Three cheers
Renovation, expansion work at Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores
We have some news about three Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores in our area that will undoubtedly cause you to raise your glass.
First up is the Quakertown store at 1465 W Broad St., which reopened recently after a six-month expansion and renovation project. Shawn Kelly, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, said the store now has nearly 6,900 square feet of retail space and features more than 3,600 wines and spirits.
Work at the Westgate Mall store,
2289 Schoenersville Road, Bethlehem, is underway. Kelly said he expects that work to wrap up late winter/early spring. The Westgate store closed in September to accommodate the construction and a temporary store has been serving customers in the meantime at the opposite end of shopping center, 2359 Schoenersville Road.
Kelly said the state agency looks at sales, growth in a given area and trends to decide on which stores will be refurbished and/or expanded.
“It’s a constant process,” he said.
For the Quakertown store, for example, Kelly said the Liquor Control Board saw a population shift in Bucks County, which meant an opportunity to expand the store and meet the needs of additional customers.
Looking ahead, Kelly said the LCB is looking to work on the Palmerton store at 221 Delaware Ave. He did not give a timeline for the work.
“Palmerton is one of the stores we hope to refurbish next year,” Kelly said. “It may have to be closed for a short time temporarily.”
New life for an old Kmart
Devon Self Storage has opened a new facility at what was once Kmart at 1502 S. 4th St. in Allentown. This is the first Lehigh Valley location for the company and the fourth in Pennsylvania. The Kmart store has been closed since 2018.
The 85,000-square-foot Allentown facility opened Monday and features 575 interior climate controlled units ranging in size from 5 x 5 to 10 x 40 and an interior drive-through. Tenants can enter their codes and drive right up to their units and exit through the other end.
Info: 610-871-4780.
A healthy expansion
New Year’s resolution-time is around the corner and for many of us, it’s that time of year where we (at least) to straighten up our diets.
If you’re a fan of the Easton Public Market you know one of their vendors, Green Vida, is dedicated to just that — a healthy lifestyle featuring their freshly squeezed juices.
We learned this week that the owners of Green Vida, Jackie and Wilson Rueda, have bought a commercial property at 104 N. Fourth St., Easton, where they plan to relocate their juicing operation from Forks Township and expand it. They acquired the property through a commercial loan arranged by Jeff Barber of Lehigh Financial Group LLC.
This new expansion will support their two current Green Vida locations: Forks Township, which will maintain the cafe and in the Easton Public Market.
Info: greenvidacompany.com/
Emmaus and convenience store updates
The 7-Eleven store at 1146 Chestnut St. Emmaus has closed. And the long-awaited and long-delayed Turkey Hill project in the center of the borough (Sixth and Chestnut streets) has been given the green light by the borough to finally begin work.
“They told us in November that they were going to begin in early December,” said Shane Pepe, borough manager in an email.
As of this writing, still nothing is happening at the site.
Beer news on tap
We have two reports that will make craft-beer fans happy.
First up there’s a new brewery on the scene, Country Club Brewing, which is at 323 Pierce St., Bethlehem. They held their grand opening earlier this month and they offer a variety of IPAs, stouts, pilsners, Berliner Weisse and more.
Info: https://www.facebook.com/CountryClubBrewingLLC/
And as I reported recently, Easton’s Weyerbacher Brewing is back. The veteran craft beer maker — bottled up since it filed its second bankruptcy in three years — is under new ownership by Savant Beverages LLC. Edwin Lozano of Palmer Township is the CEO.
The tap room is open again and they are planning to host a grand opening in January so stay tuned for more on that.
For the most up-to-date info on the tap room’s hours: https://weyerbacher.com/
A big scoop
First of all, yes you can and should eat ice cream in the winter.
But I digress. Batch Microcreamery —a hand-crafted, small-batch ice cream shop — will open up its third location in the the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley outdoor shopping mall, near the AMC movie theater, next to Lashes by Gab, according to a post on the business’ Facebook page. The new location is expected to open in early 2023. Batch is an original vendor in Quakertown’s Trolley Barn Public Market and has a scoop shop at Shepherd Hills Golf Club in Wescosville. It was also a founding vendor in the Downtown Allentown Market but closed that location in August.
Info: https:// batchmicrocreamery.com/
The return of a legend
A landmark restaurant in Easton, Josie’s
New York Deli is poised to reopen early in ’23 after being closed for nearly three years. The deli — which has been at 14 Centre Square for nearly four decades — is slated to reopen this spring in a fully-renovated space.
As for the menu, the deli’s famous sandwiches (yes, including the chicken salad) will be back as well as a few new items such as including a variety of kebabs and wraps such as chicken, kofta and falafel.
Info: https://www.facebook.com/
JosiesNewYorkDeli
Your picks plus tips
The next Retail Watch column will feature all your top picks for retailers, businesses and restaurants you want to see open in the Lehigh Valley in 2023. So look for that!
And continue to send me all your tips because they have been really helpful. Email: jsheehan@mcall.com and put “Retail Watch” in the subject line.