Wyoming Avenue in downtown Scranton was flooded with hundreds of people, but it wasn’t the St. Patrick’s Parade. On Friday, Dec. 2, just after 5 p.m., the huge structure that once housed The Globe Store was lit up again with bright Christmas lights and decorated front windows, just like it was in the defunct department store’s heyday. After closing in 1994, the building was converted into office space and will soon become the Lackawanna County Government Center. On this night and throughout that weekend, though, it was the place to shop just one more time.
The #LackawannaCounty Government Center at The Globe is lit up to open the @ScrantonMade Holiday Marketplace pic.twitter.com/2dJpH454KR
— Lackawanna County (@LackCountyCR) December 2, 2016
A mix of nostalgia and curiosity drove many people to attend the opening of ScrantonMade’s fourth annual Holiday Market, which began with Christmas carols sung outside by the Scranton and Valley View High School choirs and horse-drawn carriage rides from Brookvalley Farm. As eager shoppers moved through the classic revolving doors and past vintage photos of children sitting on the Globe Santa’s lap and an elaborate moving train set, they were greeted by 140 local vendors who filled two large rooms that felt more like a warehouse than an old store, though little remnants of The Globe remained.
Terra Preta sold food and drinks where the Charl-Mont restaurant used to be while bands like The Crackers played music on a small stage built on the worn tiles where its kitchen once stood, the old freezer door still visible in the corner behind them. Little coves and stairways that used to lead to racks of clothing or dry goods on display were now just blank white and exposed brick, but the energy in the air and countless crafts kept things cheerful and fun.
NEPA Scene’s own Nick DeMarco, the writer behind the weekly retro video game column Turn to Channel 3, was selling his handcrafted game-inspired merchandise at the market, including ornaments based on the Globe’s stuffed Rudi bear (pictured below).
JP Videos shot some great drone footage outside as well as a full walk-through inside that captures what it was like to stroll through those hallowed halls again after 22 years:
Learn more about some of the small businesses that vended at the ScrantonMade Holiday Market in a video series here.
