SCRANTON -- A Scranton holiday tradition, now in its fourth year, will make a nod to a much older tradition. The Holiday Marketplace is setting up shop inside the former Globe Store that's now owned by Lackawanna County.
The event this weekend will light up The Globe just like it always was at Christmastime.
If you have memories of The Globe at Christmastime on Wyoming Avenue, things might look familiar. Lackawanna County and a big team of volunteers have been working to dress up the long-vacant building like it was when The Globe was open.
"My kids, bringing them down here to see Santa Claus with a nice picture, the old fashioned Santa Claus, it was very nice," Joe Farley recalled.
Farley got that feeling again as he walked past the Lackawanna County-owned Globe building.
"It's about time the downtown is looking good, with the mall and The Globe store. I'm glad the county bought the building. I'm hoping they can make something out of it."
Cristin Powers has spearheaded The Globe's recent transformation and will host the annual Holiday Marketplace for small businesses and vendors inside the empty building this weekend.
"I think it's great to show what's happening now, but also celebrating the past," said Powers. "'I'm excited to see what it's going to be like at The Globe this year because I think everyone wants to just get into this iconic downtown historic building."
County employees and volunteers have been decorating the building to look like it did when it was The Globe department store.
Unjin Newkirk volunteered to decorate a window. She's hoping a little light in here spreads through downtown Scranton.
"I mean, obviously, it takes time, but you can see the difference, and it's over all, not one spot, or two spots, it's everywhere, especially downtown in Scranton, which I love," said Newkirk.
Next year, work will have started on new Lackawanna County offices in this space. The commissioners think bringing Christmas back this year is a good place to start.
"It's First Friday in downtown Scranton, on a dead block of Wyoming Avenue. It's going to draw thousands of people in and it's going to do something that hasn't happened in this block in years," said Commissioner Pat O'Malley, (D) Lackawanna County.
The organizers of the Holiday Marketplace say they had about 3,000 shoppers last year. They're expecting at least that many over the course of this weekend.
It all begins with an official lighting Friday evening.