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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Carolers serenaded shoppers as they entered the Holiday Pop Up Shops on Thursday night.</p><p>It was the second day of business for the experimental shops downtown; however, visitors to the space in Midtown Village were doing more than just picking up gifts for loved ones.</p><p>The night&#8217;s festivities &#8212; Shop Pop Up for a Cause &#8212; raised money for Brighter Journeys, an organization that benefits special-needs children in Luzerne County. Each shopper paid a $5 entrance fee that went to the group, as well as the proceeds from a silent auction.</p><p>In addition to the regular vendors, local businesses such as Van Scoy Diamond, Valley Running Company and McCarthy Tire donated items to be auctioned off.</p><p>Bernice Sando, co-founder of Brighter Journeys, said the foundation provides support, information and medical items not covered by insurance for families with special-needs children.</p><p>Sando, who founded the organization with Lisa Urbanski, said she was blown away by the turnout.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just a really beautiful event,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Lindsay Bezick, vice president of the Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, was pleased to see the Pop Up Shops serving the greater good.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s great to see people coming out from the community,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Two children from Brighter Journeys also got a chance to participate in Thursday&#8217;s fun. They took part in a fashion show held in Midtown Village&#8217;s courtyard.</p><p>Bezick said the night exhibited a sense of community between businesses, pointing to the fact that restaurants were offering discounts to those taking part in Shop for a Cause.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s really a wonderful opportunity,&#8221; Larry Newman, executive director of the Diamond City Partnership, said of the shops. &#8220;Midtown is a facility that people have been waiting to see come alive.&#8221;</p><p>The shops, which feature 11 local businesses, will be open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 16.</p><p>These are the retailers participating:</p><p>&#8226; Buka &#8212; apparel</p><p>&#8226; Nawrocki Imports &#8212; gourmet cheese and imported wine</p><p>&#8226; Mia Bella Candles, Scent Sations Inc. &#8212; home scents</p><p>&#8226; Whipped Sweet Shoppe &#8212; gourmet cupcakes</p><p>&#8226; The Bearded Ladies &#8212; trendy pet accessories</p><p>&#8226; Boote Photography</p><p>&#8226; Alan McLaughlin &#8212; artwork</p><p>&#8226; MadebyDMarie &#8212; handcrafted jewelry</p><p>&#8226; Threegirls Oils &#8212; essential oils</p><p>&#8226; Sip N&#8217; Silk &#8212; fragrance and painted silk scarves</p><p>&#8226; Natalie&#8217;s Kombucha Juice &#8212; specialty juices</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL120117ShopCause1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Santa Claus makes an appearance on the fashion runway during the Shop Pop Up for a Cause event in the Midtown Village of Wilkes-Barre on Thursday. The night raised money for Brighter Journeys, which helps children with special needs in Luzerne County. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL120117ShopCause1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Santa Claus makes an appearance on the fashion runway during the Shop Pop Up for a Cause event in the Midtown Village of Wilkes-Barre on Thursday. The night raised money for Brighter Journeys, which helps children with special needs in Luzerne County. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL120117ShopCause2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Models Haley Dow and Arden Morgans, both 17, of Mountain Top, pose for a photograph at the Midtown Village in Wilkes-Barre during Thursday&#8217;s festivities at the Pop Up Shops. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL120117ShopCause2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Models Haley Dow and Arden Morgans, both 17, of Mountain Top, pose for a photograph at the Midtown Village in Wilkes-Barre during Thursday&#8217;s festivities at the Pop Up Shops. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL120117ShopCause3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">John Baldino sings Christmas carols with other members of Our Cabaret Productions in the Midtown Village during Thursday&#8217;s fun at the Pop Up Shops. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL120117ShopCause3-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>John Baldino sings Christmas carols with other members of Our Cabaret Productions in the Midtown Village during Thursday&#8217;s fun at the Pop Up Shops. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL120117ShopCause4-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">People shop at the Pop Up Shops in Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s Midtown Village on Thursday. They are open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 16. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/web1_TTL120117ShopCause4-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>People shop at the Pop Up Shops in Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s Midtown Village on Thursday. They are open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 16. </caption3><photoCredit3>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Brigid Edmunds</p><p>bedmunds@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Pop Up Shops good for shoppers and charity