December 12, 2022

Uptown Winter Market Draws Holiday Crowds

Washington Road was filled with the sights and sounds of the holiday season at the Mt. Lebanon Uptown Winter Market & Holiday Celebration on Saturday, December 10.

The one-day event featured live music and more than 30 vendors, artists, makers and activities.

The Commission Chambers inside the Mt. Lebanon Municipal Building were bustling with visitors checking out the large holiday train display set up by the South Hills Model Railroad Club.

Dozens of parents and children lined up in anticipation of Santa’s arrival in the lobby of the Municipal Building. Joshua and Amy Mizwa, Cedar Boulevard, were among the first in line. They brought their children, Penn and Hazel, to see Santa. “It’s cool. Overall, we’ve been very happy with it. It’s nicer for the kids to hold it in the afternoon,” Joshua said.

Eky Divine greeted customers at the KizzleFoods booth along Washington Road, to sell farm-grown and plant-based spices from Nigeria. “It’s a very supportive community. The support has been so warm,” she said.

The event was welcomed by regular merchants along Washington Road, who saw larger crowds than normal for a Saturday. “Yes, we did see greater foot traffic, and some sales; people loved the cookies so we would be happy to see that again next year,” said Paper Reign’s Gina Florez.

Next door, Poco Loco also welcomed more customers. “We definitely saw more action this past Saturday,” said owner Juan Grimaldo. Sister restaurant Totopo also got a boost in business. According to Marketing Manager Brandon Lyle, patrons came in earlier than usual, making for a busy lunch crowd which stayed steady through the dinner rush. “There were no lulls in the day as can sometimes happen on Saturdays,” he said.