Small Business News

Maingate Night Club, at 17th and Liberty streets, whose owner Dominic Germano for more than two years has sought a partner, has closed for good, Germano said in a Facebook post late Monday.

Just five months after officially being in business in their recognizable bright yellow teardrop-shaped trailer, co-owners Melinda Schneck and Josh Elmer are expending Roasties Mobile Cafe into a brick-and-mortar coffee shop. It'll take root where the couple says its heart is: Macungie.

Well over 1,000 fans descended on Palmer Park Mall in Palmer Township on Saturday to catch a glimpse of Grammy-winning rapper Cardi B, who made an appearance at Spin Me Round record store for her new "Am I the Drama?" album.

Foodies now have another late night option in Southside Bethlehem. The Barbecue Boys, which opened Tuesday, Sept. 16, offers a fast-casual dining setting that's open Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. and 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. from Thursday through Saturday.

A pair of North Whitehall auto repair shop owners have tapped a lawfirm to help them challenge a zoning decision — and the zoning code — they say was weaponized against them for a personal vendetta.

Upset residents packed the last Upper Milford Township Zoning Hearing Board meeting to voice concerns against a zoning variance request at the TG Countryside ice cream shop. The applicants have withdrawn their request to turn it into a cigar lounge.

Fisk Camera Shop at 2115 Birch St. in Wilson opened in the mid-1920s and has been stewarded by three generations of the Fisk family. Its run ends this Friday.

The owners of a childcare center looking into expanding the operation received a special exception from Allentown's zoning hearing board Monday evening, though in the end, that exception was not even necessary.

A few authors have brought books into Moravian Book Shop with AI-generated covers or art. That was enough for the staff to formally announce online that the bookstore would not support the use of technology that may replace creative jobs.

To CEO Russell Fletcher, starting out as a small hyper-local business gave Mishka Premium Vodka a leg up to evolve at the rate it is right now. Soon, the vodka, which is distilled in Allentown, will be carried by yet another national chain.

Emmaus is among many Lehigh Valley communities to host Small Business Saturday events, to encourage residents to support locally-owned businesses.

Pennsylvania saw a nearly 50% increase in Hispanic-owned businesses between 2012 and 2019, according to Census data. Non-Hispanic businesses increased by 9.3%, which means Latinos are creating businesses at a higher rate than their non-Hispanic peers.

Museum Store Sunday brings three local museums together to support local artisans and crafters.

Jimmy's Hot Dogs has operated in the 25th Street Shopping Center in Palmer Township since 1991. Its original partners worked for Jim's Doggie Stand in Phillipsburg and its owner Jimmy Makris, who established the roadside stand in 1910.

The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce annual meeting attracted about 1,000 at Wind Creek Event Center Thursday afternoon.The event brought together members of the business community — colleagues, customers and competitors — to celebrate their collective mission of making the region a better place to work and live.

The grand opening of a new Jersey Mike's in the Easton area is set for Wednesday, Sept. 27. The store is celebrating the event with a fundraiser for a local nonprofit.

The Coop Sports Bar & Kitchen opened Thursday at 2722 Freemansburg Ave. with plans for a neighborhood sports bar and new menu. It's in the building that had been Fat Jacks' since 1991.

The 7-foot-tall hard plastic figure was in storage for over 15 years, and the plan has always been to put him on Yocco's roof. Opportunity recently presented itself. Now, all he needs is a name.

Various local craftspeople, businesses, food amenities and more will be on display and available for attendees at the annual Emmaus Farewell to Summer festival

K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Hotel, an upscale dog-care facility with franchises throughout America, held its grand opening on Saturday in Bethlehem Township.

Bethlehem City Council on Tuesday voted 6-1, approving an intermunicipal restaurant liquor license transfer for the popular convenience store chain.

The Northampton Area Chamber of Commerce is celebrating the 34th year of the Uptown Northampton Street Fair on Saturday, Sept. 9.