Perfect time for clothes shopping
Score holiday fashions at two new Bethlehem boutiques
Looking for a cocktail dress for New Year’s Eve? How about a pair of sneakers to match your winter coat? Two Bethlehem stores — The Broad women’s resale clothing boutique and Outside the Box sneaker boutique — have opened just in time to help you look your best this holiday season.
The Broad, selling new and gently used women’s clothing, shoes, handbags and more, opened Nov. 9 at 727 W. Broad St., next to Rachiele’s Barber Shop.
Owner Kate Fetzer, who lives above the boutique, acquires items mostly through donation and only sells pieces in like-new condition.
“I noticed there are a lot of thrift stores and also high-end consignment shops, but there are not many stores in between those two options,” said Fetzer, a former district sales manager for Avon Products. “So that’s what I’m trying to bring to the community — stylish clothing at very affordable price points.”
Customers can browse a wide array of fashions, including blouses, blazers, jeans, dresses, sweaters, scrubs, coats, maternity clothes and accessories such as jewelry and scarves, mostly priced between $2 and $12. A dressing room is available.
“As far as brands go, I’m not picky because everyone has different tastes,” Fetzer said. “There are solid-colored Tshirts from Walmart next to designs from Coach, Gap and White House Black Market. I’m more concerned about the condition of the clothing than anything else. So you won’t find items with tears, stains, holes or even a faded or worn appearance.”
The Broad, which donates a portion of its proceeds to National Alliance on Mental Illness Lehigh Valley, is open Tuesday through Saturday, with additional hours available for private group shopping experiences. Info: 484898-8018.
Outside the Box, where customers can buy, sell and trade new and gently used men’s, women’s and children’s sneakers, held a grand opening Oct. 31 on the lower level of Bethlehem’s Main Street Commons at 559 Main St.
Owner Angelo Bellucci, 23, has had a passion for the latest sneaker styles since he got a pair of Jordan Melos at age 10.
Over the years, he’s built a collection of more than 200 pairs of unique and limitededition sneakers, including those that are collegebranded, glow in the dark and have gold-plated tongues, to fulfill his dream of opening his own shoe store.
Most of Outside the Box’s sneakers are either Nike or its subsidiary brand, Jordan, but customers also can shop other brands and styles, including the Adidas Yeezy line, designed by rapper Kanye West. Customers can find shoes for basketball, running, crosstraining and casual wear.
“Most of these shoes are high-end and generally not found in your average chain shoe store, either because that store doesn’t carry them or because it sells out of them right away,” Bellucci said. “For popular styles, including the Jordan 1 and Jordan 4, we have several colors and sizes available.”
Outside the Box is open Tuesday through Sunday. Info: 484-241-8006.
Foodie finds
From fashion to food, the Lehigh Valley’s newest location of Johnny’s Bagels & Deli opened Nov. 23 on the Lehigh Valley Mall’s lower level, next to Boscov’s , in Whitehall Township, according to Sarah Zohir, who operates the business with her husband, John Zohir.
Johnny’s fifth location, with seating for 10 customers, features its familiar menu of soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, hot and cold subs, wraps, paninis, smoothies and breakfast items such as omelets and pancakes.
The business’ main draw is its New York-style, handrolled and kettle-boiled bagels. There are more than 20 varieties, including popular selections such as blueberry, cinnamon-raisin, everything, honey grain and sun-dried tomato, available plain or with more than a dozen spreads such as jam, lox and veggie cream cheese.
Johnny’s, which opened its first bagel shop on Main Street in Bethlehem 19 years ago, in July moved its 4-year-old downtown Allentown eatery from Seventh and Hamilton streets to Sixth and Linden streets. Info: johnnysbagelsanddeli.com.
Another new spot to refuel while shopping at Lehigh Valley Mall is a combination of soft pretzel chain Auntie Anne’s and baked goods chain Cinnabon, which opened a few weeks ago in the former Lehigh Deli spot on the upper level.
Cinnabon, previously on the lower level, is known for its cinnamon rolls and treats-onthe-go such as churro swirls, while Auntie Anne’s serves hand-made pretzels such as jalapeno and raisin, and variations such as pretzel dogs and nuggets. Info: auntieannes.com; cinnabon.com.
Like the recently expanded Johnny’s, another growing eatery is Las Orquideas Colombian Bakery & Restaurant at 426 N. Seventh St. in Allentown.
The 3-year-old business, owned and operated by the Flores family, on Nov. 21 opened a second location — a full-service restaurant named Las Orquideas II — about 10 doors down at 446 N. Seventh St. The space previously housed Mariam’s Ethiopian Restaurant and, most recently, Vietnamese restaurant Pho Le, which closed in August after about a year of operation.
The original Las Orquideas, with a handful of seats, continues to serve pandebono (Colombian bread), pastries and other baked goods, while the new 20-seat spot serves small plates such as beef and chicken empanadas and Colombian sausage with corn cakes along with main dishes such as carne asada, marinated red snapper and grilled chicken breast with mushrooms. Info: 610-351-9010.
A final foodie tidbit: Kabab & Chutney, an Indian and Pakistani restaurant, opened a few months ago at 3812 Easton-Nazareth Highway in Lower Nazareth Township. The space previously housed Aman’s Artisan Indian Cuisine, which moved to downtown Easton earlier this year.
Kabab & Chutney, with
seating for more than 50 customers, serves appetizers such as pakora and samosa, breads such as paratha and butter and garlic naan, biryani rice dishes, tandoor (clay oven) selections and a wide array of chicken, goat, lamb, seafood and vegetarian specialties such as chicken tikka masala, goat rogan josh, lamb vindaloo and shrimp curry. The restaurant is BYOB. Info: 484-544-4790.
Odds and ends
Cartesion Dance Academy, which opened eight years ago at 1505 Route 209 in Brodheadsville, on Nov. 24 held a grand opening of its second dance facility — a 12,000-square-foot building with five studios, at 1926 Second St. in Bethlehem Township.
Owner Cinthia Marino, of Kunkletown, has been dancing since she was 2 years old. She took dance classes growing up and attended the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts in Bethlehem before graduating with bachelor’s degrees in dance and psychology from Allentown’s Cedar Crest College in 2011.
Marino and a handful of other professionally trained instructors teach classes to dancers of all ages and skill levels.
“We offer everything — ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, modern, hip-hop, musical theater, pointe and more,” Marino said. Info: cartesiondance.com.
Lastly, the parent company of A.C. Moore plans to close its remaining retail outlets, including two area locations on MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township and Airport Center Drive in Hanover Township, Lehigh County.
New Jersey-based Nicole Crafts announced in a news release that it would close the arts-and-crafts stores “as part of a broader strategic plan.”
“For over 30 years, our stores have been servicing the creative community with a vast selection of art and craft materials, with one common focus, the customer,” CEO Anthony Piperno said in the release. “Unfortunately, given the headwinds facing many retailers in today’s environment, it made it very difficult for us to operate and compete on a national level.”
Arts-and-crafts chain Michaels, with three area locations, will assume leases for up to 40 A.C. Moore locations, according to the release.
Retail Watch, appearing every weekend, keeps track of retail and restaurant news in the Lehigh Valley. Contact Ryan Kneller at 610-820-6597 or retailwatch@mcall.com.