Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.

First Posted: 4/11/2013

PITTSTON TWP. — Retail was tough enough in recent years, and having a Walmart store down the road made it more difficult for Merchants’ Village. The indoor vendor market on Oak Street will close it doors on May 3, said co-owner Nick Antonaccio.

The market, in a building that once was home to a Walmart, opened in November 2010 and at its peak last year had 170 vendors.

“We have 70 now,” Antonaccio said. Many of them will continue their business at other locations, he added.

The market filled a niche for new businesses and established merchants that wanted to branch out. They rented space in the 120,000-square-foot building. Rather than handle sales on the floor, the vendors affixed bar codes to their merchandise that was checked out near the front of the building.

“We ran all points of sale activity; all (the vendors) had to do was stock the inventory,” Antonaccio said.

The owners of Merchants’ Village purchased the former Walmart that became available due to the construction of a new Walmart Supercenter store about a mile away on state Route 315. Renda Antonaccio Holdings LLC purchased the building and 24-acre property for $2.9 million, according to Luzerne County property records.

The concept was working, but it was a struggle to compete against the big-box store. The full-time staff at the market dropped to eight from 29, Antonaccio said. “Unfortunately the economics of it just don’t allow us to stay there,” he said.

He encouraged shoppers looking for good deals to stop by, because many of the vendors have reduced prices and are trying to clear out as much inventory as possible.

The contents of the building will be sold after the closing.