SCRANTON — The owner of a new business dedicated to preserving the past uncovered a piece of the city’s history.
While renovating a property at 135 Wyoming Ave. to establish Pezzi on the Avenue — a thrift and vintage store — Kristen Schoonmaker discovered tiles hidden under carpeting and patching on the floor of a room in the back of the building.
After consulting with the landlord, Schoonmaker and her business consultant, Cody Turner, learned the space used to be part of the Omar Room — a popular restaurant, ballroom and cocktail lounge in the former Hotel Jermyn, which opened in 1935.
“We ripped everything down and you could see there was some tilework underneath,” Schoonmaker said. “We worked so hard on it and we finally got some spots where it was clean. We restored it and now we have this amazing space. It’s pretty cool that we unknowingly put a lot of raw energy into restoring such a big part of Scranton’s history and we’re going to bring it back into Scranton’s everyday life.”
Schoonmaker and Turner are tossing around several uses for the space, including hosting community events, classes, workshops and musical performances.
“We’re trying to utilize the room in a lot of different ways,” Schoonmaker said. “The possibilities are endless.”
Pezzi on the Avenue — expected to open within the next couple of weeks — will feature several subsections, including clothing, vintage furniture and home goods, and quirky, handmade items, said Schoonmaker, a Dunmore resident.
Originally from upstate New York, Schoonmaker recalls frequenting Tinklebaughs, a thrift store in that area, as a youth and aims to bring that experience to Scranton.
“My best friend and I would spend all our allowance there buying stuff,” she said
Schoonmaker believes the setup of the shop with items grouped together in a room setting will separate it from other antique stores in the region.
“It kind of gives people inspiration and I feel people will be more drawn to a secondhand item (here) than it just being tossed somewhere,” she said. “I’m a big fan of upcycling, recycling and being resourceful — keeping things into existence and giving them a second life or 40th life. I feel like vintage is a really big thing right now, and I know sustainability is a huge thing. I really think people like the character of something that isn’t necessarily mass produced anymore.”
Schoonmaker, who opened The Mane Room, a hair salon, on the 200 block of Wyoming Avenue in 2020 and relocated to 139 Wyoming Ave. — next door to Pezzi on the Avenue — more than two years ago witnessed a resurgence in the downtown Scranton business landscape.
“It’s wonderful to see that the city is coming to life in leaps and bounds,” she said. “There is so much foot traffic … it’s becoming a blooming city again. There is a really cool artistic, creative vibe to Scranton — and a lot of character. Everybody kind of bands together and so many people network. It’s such a thriving town right now. I’ve noticed so many people coming from out of town to visit these businesses.”
The combination of the booming business scene and close proximity to her other shop led Schoonmaker to move forward with the new store.
“It’s convenient and it’s a beautiful space,” she said. “It’s just meant to be.”
Liz Baldi, business development director for Scranton Tomorrow, a nonprofit community and economic development organization, noted Pezzi on the Square fits in well with some new clientele in downtown Scranton — including several new bookstores, Dolly’s Boutique, Black & Brass Coffee Co. and Picciocchi’s Pasta.
“We’re going back to the traditional coffeeshops, the traditional mom-and-pop restaurants, and we’re seeing all different kinds of new businesses opening downtown,” Baldi said. “It’s a tribute to our past. In the past couple months, there is a resurgence downtown of businesses going back to the true mom-and-pop type of business model and they’re filling a need. When a business moves or closes, the spaces aren’t remaining vacant for very long.”
Owner of Pezzi on the Avenue Kristen Schoonmaker and business consultant Cody Turner stand in The Omar Room while discussing the new consignment shop on Wyoming Ave. in downtown Scranton Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
A section of Pezzi on the Avenue in Scranton Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The interior of Pezzi on the Avenue consignment shop on Wyoming Ave. in downtown Scranton Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The interior of Pezzi on the Avenue consignment shop on Wyoming Ave. in downtown Scranton Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Clothes hang on racks for sale at Pezzi on the Avenue consignment shop on Wyoming Ave. in downtown Scranton Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The interior of Pezzi on the Avenue consignment shop on Wyoming Ave. in downtown Scranton Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Kristen Schoonmaker and Cody Turner worked to restore the original floor of the former Omar Room of the Hotel Jermyn in a backroom of a new store – Pezzi on the Avenue – on Wyoming Avenue in downtown Scranton. (Courtesy Kristen Schoonmaker)
Kristen Schoonmaker and Cody Turner worked to restore the floor of the former Omar Room of the Hotel Jermyn in a backroom of Pezzi on the Avenue on Wyoming Avenue in downtown Scranton. (Courtesy Kristen Schoonmaker)