The Silly Goose opens Downtown
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Plenty of hijinks at The Silly Goose in Pittsburgh. Photos: Chrissy Suttles/Axios
The goose is loose in Pittsburgh.
The big picture: The Silly Goose Unapologetic Gifts & Novelties, a playful indie gift shop with a fast-growing online following, opened its first Western Pennsylvania storefront on Saturday.
Zoom in: Nate Treichler, owner of the original Silly Goose in Jim Thorpe, Carbon County, opened his first shop on National Goose Day in 2024. The idea caught on quickly and has since amassed nearly 65,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram.
The vibe: A mix of greeting cards, stickers, novelty socks, and offbeat home goods fills the shop. The in-house "Silly Goose" line leads the charge with cheeky tees, irreverent hats ("it's a bad day to be a hotdog"), plus candles, pickle-themed finds, and other goods.
- You'll receive a "license to be silly" club card for deals after your first purchase.
How it works: After learning about Pittsburgh's push to activate vacant storefronts, Treichler applied for the city's pop-up and rent abatement program and landed a lease Downtown on Wood Street.
- His shop sits next to The Studio by PGH Candle, part of a wave of new small retailers opening ahead of the NFL Draft.
- The effort, led by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, connects entrepreneurs with empty spaces for six- to 12-month leases, aimed at quickly filling dozens of vacancies in the Golden Triangle — but Silly Goose plans to stay in Pittsburgh long term.
If you go: The Silly Goose is at 417 Wood St., Downtown.
- Noon-5pm Wednesday-Thursday, 10am-7pm Friday-Saturday, 12pm-5pm Sunday.
- Closed Monday-Tuesday.