and a business.”

Partnership board member Mara Dowdy proposed the series as a way to share educational offerings that benefit both businesses and the community. Harold Behar, also a Partnership board member who owns the marketing firm Behar-Fingal, Inc., became the producer, and John Chakos, an Upper St. Clair native who is a film student at Brooklyn College, filmed the series.

“There are so many stories behind each
of our businesses,” Eric Milliron,
Commercial Districts Manager

“Experiencing the sound bath while filming at Inner Rutz was amazing,” Behar said. “You could feel the vibrational waves … We filmed an episode with Sandra Ward (owner of Ward Art Studio). I’m also a designer and artist, and up until I filmed this episode with Sandra, I had never thought about ever using sponges in a watercolor. Everyone has offered something interesting.”

The Partnership also created a weekly gift card contest in conjunction with the series. The week after an episode publishes, they post a question on the Mt. Lebanon Partnership Facebook page, relating to the content of the episode. Commenters with the correct answers are entered to win a $25 gift certificate to the featured business. Winners will be chosen at random and contacted via direct message on Facebook one week after the series ends.

“In this time, when business owners really need some extra attention to stay afloat, this is a great way to get to know them a bit better and feel compelled to support our local businesses,” said Behar.