Bridgeville's first Holiday Artisan Market & Winter Celebration runs Saturday, Dec. 5, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Railroad Street will be closed for it. The borough has billed one stop as "a special highlight of the day": an open house by Pittsburgh Pottery inside the former Italian Club on Margaret Street.
That stop also explains how the event came about. Pittsburgh Pottery is working with Bridgeville Borough to coordinate the market, and the vendor spaces sit between Railroad and Margaret streets, and the studio's open house sits at the Margaret Street end.
A hall that already had a holiday tradition
The Bridgeville Area Historical Society tells the building's story on its page about the borough's fraternal and social clubs. In 1910, a group led by Frank Truzzi got a charter from Allegheny County as the Italian Mutual Beneficial Society. Members first met at Domenic Collavo's home on Baldwin Street. In 1922 they built 414 Margaret Street.
Like other beneficial societies of its time, the club paid sick and death benefits to its regular members. The Historical Society says that by 1976 it had 500 members, 200 of them social members. The club was known for its bocce courts and Morra tournaments, and for its "generous hard candy treats for children on holidays."
So for decades, kids in Bridgeville connected this building with holiday sweets. On Dec. 5, families walking the new market will pass the same front door, this time for a studio open house.
| Year | What happened at or around 414 Margaret Street |
|---|---|
| 1910 | Italian Mutual Beneficial Society chartered by Allegheny County |
| 1922 | The society builds its hall at 414 Margaret Street |
| 1976 | Membership reaches 500, including 200 social members |
| May 11, 2026 | Borough Council approves Pittsburgh Pottery's conditional-use permit for the building |
| Dec. 5, 2026 | Pittsburgh Pottery open house during the first Holiday Artisan Market |
What the permit allows inside
The building's next use was settled at a public hearing on May 11, 2026. The Borough Council minutes describe the plan. Pottery production goes on the first floor of "the former Italian Club Building," and an educational studio goes on the second.
The property is in the borough's Mixed-Use Zoning District, where light manufacturing needs a conditional-use permit. The Borough Manager told Council that the hearing was advertised, the property was posted, and every owner within 300 feet was notified. The only feedback came from the neighbor across the street, and it supported the permit. The Planning Commission recommended approval without conditions, and the borough engineer reported that the plan met the zoning ordinance.
Council members asked when the business would open. Blake Anthony of Pittsburgh Pottery said he was waiting on a building permit and hoped to open sometime that summer. The borough's third-quarter newsletter also lists the approval among Council's spring actions, alongside the 2026 paving awards.
The studio comes from Carnegie's arts block
Pittsburgh Pottery is already familiar to people in the Chartiers Valley. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette profiled Anthony in 2018 as part of Carnegie's turn from mill town to arts colony. At the time he was a ceramic artist moving into Carnegie's Main Street block. Two things drew him there: being close to Standard Ceramic, and a nudge from friend Chuck Beard to look at Carnegie instead of a lease in Homestead.
The studio's website lists 8-week and 4-week clay classes, one-day sessions, and wheel-throwing and hand-building workshops. It also sells Pittsburgh-themed mugs, ornaments, magnets and shot glasses, and offers electric kiln repair. Its introductory wheel-throwing course is described as open to beginners and more experienced students, with small class sizes.
The building plan sets the second floor aside as an educational studio. The borough calls Dec. 5 a chance to "learn more about the unique programs they will offer." For anyone in Bridgeville who has been driving to class, the open house is where to ask what will be taught on Margaret Street.
How the market is set up
The Holiday Artisan Market is built for small makers. Pittsburgh Pottery's market page said there would be about 25 to 35 vendor spaces between Railroad and Margaret streets, with no application or vendor fee. Applications were due Oct. 23. The borough's announcement promises live music, food trucks, craft vendors and "dozens of local artisan vendors offering unique handmade items."
Vendors have begun posting their own plans. Smokey & Moo's Treats lists the market at Railroad and Margaret Streets, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and mentions the Pittsburgh Pottery open house.
With Railroad Street closed, the market fills the block in front of an established row of storefronts. The borough's business directory, updated Sept. 10, 2026, lists these Railroad Street addresses:
- Beer Warehouse, 409 Railroad St.
- Taj Mahal Indian Restaurant, 413 Railroad St.
- Serafina's, 423 Railroad St.
- DiMario's Bar, 429 Railroad St.
- Kel's Sports Cards, 439 Railroad St.
A few blocks up, Cellone Bakery is at 397 Washington Ave. and Crafty Jackalope is at 608 Washington Ave. If you plan to make an afternoon of it, a stop at either fits easily.
The weekend starts the night before at Triangle Park
The borough set up the market as the second half of a two-day holiday weekend. Winter Blast returns to Triangle Park on Friday, Dec. 4, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. It includes the Christmas tree lighting, a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, live music, free hot chocolate and snacks, and a community bonfire.
Winter Blast is the returning event and the market is new. Together they give the borough two consecutive days downtown, ending at the Margaret Street building.
The weekend also closes out a big year for the borough. Bridgeville's 2026 annual guide carried the headline "TURNING 125!" The Bridgeville Community Association held the anniversary celebration July 18 through 26, with a 5K, a carnival and a parade.
Dates for the rest of the season
The calendar starts Saturday, Nov. 14, three weeks before the holiday weekend.
- Saturday, Nov. 14, 9 a.m. to noon. The Bridgeville Shade Tree Commission and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy will plant 24 new trees in public places around the borough. Volunteers meet at the Bridgeville Borough Building, and no experience is needed. The borough asks volunteers to register in advance.
- Friday, Dec. 4, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Winter Blast and the tree lighting at Triangle Park.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Holiday Artisan Market & Winter Celebration on Railroad Street, with the Pittsburgh Pottery open house at 414 Margaret Street.
If you're planning around the Bridgeville Public Library, its posted holiday schedule has these changes:
- Closes at 5 p.m. on Nov. 25 and Dec. 23
- Closed Nov. 26 and 27
- Closed Dec. 24 and 25
The Margaret Street hall was built in 1922 for a society that gave hard candy to children on holidays. On Dec. 5 it hosts Pittsburgh Pottery's open house in the middle of the borough's first artisan market, with an educational studio planned for its second floor.
A 1922 club hall getting a new use as a working studio is the kind of local change The Bingham Team watches across the South Hills. If you own a home near Railroad, Margaret or Washington Avenue and want to know what your property is worth now, The Bingham Team can walk you through it. Get Your Free Home Valuation.
