Our Story
Songbird Artistry is a mother-and-daughters team — Debbie Jacknin and her daughters, Jennifer and Jacklyn — with a passion for creativity and supporting our community.
Our journey began when Jennifer started selling her handmade jewelry, Jenn's Jems, while she was still in high school. We continued to grow our business, eventually opening a booth at the Pittsburgh Public Market in the Strip District in 2009, where we sold our handmade goods and built lasting relationships with other local artists and craftsmen.
When the market closed in 2016, we decided to open our own brick-and-mortar shop and rebranded as Songbird Artistry. Now located on Penn Avenue across from the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, we offer an expanded collection of locally crafted jewelry, prints, apparel, beauty supplies, vintage goods, and more. Our shop proudly features the work of over 50 Pittsburgh artisans, creating a vibrant and welcoming space for creators and customers alike.
Songbird Artistry in the News
Starting a business: Follow your passion, owners say
Sept 3, 2024
Matt Press
For Debbie Jacknin, it’s about the art.
Before she opened Songbird Artistry in Lawrenceville eight years ago, there was Jenn’s Jems, a small business for Ms. Jacknin to sell her daughter’s handmade jewelry, stickers and magnets. They had a booth at the now-defunct Pittsburgh Public Market and garnered a bit of a following, so Ms. Jacknin was confident they were ready for the next step.
“It was like, let’s just go all in and do our passion,” Ms. Jacknin said. “I look at what we’ve created here — we’re making it.”
Save a year of downturn in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Songbird Artistry’s growth has been marked. In 2021-22, Ms. Jacknin said the business grew 45%, and the ensuing year jumped 63%.
Songbird Artistry carries around 44 local vendors, double from 2016, selling everything from stained glass mosaics to bouquets of yarn and scented soaps. The majority of the revenue comes from the work done by Ms. Jacknin and her daughters, Jennifer and Jacklyn.
Ms. Jacknin, who grew up in Pittsburgh before attending Simmons University in Boston, used to work as a real estate agent and spent time in retail management. She always loved art — and ideas of creation and self-expression — but was hesitant to center her livelihood around it.
Art remained adjacent to Ms. Jacknin’s job when Jennifer was in high school, but a Feather Fascinator hat changed everything. Popularized by the movie “Black Swan” in 2010 and worn by Kate Middleton, Jennifer sold her version on Etsy, and sales ballooned. It shot up to Etsy’s front page, “and all of a sudden she got like ding, ding, ding all day long getting these orders,” Ms. Jacknin said.
The early years of business were highly formative for how Ms. Jacknin approaches operations today.
“It is not easy to make a living as an artist,” Ms. Jacknin said. “So if we can help another artist or another artisan get started, give them a place to showcase their stuff, it’s very important for us.”
Seated on a couch next to one of her dogs, Ruthie Barker Ginsburg, Ms. Jacknin offers a simple reason for the growth of Songbird Artistry: “I know artists that are better than I am but are afraid to make that leap,” Ms. Jacknin said. “I wasn’t.”
Thank you, Pittsburgh!
We're incredibly honored to be voted Best Jewelry Shop in the 2024 City Paper poll! We started in 2019 with a 3rd place win in the jewelry category, and since then, you've consistently placed us in the top three for various categories, from Best Woman-Owned Business to Best Selfie Wall and more.
We pour our heart and soul into everything we do, and your support means the world to us.
💖 Thank you for believing in us!
"The space was nothing short of magical. The front window invites the passerby with it's delicate and lovely charm. Once inside, you're surrounded by this positive energy overflowing with hopes, dreams, and memories."
-Amber Young
Saved by the Small Things
.jpg)
"Debbie Maier Jacknin was always artistic...
Jacknin was the featured speaker at the April 29 meeting of the Artist Guild at Sweetwater Center for the Arts. Jacknin, who lived in Murrysville and now resides in Kilbuck Township, couldn’t talk about her craft without talking about her husband...
They worked together on commissioned pieces and pieces they donated, such as the work “Creation” that hangs in the entrance of Temple David in Monroeville.
“It was one of the things that drew us together,” said Jacknin. “Some pieces were my idea, some were his. We bounced ideas off each other. I tend to be way more self critical while he would look at (pieces) we made like, ‘This is great!’"
-Natalie Miller
Tribune-Review
"The shop offers more than Jennifer’s creations and Jacklyn’s vintage finds... Regular classes, events and parties ranging from the lighthearted (’90s-themed, BYOB game nights, a recent session of which included a spirited round of “Girl Talk”) to the cathartic (monthly “Stitch and Bitch” sessions, inviting guests to craft and vent) turn the whimsical store into a hub of conversation and community."
-Sean Collier
Pittsburgh Magazine
"These ladies are making a name for themselves in the craft and vintage resale community. They are also opening their doors for people of all ages to enjoy fun activities and connect with one another. I’m so grateful I was able to cross paths with these awesome women ☺ They inspire me and I hope they inspire you too!"
-Patrice McKenzie
ThriftOutLoud.Net
"Jennifer Orefice started crafting at the age of 14 and has been developing her brand of pop culture-inspired wares ever since. Songbird Artistry also carries a variety of whimsical children’s clothing that encourages imaginative play — crowns, capes and dragon tails – all made locally."
-Julianna Bagwell
Kidsburgh
"Songbird Artistry Transforms a Small Family Business to a Magical Community Space."
“When in doubt, craft it out. This is the motto of Jacklyn and Jenn Orefice and their mom Debbie Jacknin, the family trio behind Songbird Artistry.
The whimsical shop sells handmade items from local vendors around Pennsylvania and Ohio, including jewelry, candles, children’s clothing, chapsticks, cards, “fandom gear”, and more. The store also expanded to include vintage items, such as 90s paraphernalia, old electronics, lunchboxes, and more."
By Onastasia Youssef, December 22, 2017 LOCAL Pittsburgh
"Jennifer Orefice...the owner of Jenn’s Jems, Jewelry & Accessories in the Strip District, gets to wake up every morning to go to a job that she loves. Creating hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry since age 13, Orefice specializes in custom and vintage necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings. She even designs her own T-shirts. The shop contains many jewelry pieces inspired by movies, TV shows and other facets of pop culture. She shares her storefront with her mother, who makes stained-glass art mosaics."
-Point Park News Service
