Columbia Market House to close in December, but its future is uncertain

Teresa Allen can still recall the glory days of the Columbia Market House.

“At one time, it was the focus of the town,” said Allen, the market house manager. “The camaraderie with the stand holders … gives you this family mentality.”

That family will be split up on Dec. 23, as the borough will close the 148-year-old market house. The tall, dark red doors of the market will reopen at some point, but what the future holds inside those walls is still a mystery.

More:For more details on the dungeons underneath the Market House, click here.

The decision to close the market was made in the early fall, with the goal of allowing for some much-needed renovations, Pamela Williams, borough councilwoman, said. The renovations included a new paint job, new lighting and an undetermined decision for something to be done with the tapered brick floor.

However, as word of the announcement started trickling out, interested parties began inquiring about the property, giving the borough unforeseen options for leasing the space.

More:Closing after 86 years, Craley loses a landmark and gathering place (column)

“There’s nothing concrete at this time, but we have decided to send out a bid package in the next few weeks to get submissions of ideas for future use of the market house,” Williams said, adding that some of the ideas include a restaurant and a brewpub.

The market house has stood on South 3rd Street since 1869. In 1994, it closed for the first time after the market “could no longer support itself,” according to the market house’s website. It reopened in 2005 and has been owned by the borough since March 2016, Allen said.

If the potential businesses seeking to lease the space don’t meet the desires of the borough, then the market will shut down for a short amount of time - potentially six months - in order for renovations to be made.

Unfortunately, things haven’t always been easy at the market house, Allen said.

“The community has not come out and supported the market as often as it has (in the past) and it is still a struggle,” Allen said. “There’s a core group of people that come out, but it’s less than one percent of the town population.”

Currently, the market has about 15 vendors when the average was around 20 and the max capacity about 25, Allen said. Once the market closes, those vendors will scatter in a variety of directions – some will go to a different market, others will open their own brick-and-mortar locations.

More:Columbia is losing an institution in Hinkle's Pharmacy

Some, like Penny Weir, are grouping together to potentially share a building in the Hellam and Springettsbury townships area. While details about a potential location aren’t finalized, Weir said she needed a space to keep a personal interaction with her local clients.

“You can’t get that (personal interaction) with a web store,” Weir said.

The Lancaster native said growing up, walking to the market was the norm. When she returned to the area and began her business, she wanted to be in Columbia’s market house.

“We looked at other markets in the area, and we just liked the feel – it’s more of a family feel – in Columbia,” Weir said. “We guest-vended one weekend, and we decided it was right for our business. The other vendors welcomed us.”

If many involved in the market house get their wish, the nearly 10,000-square-foot building will keep its original purpose.

“When you hear people in Columbia talk about the market house, it’s with such nostalgia,” Williams said. “Everyone remembers going there as a child – a vital, productive market house that was a gathering place.

“My dream is for the market to be a community gathering place,” she continued. “It’s been (a market house) for a long time and that would be the perfect scenario.”

Anthony J. Machcinski is the food reporter for the York Daily Record. Follow him on Facebook, @ChinskiTweets on Twitter or email him at amachcinski@ydr.com. 

Also of interest, photos of Hinkle's Pharmacy, another longtime Columbia institution that recently closed: