Harrisburg plans big-tent solution for vendors burned out of Broad Street Market

• Katie Knol
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  Katie Knol was WITF's newsroom summer intern for 2023.
  
  She currently a senior at Penn State University majoring in digital/print journalism and political science. She has also worked at WPSU, The Daily Collegian and CommRadio.

After a fire swept through Harrisburg’s Broad Street Market last week and destroyed one of the two historic buildings, vendors had to adapt.

Broad Street Market is the longest consistently used market house in the country, operating for the past 145 years. Some sellers were operating in the building for decades, but they suddenly had to make new plans.

Amid the turmoil, local businesses have offered space for vendors. Penn Market in York and Colonial Park Mall in Lower Paxton Township are just a couple. 

But city officials are looking for a solution to keep the sellers in the same area as the still-standing stone building. 

Harrisburg City Administrator Dan Hartman said Harrisburg is looking into an air-conditioned and heated tent that would be placed on a nearby plot. Along with the climate-control, it would also have electricity, running water and sewage capabilities.

Hartman said there are some stipulations with the repair because of the building’s historic status. The techniques used for the almost-decimated roof are rare to find in 2023, and repairs can start only when all insurance-related investigations are completed. 

Another short-term solution recommended was to move the vendors to the Pennsylvania Farm Show and Expo Center Complex, though officials shared worries about space for more vendors in the building and transportation difficulties. 

Matt Maisel, Harrisburg’s city spokesman, said the most pressing issue is Harrisburg’s status as a ‘food desert,’ meaning there’s a lack of access to fresh, nutritional food. He said residents without transportation could suffer with this food source under repair, so the city wants to keep the market functioning at its current location. 

“It’s really important that we get meat and produce vendors to buy into this because you have three elderly high rises in very close proximity to this that rely on the market for their food,” Maisel said. 

Many vendors have set up tents in the courtyard outside to continue selling, but some stands are having more trouble than others adapting because they require large commercial kitchens. Melissa Barrick, the owner of Veg Out, said it’s easier for her to keep selling than for others because she doesn’t need to cook. 

She said she hopes a fully-functional tent will bring more businesses back to the market. For her, the market community was “another home,” and the regular customers have been showing up to offer support. 

“When we had the market this weekend, everybody was crying. Like they would come up to you and as soon as they see you, they cry,” Barrick said. “They’re sad because it’s a part of them. It’s their home, too.”