Brighten up mom’s spring
Cottage & Bloom mixes ‘modern farmhouse, industrial, vintage and rustic elements’
Happy Mother’s Day weekend, Retail Watchers! These are challenging times, to be sure, but if we are level-headed and lucky, we have some marvelous moms to see us through the storm.
These pillars of strength stand by our side through all seasons and circumstances, and as such, they deserve to be spoiled year-round.
Flowers and sweets are almost always appreciated, but if the queen of your family has a passion for decorating or gardening, also keep in mind a new Emmaus business for future gift ideas.
Cottage & Bloom, offering “urban cottage style decor” for your home and garden, held a soft opening Feb. 29 at 379 Main St., in the Emmaus triangle.
The shop’s debut, held in conjunction with the Emmaus Soup Crawl, turned out to be the storefront’s only day of business thus far as husband and wife co-owners Sean and Sheri Reaser planned to keep it closed for a few weeks in preparation for a March 29 grand opening.
That celebratory event would not come to pass, of course.
The Allentown couple, dismayed but determined, rolled with the punches, using their newfound free time to create a business website, cottageandbloom.com, which launched in mid-April.
The site’s “great response” has proven to be the silver lining during this ordeal, Sheri said.
“I was so bummed when this all happened because I had such big plans and it seemed like none of it was going to happen,” she lamented. “But honestly, I’m surprised at how many people still want to shop. I thought I’d put this website up and maybe get a few orders, but it’s really taken off.”
Cottage & Bloom, which is only accepting orders for shipping and curbside pickup during the shutdown, is named after Sheri’s love of decorating and gardening. She especially enjoys changing her home’s decor with the seasons and creating “outdoor spaces that feel like indoor spaces.” “[Decorating and gardening] have been passions of mine for years, and my friends and family have always told me I’m in the wrong line of work,” she said.
Cottage & Bloom merchandise, mixing “modern farmhouse, industrial, vintage and rustic elements,” includes items such as cotton throw blankets, flower gathering baskets, hanging metal scales, faux lavender and tulips, feed sack planters, galvanized pedestals, natural soy candles, wooden wine bottle holders, industrial lamps made from pipes, wooden birdhouses with metal roofs and decorative accents such as castiron grasshoppers, concrete and wooden pears and locally made wooden flowers, featuring white chipped paint.
The Reasers also source vintage pieces from antique shops and flea markets, and they hope to partner with a local farm to carry cut flowers and live plants in the future.
Cottage & Bloom’s storefront, occupying the space of the recently relocated Khineder Creations, will be open on Saturdays and Sundays when it reopens, Sheri said. Weeknight hours also may be available by appointment. Info: 610-703-6813.
St., Suite 110, on the ground floor of the Strata East apartment building.
Undeterred by Gov. Tom Wolf’s order to temporarily close nonessential businesses, studio owner and instructor Ana Mambru along with her business partner, Lehigh Valley Salsa Social operator Ines Maldonado, began free instructional dance videos on the business’ Facebook and Instagram pages that they continue to present a few days a week during the crisis.
In the near future, the pair hopes to resume in-person instruction under a modified format at their 1,000-square-foot studio on the ArtsWalk.
“To keep the social distancing in place is really going to affect my business because in a dance studio, you have to be close to people,” Mambru explained. “So, we’re going to try to figure out what that process will look like now.”
Also, The Neffs National Bank, incorporated in 1923, on April 29 announced the opening of its second location at 211 S. Best Ave. in Walnutport.
The new office, led by branch manager Pearl A. Sheckler, is the first expansion of the bank outside of its longstanding office at 5629 Route 873 in the Neffs section of North Whitehall Township.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Walnutport branch’s lobby is open by appointment only until further notice.
Customers may schedule appointments for services relating to CD/deposit accounts, loans, safe deposit boxes and more by calling 610-224-2265 during normal business hours, Monday through Saturday.
They also can use the branch’s drive-thru for basic in-person transactions or its
24-hour-accessible ATM for deposits and cash withdrawals. Info: neffsnatl.com. restaurant, across from Lafayette’s Williams Visual Arts Building, will occupy the college’s former social venue, The Spot.
Dubbed Don Juan Mex Grill Trailhead & Cantina after its proximity to the Karl Stirner Arts Trail, the eatery will serve Don Juan’s full menu, which includes hard and soft shell tacos, burritos and burrito bowls, empanadas, nachos, quesadillas, tostadas, salads, tequenos (fried cheese sticks), chips and queso, rice, beans, churros, tres leches cake and smoothies.
A salsa bar will allow customers to choose their own salsa variety, and as is the case at the Emmaus location, beer and margaritas also will be available for purchase. Info: donjuanmexgrill.com. jewelry design company offering handcrafted pieces, have recently ended operations as a result of the shutdown.
Sorrelli, founded in 1983, continues to operate its flagship store in Kutztown, while Leah’s owner Leah Moyer continues to operate an online store.
“With a heavy heart, I have to announce that Leah’s Lucky Finds will NOT be reopening after the pandemic,” Moyer wrote in a Wednesday post on the business’ Facebook page. “The store took a hard hit from
COVID-19 and did not receive any funding.”
Moyer hopes to reopen her storefront “again one day,” but for now, customers can shop the gently used clothing, shoes and accessories from popular brands such as Calvin Klein, Coach, Express and Loft, at 50-80% off retail prices, via Leah’s website, leahsluckyfinds.com.
Sorrelli, which opened in 2015 at 645 W. Hamilton St., on the ground floor of the Two City Center office building, opted against renewing its lease at the end of the March “due to the current circumstances surrounding immediate business closures in PA,” according to Lily Oswald, Sorrelli’s chief executive officer.
The business, which designs its jewelry using semiprecious stones and high-quality Austrian crystals, continues to operate its flagship store at 220 W. Main St. in Kutztown.
“We are sad to have closed our store on Hamilton St after 5 years in the location,” Oswald said in a written statement. “... We built an amazing following of valued customers in the area who allowed us to be a part of all the special moments in their lives. In order to continue to serve these customers in the Lehigh Valley, we are actively looking to open shop-in-shop locations in partnership with existing Lehigh Valley area retailers.”
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.