Pittsburgh Lofts & New Condos

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - December 19, 2009
By Gretchen McKay

After 30 years in the hardware business, Mike Broniszewski is a pretty handy guy. The 42-year-old North Hills native is so knowledgeable that for the past 10 years he's dispensed home repair advice on Saturday morning's True Value Home Improvement Hour on KDKA radio with co-host Rob Pratt.

So in his own home, it's a simple matter of practicing what he preaches, right?

Not exactly.

Three years ago, Mr. Broniszewski and his wife, Marsha, sold their 75-year-old brick Tudor in Ben Avon and moved to a two-bedroom loft at the Cork Factory, an uber-hip factory-turned-apartment building in the Strip District. They've never looked back.

"It's really a lifestyle choice," says Mrs. Broniszewski, who grew up in Ambridge. "We realized that life is short, and this is so much fun . . . It's nice to come home and not have to worry about things like the foundation."

"I almost feel guilty because I'm on the radio telling people to clean their gutters and maintain their furnaces," says Mr. Broniszewski, owner of Sarver True Value Hardware.

The key word being "almost."

The Broniszewskis loved their old house, which they spent years fixing up. It's just that after years of making the 40-minute daily drive to and from their Butler County store, they were ready for a change.

Having sunk most of their savings into the business, moving wasn't an option. But renting someplace cool was.

The couple had always been intrigued by loft living. There's a certain edginess in a loft's high ceilings and open spaces. They also liked the idea of being near the beating pulse of the city. When they were looking, the Cork Factory had just started renting the first of its 297 luxury units.

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