Justin Strong is making his rounds. Moving from behind the vintage White Tower countertop draped with orange lights, he walks with a casual swagger, serving coffee, tea and juice to customers and checking sound levels on the mix board. It's almost show time, and Strong, busy as ever, has everything in hand.

John Heller, Post-Gazette The result of Justin Strong's entrepreneurial spirit is the Shadow Lounge in East Liberty. Click photo for larger image. More information The Shadow Lounge is at 5972 Baum Blvd. For more information, call 412-363-8277 or visit www.7thmovement.net.

By now, the frenzy has become routine at the Shadow Lounge, an East Liberty coffee bar and performance space the 25-year-old Point Breeze resident opened 3 1/2 years ago.

The slender 6-footer is wearing dark denim jeans and a gray knit scarf wrapped over a vibrant yellow T-shirt emblazoned with a picture of poet Allen Ginsberg. The T-shirt was designed by a Pittsburgh fashion designer, and Strong likes to promote local artists. In fact, artists are the lifeblood of his business.

The smoke-free, alcohol-free lounge in the old Chamber of Commerce building on Baum Boulevard, in the heart of East Liberty, has become a haven for used furniture, donated books, board games and a thriving arts scene driven by musicians and performance and visual artists from across the region and the country.

It has hosted parties, poetry readings, acoustic shows, house and techno events, rock and hip- hop shows complete with rap performances and breakdance, and deejay and graffiti exhibitions.

John Heller, Post-Gazette Barrett Black, left, of Garfield, makes the scene at Kelly's Bar and Lounge in East Liberty, where Linzee Allshouse is a bartender. Click photo for larger image.

In fact, the laid-back groove of the lounge is such a hit that it has already outgrown itself. Strong is considering an expansion at the present address or a move to a nearby building with three times as much space. That makes it part of a hip renaissance of a once-neglected area that is also home to the transformed in-crowd hot spot, Kelly's Bar and Lounge, and the Artist & Craftsman Supply store.

"Justin's an island in a very cool storm," said Rob Stephany, director of real estate for East Liberty Development Inc. The "cool storm" will gather steam in the next few months. The Abay Ethiopian Restaurant will open around the corner on South Highland Avenue. And several doors down at South Highland and Penn Circle South is the future home of the Red Room Cafe.

"Right now, we have a critical mass of entertainment and cool night life in this area," Stephany said.

Strong spent three years scoping out spaces but decided to look beyond the South Side, Oakland, the Strip District and other established nightlife areas.

"I liked the potential I saw in East Liberty," Strong said. "Oakland was already defined, but East Liberty was a place where you could create your own identity without being pigeonholed."

The customers agree. "The Shadow Lounge provides an alternative venue from the normal, run-of-the-mill places," said poet Julian Nicholas, 30, of Wilkinsburg. "It offers original music, original art and a chance to be around original people trying to do stuff. The Shadow Lounge is the place to be."

Nicholas said he's been involved with "every scene in Pittsburgh," including rave, house music, poetry and hip-hop. "That's the problem -- scenes die out too quickly in Pittsburgh. That's why we need a place like the Shadow Lounge to sustain these scenes."

Strong's reason for opening the lounge was less lofty. "Boredom," he said. "Straight nothing to do, and I didn't feel like moving."

He started writing the business plan in 1998 while at the University of Pittsburgh. After opening the lounge the day before his 22nd birthday, he tried to balance college and a full-time business but eventually opted for a real-world education instead.

Strong does not recommend that would-be entrepreneurs follow his financial plan: He opened the Shadow Lounge on $10,000 in credit card charges.

Through the lounge, Strong is doing his part to change people's minds about the entertainment options and amenities available in Pittsburgh. "It was about providing a service that wasn't there before," he said.

It's show time, and tonight's theme is hip-hop. The room is filled nearly to its 50-person capacity. The large picture windows are draped in panels of black and crimson material, and the air is smoke-free. All ages are welcome.

The crowd is eclectic -- and peaceful. The audience ranges from a black woman in her late teens to a white man approaching 60. The police have never been called to the lounge, and no fights have ever broken out.

East Liberty Development's Stephany said the Shadow Lounge reflects a new nightlife scene that is "family-oriented and cool and quirky." He credited Strong and the two restaurant owners for having the vision to locate in East Liberty.

"It seems to me that these guys are change-makers," Stephany said. "They are generating energy and bringing their friends, associates and business into the neighborhood. That's just good, smart community development."

The Shadow Lounge is open every day of the week, usually opening around 5 p.m. -- daylight hours vary -- and sometimes not closing until 5 or 6 a.m. There's nothing hard and fast about closing time.

"If someone takes the bus to a show and it doesn't end until after the buses stop running," Strong said, "I'll keep the lounge open so people can rest until the next morning."

He said an expanded Shadow Lounge would have the same rules and atmosphere.

While Strong believes in upholding high standards of customer service, he is also a friend of many artists, some of whom developed their stage presence and performance techniques at the lounge. Original artwork is displayed throughout the lounge, accented by walls painted in brown and red hues.

"I like the lounge feeling," Strong said. "I didn't want to open a club. I wanted people to sit and relax and be close to the artists. I got out of the party scene and more into the arts and performance arts."

National acts have graced the Shadow Lounge stage. The Twin Poets of HBO's "Def Poetry Jam," and the Traditional Rap Tour featuring Camp Lo, Grand Agent and Tajai of Hieroglyphics have played there. Songstress Venus Malone made her American debut at the lounge. Chuck D, of the rap group Public Enemy, has spoken highly of the lounge, and hip-hop artists J-Live and Floetry have chilled there.

"We're open-minded, and we promote artistic and cultural diversity," Strong said. "The region is more than just black and white. We appreciate, respect and make everyone comfortable."

Strong is outspoken about the Pittsburgh area's political landscape. The region does not do enough to promote young people or small businesses, he says.

"If you have a strong independent [business] scene, you won't have to coax a Lord & Taylor or other companies to do business here," he said. "The city should look at folks who went to high school here, the people who are more likely to open businesses and buy a house in the region. The city should develop from within because we're the ones who have a stake in the region."

Strong's expansion speaks to his commitment to stay, and he encourages more young people to do so. He said it is important for the young to get involved socially, politically and economically to influence the decision-making process.

Meanwhile, this artists' haven is doing its part.

"Justin and the Shadow Lounge are a true resuscitation of a dying artistic scene in Pittsburgh," said Karriem Sami, 31, of Forest Hills, a regular patron. "There's no other place like this in Pittsburgh."