Small Business News

Two Parkland High School graduates and longtime friends are looking to embrace the arts and culture scene in Bethlehem while bringing their own slice of life to their corner of the city at Paradise Kafé. The coffee shop opened mid-September.

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 The applicants have withdrawn their request to turn it into a cigar lounge.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.

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

Visitors are being encouraged to bring unopened cat food to donate and to adopt a cat at Purr House on Sunday, Sept. 3.

Easton PA VegFest is coming back to Riverside Park for its fifth year on Saturday, featuring vegetarian and vegan vendors alongside eco-friendly, health-conscious brands.

TheMINT Gastropub, an American-style eatery in West Bethlehem, has closed after 12 years. Replacing it will be Retro Burger. Also proposed for the site are the construction of six apartments atop the existing structure and a rooftop dining area.

An investor in one of the Easton-area's first sports bars has built a successful business in Bethlehem — Molly's Irish Grille and Sports Pub — that he says he plans to build upon in Palmer Township.

Upper Macungie Township has filed an application with the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission for a zoning ordinance amendment for minimum lot requirements for distillery, microbrewery and winery use.

Nearly 70 years after the late Ernest Kotsch Sr. purchased a grocery store at Third and Union streets in Whitehall Township, Kotsch's Market on MacArthur Road is closing its doors. An auction to sell the contents was held on Monday.

The tavern at 2722 Freemansburg Ave. is under contract to be sold to new owners, who plan to keep it as a sports bar but under a new name.

Too Good To Go, an app designed to curb food insecurity around the world, is picking up traction in the Lehigh Valley.

Easton Public Market beat out Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia and 18 others across the country to claim the top spot in USA Today's 10 Best Readers' Choice awards.

The 5th annual contest where entrepreneurs unveil their ideas is a partnership between Lehigh University and Factory LLC.

A new health and beauty business in Easton is set to offer patrons a personalized experience. Mariposa Medical Aesthetics & Wellness Spa held a grand opening Friday.