Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market, ice rink open for the season outside City Hall

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Philadelphia as the holiday market is now open outside of City Hall.

The Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market opened a week earlier than usual to coincide with the opening of the ice skating rink.

"Our favorite time of the year is Christmas time, obviously, and we thought why not prolong the season," Claire Kunovic, PR Manager of the Philadelphia Holiday Market, said. "It just brings so much joy to the city, and we love coming back every year."

More than 40 vendors have now set up shop right outside of Philadelphia City Hall, offering a little bit of everything.

"A lot of apparel, gifts, jewelry, anything you can think of," Kunovic said.

Cymande Hagans, owner and operator of bakery Cynful Bliss, is back at the market this year.

Her bakery is based in Sicklerville, New Jersey, but Hagans said they bake in Philadelphia. All of their desserts are infused with alcohol.

"We have cheesecakes, cobblers, cakes. This year we've also brought back our 'bliss bombs,' which are coffee bombs, cocoa bombs, and apple cider bombs, which are all infused. And, we're also offering fudge," Hagans said.

Hagans told Action News she is excited to set up shop at the market again this holiday season. She loves getting the opportunity to connect with other local business owners and repeat customers.

"Having opportunities to put your products out there for your customers, and having a place where everybody can come and get a bunch of different things and options, it's invaluable," she said.

Tonya Mason, of Glenside, and Alicia Levantini, of Philadelphia, have also acquired a booth at this year's market.

The two artists met at the Philadelphia Flower Show in March. They said they have spent months crafting their booth and creating art to fill it.

"I do anything that brings me a smile," Mason, owner of Mason Made, explained. "We do holiday tea lights. Rudolph is my favorite movie, so we do Rudolph dioramas. Probably our biggest seller is our ornaments. We have a lot of Philly-themed ornaments."

Levantini, owner of Art by Alicia, created hand-drawn pictures of Philadelphia row homes and landmarks for customers.

"Everything that I have is like you're taking a long walk through Philly, basically. I have stoops, Philly landmarks, the window boxes," she said. "It's all Philly and charming."

The duo described the market as "magical." They both said they're looking forward to interacting with the customers and sending them home with a piece of Philadelphia.

"What they've done to Dilworth Plaza with the ice skating rink, the garden over there, and the city hall light show, they really do create a magical environment that we are extraordinarily honored to be a part of," Mason said.

Levantini added, "It's so magical to be down here. Even when we were both here for the fall festival, it already felt like that. There is an energy here. You're in the center of the city. It's just buzzing."

The opening of the 2023 market coincided with the start of skating at the Rothman Orthopedics Ice Rink and Cabin.

6abc is the proud media sponsor of the rink. Action News Traffic Anchor Matt Pellman and 6abc President and General Manager Bernie Prazenica were both on hand for the ribbon cutting at the rink.

"What you see around here, those of you who have been around for a while, this didn't exist," Prazenica said. "It's amazing what we have now."

The Christmas Village at LOVE Park will open for a preview next weekend and runs through Christmas Eve.

The Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market will be open until January 1.