Eric Hagarty, chairman of the Broad Street Market Board of Directors, sent a note thanking the Harrisburg community for its help during"a really, really hard year."The 12 months since have been"really, really hard," according to Eric Hagarty, chairman of the Market's Board of Directors.
"In many other towns, a devastating fire like the one that took place a year ago, and all the terrible second-order effects it caused, would have been too much to overcome," Hagarty said in his letter."But although this anniversary is a somber one, it is also a heartening one, because Harrisburg is not like many other towns: the people of Harrisburg simply refused to allow the Market to fail.
At one particularly low point, Hagarty said, it looked like the only feasible way to keep Market operating would be to double the rent for the remaining vendors.Other local businesses also stepped up to help, Hagarty said. Capital Region Water and PPL Electric Utilities agreed to provide deferred payment arrangements that allowed Market to"manage its challenging cash flow situation over the previous several months.