SCRANTON, Pa. -- Christmas has come to downtown Scranton. The annual Winter Market at the Globe kicked off Friday night.
Thousands of holiday shoppers are expected to visit Wyoming Avenue over the weekend.
Lackawanna County officially kicked off the festivities by lighting up the outside of the former Globe store.
It looks like how many people from this area remember it around Christmastime. But in just a few weeks, the former Globe will be home to Lackawanna County government offices.
That's why, for the eighth year of the winter market, the shopping is out on Wyoming Avenue under the cover of a tent.
This weekend on Wyoming Avenue, Scranton's past meets its future
"I think it gets everybody's name out there, it lets everybody know that there is more to the area than what they see on a daily basis. There's so much neat little niche arts," said Nicholas Demarco of Nick D's Video Game Vault.
Demarco brings his business downtown to the winter market every year. This is the third time it's been hosted on Wyoming Avenue.
Instead of inside the former Globe store, vendors are setting up in street under the shelter of a tent.
"The Globe store was the place where everybody went and got dressed up with their family. I think it's the same kind of atmosphere, I think of coming back down to the area and seeing what's here, instead of thinking there isn't anything going on, there is, there's quite a bit," Demarco said.
The winter market has become a holiday tradition for many families; a few thousand shoppers are expected this weekend.
"I think that when we were building this, we really wanted it to be a Scranton/Lackawanna County event that really meant something to people and something they could get excited about every year," said county official Maureen McGuigan.
Families can still see Santa inside the Globe and participate in holiday crafts or play with old-fashioned toys.
About 60 vendors offer lots of options for holiday shopping.
The small businesses that participate say markets like this one help keep them afloat.
"We've been very lucky. We have people coming back looking for Barb's pictures. They look for us at the shows now, which is nice," said John Nelson of Nelstra Gallery.
The businesses may be smaller but Wyoming Avenue is a holiday shopping hub again.