Bartuska's is closing

The last furniture store in Nanticoke, and one of the few remaining active businesses in Nanticoke, is going out of business.

Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice: Bartuska's Furniture closure leaves void in Nanticoke

This is a sad but almost inevitable development. As the owners note, it was hard enough selling moderately-priced American-made furniture when the major chain competitors are selling cheap junk from China. But in an economy where discretionary incomes have dropped to zero, where people don't even have the money to pay for the gas to go to their jobs (if they're lucky enough to have jobs), furniture purchases are not a priority.

Bartuska's closing will leave a major void on Main Street in Nanticoke. Two voids - they also own a warehouse across the street, though the city has announced plans to purchase that. In a slightly better economy this might be a prime opportunity for a new business to set up shop in the old building. (Bartuska's has an enormous room-sized elevator in the back for transporting furniture from one floor to the next - how cool is that?) But at this point I cannot envision anyone else opening a business downtown.  I hope to be proved wrong.

Audio postcard from Nanticoke

As part of the radio series "100 Days: On the Road in Troubled Times", NPR reporter David Greene posted a report from Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke:

Lessons From The Recession In The Classroom

...But things are different at a public institution in Northeastern Pennsylvania, where I arrived a few days ago.

"I have a very full load. My classes are packed these semesters," says Jim McAndrew, a professor of economics and management at Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke, Pa. He says Luzerne is "affordably priced" and has seen a "huge increase" in enrollment.

Unfortunately, the radio report somehow manages to omit mentioning where Luzerne County Community College is located, beyond "Northeastern Pennsylvania." At least Nanticoke is mentioned in the online version!

Nanticoke Historical Society in the news

Update, 2/12/2011:  The Nanticoke Historical Society has a new website, and a Facebook page.  Details here.

The Nanticoke Historical Society was featured in a story in today's Citizen's Voice:

Nanticoke Historical Society saves, documents pieces of city’s past
BY ELIZABETH SKRAPITS
STAFF WRITER

Published: Monday, December 15, 2008 11:58 AM EST
NANTICOKE — They’re preservationists, technophiles, detectives and, when the occasion calls for it, Dumpster-divers.

Members of the Nanticoke Historical Society have seen too much of the city’s history reduced to rubble, crumble to dust, get carted to landfills or otherwise irretrievably vanish to be squeamish. When it comes to saving records that might be crucial for charting the South Valley’s history or providing genealogical data, they’ll do what they have to.

“Believe me, it’s a rich, rich history we have in this town,” said Chester Zaremba, the society’s vice president and secretary.

You can read the rest of the article here. You can visit the Nanticoke Historical Society website here.