It’s safe to say Julia Gutkowski was born into the restaurant industry.
The 19-year-old Irwin resident made her debut in the food business as an eighth grade student in the Penn-Trafford School District while waitressing at Manor Grille — the restaurant her parents, Derek and Megan Gutkowski, operated for more than 18 years.
Manor Grille closed its location in Manor Borough in March 2024, shifting to a storefront along Main Street in Irwin. The Gutkowskis sold the restaurant to new owners in June.
But Manor Grille’s former home along Manor-Harrison City Road is staying in the family. Julia Gutkowski reopened the building under a new name, Cafe 993, in November.
“I just wanted…something more time-fulfilling,” she said, “and I’ve always liked waitressing.”
The restaurant is just one of several business developments in Westmoreland County in recent months. Once Upon a Child secondhand clothing store in also opened Hempfield.
Cafe 993
Gutkowski did not always think fondly of the restaurant business.
“When I first started, I hated it,” she said, “because what eighth grader wants to work? I didn’t even have the best work ethic, because, again, I was in eighth grade.”
But over the years, Gutkowski started to enjoy working in her parents’ restaurant, particularly alongside her older sister, Madison.
“We always had fun,” she said. “It never really felt like work after I did it enough times. I realized it was more just talking to people.”
After graduating from Penn-Trafford last year, Gutkowski earned her real estate license and began leasing apartments. With the help of her father, she worked to revive the Manor restaurant.
“I really couldn’t imagine doing it without him, honestly. He knows everything,” she said. “He’s the one who renovated the inside. Even when it comes to stuff like payroll, I wouldn’t know how to do that, but he shows me how to do that stuff.
“Now, I’m learning it and I’m doing it.”
The menu is similar to the breakfast and lunch items the family served at Manor Grille — eggs, bacon, pancakes, french toast, homemade sausage, Reuben and Rachel sandwiches and chicken caesar wraps. Around Christmas, Gutkowski served french toast made with her mother and grandma’s famous nut rolls.
Once Upon a Child
Corey and Stephen Uber didn’t know how they would manage their expenses when their family expanded from two to seven in just shy of two years.
Thinking they would not be able to have children, the Upper Burrell couple adopted two sisters — Samantha and Savana, now 19 and 15, respectively. Almost as soon as the adoption was finalized, the Ubers learned they were pregnant with a boy, David, now 6 years old.
The couple had twins, Emmalyn and Timothy, now 5, the following year.
“It was a whirlwind,” said Corey Uber, 40. “We were kind of in panic mode, and even financially, most people plan to keep expanding their family. We didn’t really have time to do that.”
That’s when the Ubers discovered Once Upon a Child, a clothing store chain that buys and resells gently used children’s apparel. The family became frequent shoppers at the company’s Monroeville store.
“Kids grow out of their clothes so fast — and shoes,” Corey Uber said. “It’s not always feasible to go and pay full prices every time they need something new. Especially for a bigger family, it is such a great resource to be able to afford what I need for my kids.”
The company operates more than 400 locations throughout the United States and Canada. The Ubers opened one of the latest franchises, housed in the Greengate East Shopping Plaza along Route 30 in Hempfield, on Dec. 4.
It was a longtime dream come true for the mother of five.
“I love the idea of buying and reselling items, because I knew that instead of putting something in a landfill, it had a lot more life left to it,” she said. “I always told my husband ‘I would love to own one of these stores,’ and it was always kind of a pipe dream.”
The couple’s oldest daughter, Samantha, encouraged them to go for it. After about a year of researching and applying, the family began buying secondhand clothing from the community in October ahead of their December grand opening.
“We were really overwhelmed by the response,” Corey Uber said. “We knew it was a really good area and we would be busy, but it way exceeded our expectations. That’s been really exciting to see — that everybody’s really happy that we’re there.”
The store accepts freshly laundered children’s clothes — ranging in size from preemie baby to youth 18-20 — and shoes, infant sizes to youth size 7. Sellers are given cash on the spot for any items the store wants to buy.
“Sometimes, it feels surreal,” Uber said. “I’ll walk through the store and get emotional, just not believing that we were able to actually do it.”