Small Business News

The Bethlehem Co-op Market at 250 E. Broad St. will be a first of its kind in the Lehigh Valley, with 4,500 square feet of shopping space open to the public, free water, community room with Wi-Fi, pet area and bus stop and bike rack outside.

The International Cultural Festival will he held at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22.

Cut the Scrap! opened in June on North 19th Street in the West End of Allentown. Crafters can trade in secondhand art supplies, shop for goods or take an art class.

Mad Catter Coffee Roasters celebrated its grand opening at the Allentown Economic Development Corporation’s Bridgeworks Enterprise Center.

Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 in Forks Township celebrated the grand opening of Colonial Cafe 71, a coffee shop which helps teach employment and life skills.

The Allentown Fairgrounds Farmers Market officially added The Brass Rail to its list of merchants Thursday morning — the first time the eatery has been in operation since it shuttered on Lehigh Street in June 2022.

The North Street spot has been known locally for its affordable, yet classic, early morning and lunchtime eats, including pork rolls, pancakes, cheesesteaks and more. The news of the sale comes after 41 years of business.

Even though independent, family-owned hardware stores may seem harder to come by in the days of Aces and Home Depots, Center City has had a homegrown, “personal service store” down on the corner for decades.

It might feel early, but some local farms are gearing up to begin their fall festivities. Most pumpkin patches, corn mazes and hay rides open to the public this month. Find out when.

Four years into his massage therapy career, Jared Skinner set out to master a relatively "new" technique to the practice — rolfing. It's a 10-step practice on a weekly basis that aims to relieve the body naturally of pain for upwards of five to 10 years. Only 2,000 body workers professionally practice it worldwide.

Despite a devastating blaze at their North New Street vegan pizzeria, the owners and manager of Paranormal Pizza are still slinging pies in the Lehigh Valley.

The developer, with strong ties to the Lehigh Valley, plans to turn the corner property into a restaurant — with at least one hot dog on the menu.

Fat Jacks' has welcomed customers along Freemansburg Avenue for 32 years. Now owner Susan Kerbaugh says it's time for someone else to take the reins. The building and its liquor license went on the market this week.

Take a look at stories throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

Emmaus has Let's Play Books, a shop that is now expanding to a second location. The new store, called The End: a bookstore, opens in Allentown on Saturday for Independent Bookstore Day.

Mad Dogs Hot Dogs in Macungie is no longer closing after owners announced a buyer of the restaurant.

"Mad Dogs Hot Dogs" in Macungie, a popular lunchtime spot known for its wide and creative variety of hot dog topping combinations, will close at the end of April, according to the owners.

FD Market, the eco-friendly refillery and houseware store, will be closing their original Emmaus location at the end of the month to better meet their customers where they are in Saucon Valley.

ArtsQuest and the Lehigh Valley Brewers' Guild teamed up to launch the Spring Beer Fest in Bethlehem Saturday. With more than 850 tickets sold, the festival is likely to make a return, organizers said.

FD Market, the eco-friendly refillery and houseware store, will be closing their original Emmaus location at the end of the month to better meet their customers where they are

Bethlehem Food Co-op, a local grocery cooperative, has hired its first ever general manager to bring life to an initiative that has been in the works since 2011.

Esmirna Jiménez's work is an example of what culturally-competent tax services could look like for a segment of the population that isn’t often thought of when it comes to tax time.