Separate from its monthly indoor community market, the Nolan Center will invite craftspeople, hobbyists and other sellers to set up tables in front of the civic center on two days this summer when large cruise ships are in port.

The outdoor market days were still being scheduled as of Monday, May 18.

“We’re figuring out the permitting right now,” Jeanie Arnold, Nolan Center director, said on Monday.

The borough assembly earlier this month adopted new limits and requirements for potential sales tax exemptions for some occasional sellers, and a new license requirement for anyone doing business in Wrangell.

“These markets are designed to help local vendors capitalize on high-volume cruise ship days,” the Nolan Center announced.

“We’re not sure what the attendance will be. This is a brand-new thing,” Arnold said.

“If these go well … we’ll probably take a look” at maybe a third day later in the summer, she said. “This is a bit of a tester program.”

The 2,092-passenger-capacity Queen Elizabeth is on the cruise calendar for June 19, with two more stops July 17 and 27. The 1,250-capacity Riviera is due back July 10 and Aug. 3. Both ships are also on the calendar for September, according to the Travel Wrangell schedule posted by the borough.

The plan is that the table spaces for the outdoor markets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, at $10 per day.

If the weather is wet, Arnold encourages sellers to bring their own tent. The market space will be set up on the paved patio in front of the Nolan Center’s doors.

Tony Haubrich, who turns out wooden bowls on his lathe, was the push behind the new outdoor event.

“I’m just trying to expand opportunities for the Community Market,” he said. “We’ll see how it turns out.”

Haubrich spoke at the March 24 borough assembly meeting, advising that new business license requirements could hurt hobbyists and the town’s informal economy.

“I kind of squawked about it,” he said, which he acknowledged made him a good candidate to help organize the new market for small vendors.

The borough set aside space this summer in front of the City Dock, leasing out small parcels for vendors for the entire summer. The minimum rental is $225 a month. “These beginning entrepreneurs can’t afford it,” Haubrich said of the summer-long rental.

The outdoor market likely will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Nolan Center has some tables it can loan out, but sellers are encouraged to bring their own, and to clean up their space at the end of the day.

For more information, email Arnold at jarnold@wrangell.com, or Nolan Center Coordinator Amber Wade at awade@wrangell.com, or Haubrich at dr.haubrich@gmail.com; or call the center at 907-874-3699.