Setting Sights
on Growth Aspinwall Chamber of Commerce elects new president, Jess Vukmir.
BY JENNIFER BROZAK
The Aspinwall Chamber of Commerce has a new president who hopes to harness the power of social media to boost involvement in her borough’ s business district.
Jess Vukmir, owner of Dovecote, the vintage store and gift shop on Brilliant Ave., was named president in April. While she’ s still becoming acclimated to her new position, she wants to continue the momentum that former president Tim McLaughlin set into motion.
“ Tim just did a fantastic job, and I want to build on that success,” says Vukmir, who took ownership of Dovecote last July.“ I want to use more social media marketing to get the word out about the great business district we have here.”
The new board also includes Eric Scholl as vice president, Erin Connolly as secretary and Maureen Gluntz as treasurer. Officers serve a two-year term.
Vukmir sees the potential for the chamber to sponsor large, communitywide events to attract visitors to the borough. While some businesses in Aspinwall already host individual“ oneoff” events, she says she wants to plan more events like Fall in the Wall and Light-Up The Wall that involve the entire business district.
“ Where I see the opportunity to effect change the most is with our event planning,” she says.“ I’ d love to work with the borough to sponsor larger events that will bring more business and traffic into the district.”
Vukmir, 39, moved to the area about six years ago from Cincinnati, where she worked in the banking industry with her husband, Eric, who is a Pittsburgh native. She left her corporate job in 2012 to stay home with her children.
Upon moving to O’ Hara Township, she quickly fell in love with Dovecote, and became friendly with the previous owner, April Buckwalter. When Buckwalter decided to sell the shop, Vukmir saw an opportunity.
“ I love being home with my kids, but there was that side of me that missed working. It had always been a dream of mine to own a store like this,” she says.“ When I found out they were selling, my husband graciously said,‘ Well, let’ s do it.’ So I jumped in and bought it.”
As soon as she purchased the business, Vukmir joined the Aspinwall Chamber of Commerce, whose membership has doubled to 50 in recent years. Yet, as the mother of two young children, she was hesitant to take on a more“ official” role.
“ I attended every meeting, and was always actively involved. But with two kids and a new business, I thought it might be too much, so I said no … at first,” she says with a laugh.
Despite her hectic schedule, she’ s excited about her new role. In particular, she’ s thrilled with the reputation Aspinwall has crafted as“ the next Shadyside.”
“ We have so many great entrepreneurs and business owners here, and we want to get the word out. Many of our customers are also our neighbors, and you can walk everywhere you want to go. Aspinwall is just a great community. It has everything you need,” she says. n
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