Snakes, lizards, spiders coming — monthly — to Pittsburgh Mills in Reptile Show & Sale

Anyone who has never had the chance to see an axolotl up close is in luck.

The slippery little aquarium creature, made popular by the Minecraft video game craze, will be on display at the Pittsburgh Reptile Show & Sale making its new home at the Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer.

“They’re really cute. They look like they’re smiling,” said Amanda South, the event organizer.

Snakes, lizards, frogs and spiders will be slithering and jumping into the mall once a month, bringing up to 1,500 people to buy, sell, trade and learn about exotic animals.

The Pittsburgh Reptile Show & Sale, in business since 1989, was forced to move after fire destroyed its former longtime showroom at the Harmar House.

“We are so excited about the new place, and we plan to bring some life into the mall,” South said.

“It’s not just, like, four animals. We have thousands, and it’s a hands-on experience. We have more than the zoo.”

The expos are scheduled for the first Sunday of each month, with the first from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 7.

Lori Ziencik, Frazer supervisor, said she hopes the monthly show stimulates business for other mall shops.

“It’s nice to see something new finally going in,” Ziencik said.

Vendor Scott Hollabaugh operates a mobile educational program called Iceman Reptiles. He takes animals on the road, to events such as Ford City Community Days, to promote proper care and “open minds about reptile reputations.”

“I like to advocate for the industry,” he said. “Some animals get a bad rap, but in the wrong hands anything can be bad.

“It’s important to me to be able to work with people and give them an experience they might not get anywhere else.”

The expo boasts 100 vendors who set up shop and help to similarly educate the public.

“It’s like a flea market for people that are exotic animal lovers,” South said. “Vendors bring animals that they breed and produce, and the public gets to ask questions and get up close and personal.”

South, originally from Monroeville, grew up with a passion for exotic animals and participated in her first show at 18 thanks to help from a family friend, the late Pittsburgh zookeeper Herb Ellerbrock.

Ellerbrock, a Sharpsburg native, founded the expo as well as the nonprofit Pittsburgh Herpetological Society, to bolster the ethical treatment of reptiles and amphibians.

He was responsible for helping to bring the first Komodo dragon — “Noname” — to the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium in 1993.

South first participated in the expo in its original location at the Palace Inn in Monroeville and eventually took over when it moved to the Harmar House in the late 1990s.

Hollabaugh, who owns more than 90 snakes, lizards and tortoises, first started attending the show in 1995.

It is the longest-running reptile expo in Pittsburgh, he said.

“It offers an inviting atmosphere for adults and children,” Hollabaugh said. “Over the years, we’ve had customers in their 70s and 80s who still keep reptiles as pets. It’s a lifelong passion for some.”

Moving to the mall will benefit the larger community, he said, and bring business to the restaurants and other shops.

“It’s a nice location for someone to make a day out of it,” Hollabaugh said.

Patrons who visit the show will see a variety of creepy crawlers and slimy salamanders, along with jumping spiders — which currently are a hot commodity, South said.

“They look like happy little creatures who do a little dance,” she said.

Alligators will be on display but not for sale.

South now lives in Florida and travels to the Alle-Kiski Valley once a month for the show.

She said a priority for her is teaching conservation. The expo accepts animals that people can no longer house so they don’t end up in the wild. They took in an 8.5-foot alligator in recent months.

“Our favorite part of the show is helping kids get to hold and learn about the animals,” South said. “That promotes an ongoing love for these creatures.”

The Pittsburgh Reptile Show & Sale is in the space formerly held by the glow-in-the-dark golf business, at the end of the mall near Dick’s Sporting Goods.

The cost is $6 at the door; children 4 and younger are admitted free.