Speakeasy at Piedmont

When this building on Main Avenue was bought, it had no roof. The floor was littered with mulch and plywood, pipes were exposed everywhere and plaster covered the walls. There were other plans for it, but as the walls came down they told a different story. Layer by layer, an enormous Piedmont cigarettes mural, once an outside wall, was uncovered, and with it came the idea for a speakeasy: a spectacular secret to match it.

Piedmont was built by two families. A stained glass piece tells the story of the two husbands behind it: a city boy raised with clippers in his hands and a country boy raised with a hammer in his. Seemingly opposites, they share the same heart, and set out to build a place that brings the community together and gives people an experience they’ve never had around here. Look closely and you’ll find clippers and hammers hidden throughout the artwork.

Every detail carries the story. The slats in the light fixtures stand for the tobacco stakes of the old farming days, and the church lights are the builder’s mark: everything he builds uses an artifact from an old church. The piano speaks to a deep love of blues music. The P on the patio gate echoes the Piedmont logo, the ceiling is covered in vintage matchbooks, and even the restrooms hold original Piedmont trading cards from the fish and bird series.

To fill the building all day, the other side became a baseball-themed deli. Piedmont cigarettes produced the most valuable baseball card in history, the Honus Wagner card, and it’s painted on the wall. Baseball in that era was segregated, and it didn’t feel right to honor the major leagues without the Negro leagues, so Smokey Joe Williams of the Homestead Grays, one of the most dominant pitchers of his day, is honored too. The room is full of baseball history: commemorative and game-used bats, seats and flags from the old Pittsburgh Pirates stadium, the coach’s office lightbox, the clock from outside the locker room and hats from nearly every team.

It all leads back to the door that doesn’t look like a door: a vintage cigarette machine that once sold Piedmont cigarettes. Each room tells its own story, and every one ties back to the Piedmont brand. Piedmont is now part of a family of brands that share one heart: bringing communities together and making people feel seen, known and understood.