County procures new vendor huts for annual winter market, which returns in December

JEFF HORVATH, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
Updated ·2 min read

Local artisans and other vendors participating in this year’s Lackawanna Winter Market will use 50 collapsible huts as makeshift storefronts when selling their unique wares at the annual holiday festival.

Vendor applications are available for the 2024 market, which will take place Dec. 6-8 on Courthouse Square in downtown Scranton.

City-based Reclamation Industrial Furnishings made the collapsible, weather-proof huts for Lackawanna County, which used $175,000 in state Local Share Account funding to cover most of the cost. The investment is expected to drastically reduce the roughly $60,000 to $80,000 annual tent rental and third-party assembly costs the county historically incurred, officials said in a news release.

The new huts come in two sizes: a smaller option with counter space for food and beverage service and a larger one with more depth for table displays. Examples of both will remain on display at the Electric City Trolley Museum through June, giving prospective vendors an opportunity to see which size suits their small business best.

While the county originally planned to procure the structures several years ago, Arts and Culture Director Maureen McGuigan said supply chain issues made the project prohibitively expensive at the time. Officials were able to secure about 20 of the smaller huts for use at last year’s market and will have the full complement available this year.

“The Winter Market has evolved over the years and I think when we moved it downtown we loved the setup, but really to do any kind of outdoor winter event you ... can’t do it without protection,” McGuigan said, noting the high cost of renting weatherized tents and the fact that many established Christmas markets make use of more permanent structures. “I think aesthetically ... these (huts) have a certain charm.”

That the huts are collapsible and can be stored means they’ll also be available for other county events and activities.

“One of the goals too in writing this grant and thinking about this is ... I’d love for other communities to be able to use them,” McGuigan said. “That is the longer-term goal.”

Vendor applications for the 2024 Winter Market opened Wednesday and will remain open through June. All applications will be juried.

To access the online application form, visit the Lackawanna Winter Market’s Facebook page.