Stay up-to-date on what’s coming, going, and changing in the Northside business community with The Northside Chronicle’s monthly Northside Business Briefs. This month’s briefs feature The Government Center and Family 1st Home Care, LLC.

By Ashlee Green

Photo: Historic Deutschtown’s exclusive vinyl record store, The Government Center, has relocated to 715 East St., formerly the Key West bar. The new store is now open and operational; music fans can look out for a grand opening event on Friday, Aug. 20.

The Government Center moves to new location in Historic Deutschtown

The Government Center, Historic Deutschtown’s exclusive record store, has relocated to 715 East St., and Owner Josh Cozby says that the project is about way more than just some new digs for selling vinyls.

“A big chunk of East Street that has been vacant for years now has a vibrant destination in it, with more to come,” he told The Northside Chronicle in an email.

Housed for the last two and a half years in the East Ohio Street business corridor, The Government Center can now be found where the former Key West dive bar once was, on one half of the ground floor’s newly renovated commercial space. The other half of the commercial space along with two second-floor apartments are anticipated to be finished later this year. 

“The retail space is probably 50% bigger than the old one,” Cozby said. “We also added a stage for in-store performances and we have storage space that didn’t exist in the old store.” Cozby said there are already live performances scheduled in the shop throughout the next few months. 

An espresso bar featuring coffee drinks and grab-and-go foods as well as a mural of funk musician and Pittsburgher Betty Davis by Jeremy Raymer are still in the works. The espresso bar is expected to open late this fall.

Make a date to check out The Government Center’s new space on Friday, Aug. 20 for its grand opening event, complete with food, drinks, and giveaways. Rave Ami and The Gotobeds will play live. 

Family 1st Home Care uses artificial intelligence to improve senior home health care

William Robinson Jr. is paving the way for the future of home health care service. His startup, Family 1st Home Care, LLC, offers the basics of non-medical home health care: helping senior veterans find access to and qualify for government money, for example, as well as providing assistance with doctors appointments, simple housekeeping, and companionship. What sets his company apart, though, is its use of a cutting edge artificial intelligence system.

“It’s like Life Alert on steroids,” Robinson said.

The system, which is in the testing phase now and should roll out in the next few months, monitors a senior’s home—the bed, refrigerator, sink and bathtub, and medicine cabinet, for example—to learn the person’s movements and routines. There are no cameras, just infrared technology, and if a senior falls down, doesn’t turn the water off, or opens the door and leaves but doesn’t come back, up to 10 specified people such as neighbors and family members can be alerted. 

“The AI will save a lot of money for a lot of people in need,” Robinson said. The system will have a monthly subscription fee, he explained, and is for people who want to have affordable 24/7 monitoring for their family members but can’t afford a live-in aide.

“I wanted to build a company that wasn’t just about money, it was about helping people and making their lives better,” he said.

Family 1st Home Care is based out of Alloy 26 in Nova Place for now, but Robinson said he’s actively working on building his team. He’s currently hiring CNAs and home health aides. Visit https://family1hc.com/ for more information.