Pittsburgh looks to partner with CommonWealth Press to create, sell official merchandise

The city of Pittsburgh is looking to partner with CommonWealth Press to design and sell officially licensed Pittsburgh merchandise.

The city announced in September that officials were looking to partner with a company to create branded Pittsburgh merchandise.

Officials at the time said this would not prohibit other companies from selling Pittsburgh-themed items. Several businesses, including Shop412 and Steel City Clothing, have based their businesses around selling clothing and other merchandise that invoke Pittsburgh pride.

Officially licensed merchandise will bear a tag or decal that declares it official merchandise, to differentiate it from other items bearing Pittsburgh colors or symbols.

A portion of the revenues from officially licensed merchandise will return to the city.

Other cities, including New York City, also sell official merchandise.

Pittsburgh-based CommonWealth Press said it is excited to work with the city to design and sell official merchandise. The company said it and the city are still in the “beginning stages” of the process, and declined to provide specifics about what kind of merchandise would be available.

In an emailed statement, the company said its aims to create an official line of merchandise covering a “wide range of Pittsburgh-centric ideas.”

The company declined to estimate when the merchandise would be available to buy.