Shadyside Shop Owner Honored for Giving Back to Community
Pittsburgh, PA – A Shadyside business owner, despite losing everything in a fire, still found a way to give back to the community, which is why she is in Texas this week accepting a national retailer award.
Jean Haller, owner of Journeys of Life along with her husband, Henry, has earned one of two awards in “The Next Big Give,” a Dallas Market Center contest that seeks to recognize retailers who give to and impact their communities. Journeys of Life sells books, CDs, gifts and aromatherapy items that aim to help people going through addiction recovery or other life challenges.
“I never in my life expected this,” Haller, 64, says about “The Next Big Give” win. “I was blown away.”
Haller – a resident of Shadyside who grew up in North Andover, Mass. – lost her Bellefonte Street business and her inventory to a vicious electrical fire on Nov. 13, 2011. The business was a total loss, and the fire consumed 22 years worth of memories. When she moved to a temporary location on Walnut Street for six months, many local and faraway vendors and individuals reached out to help Haller by donating merchandise for her to sell, and donating work time by putting price tags on products. With the help, Haller reopened Journeys of Life at its temporary location just two weeks after the fire and returned to her old, restored location in May 2012.
