EMMAUS, Pa. — A sustainability-minded business that found its start in Emmaus is making the move to the retail hub of The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley.
FD Market, an eco-friendly refillery and houseware store at 348 Main St. on the Emmaus triangle, will close its original location at the end of April to move to the new location, while continuing to support its sales at various farmers markets, ecommerce and its second retail location in Easton.
- FD Market, the eco-friendly refillery and houseware store, is moving to The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley from its original Emmaus location
- Founder Jacquelyn Basset said limitations and rising rents in Emmaus with majority of customers coming in from out of town, causing them to re-evaluate
- Basset said the new location will be a "game changer," hoping to open in June
"We have our little group of people that like have loved what we're doing from the beginning and continue to show up and support us," Basset said.
"So it was really easy for us to scale up. There are a lot of people that have been looking for a store like this, and there really isn't anything else similar in the Lehigh Valley."
The business is aiming for an early June opening as the employees continue to work on moving at the space between Carters/OshKosh and Lens Crafters.
Founder Jacquelyn Basset said that while there have been some loyal customers in Emmaus, a large majority of them have been from out of town. This move would make them more accessible to this base of customers at the more retail-focused shopping center.
Given the limited retail foot traffic in Emmaus, and rents being raised for their location, the business was in a position to re-evaluate, Basset said.
"If I'm going to pay that increase, I'd rather go somewhere where we have the increased foot traffic and visibility," Basset said.
The primary part of the business is to act as a "refillery" — offering "everything from dish soap and cleaning products to shampoos and lotion" for customers to come and fill their own plastic bottles.
The business also offers various eco-friendly and zero-waste household products, with a goal of helping people reduce as much unnecessary waste as possible.
"It was really easy for us to scale up. There are a lot of people that have been looking for a store like this, and there really isn't anything else similar in the Lehigh Valley."FD Market founder Jacquelyn Basset
Basset started FD Market 3 1/2 years ago in 2019, a year after she graduated from Emmaus High School. FD Market's Easton store opened last year, which Basset said has been met with open arms and has seen success.
READ MORE: Eco-friendly 'refillery' in Emmaus set to move to Promenade Shops
She said that while it's bittersweet because of the time spent starting and building the store at the Emmaus location, the move is exciting.
She said the Promenade Shops location will be a "game changer" for FD Market, and won't be any shifts in status for employees as a result of the move.
