WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. - The largest retail bookseller in the United States is almost ready to start a new chapter as several other popular chains prepare to open brand-new locations in Whitehall Township.
Barnes & Noble, an American bookseller with roughly 600 locations nationwide, on May 17 closed its temporary store on the mall’s lower level (near JCPenney) in advance of the grand opening of its renovated store – located in its original lifestyle center space – on June 12, according to an announcement on the business’ Facebook page.
The bookstore will officially open to the public at 9 a.m. June 12 with author James McBride cutting the ribbon and signing copies of his books — including the 2023 B&N Book of the Year, "The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store."
The new location showcases the highly lauded bookstore design seen in the most recent Barnes & Noble store openings, housing all the best books, toys, games and gifts that customers have come to expect from the nation’s premier bookseller. The bookstore will also house an updated B&N Café.
“We’re very excited to reopen our redesigned Lehigh Valley Mall bookstore,” said James Daunt, CEO of Barnes & Noble.
“Our team has brilliantly managed to complete an entire remodel in under a year, while opening a temporary location within the same mall to ensure our readers were never left without access to their favorite books. As with all our renovated spaces, this beautiful store sets a high bar for brick-and-mortar bookselling. We look forward to finally reopening its doors to our readers.”
Barnes & Noble had been operating in a temporary lower-level location – the former home of Modell’s Sporting Goods and Track 23 – since August.
In recent weeks, workers have been putting the finishing touches on the updated store, which will feature a revamped kids area, magazine section and B&N Cafe. Also, cozy reading nooks are returning with new furniture.
“Our first big shipment just arrived, and let me tell you, it's a doozy!” a recent announcement on the store’s Facebook page reads.
“We've got mountains of books taller than some of our amazing booksellers (and some of those folks are real giants when it comes to book knowledge). The energy is electric as we unpack, sort, and shelve all these incredible stories just waiting to find their new homes. We're buzzing with excitement for our grand opening on June 12th, and we can't wait to share this bookish wonderland with you all!”
Barnes & Noble’s original Lehigh Valley Mall location opened in 2007 at the mall’s outdoor lifestyle center, 250 Lehigh Valley Mall.
Its newly renovated store will have a smaller footprint as The Cheesecake Factory's new Lehigh Valley restaurant now occupies more than 9,000 square feet of the bookstore chain's original space.
The renovated shop will showcase the “highly lauded bookstore design seen in the most recent Barnes & Noble store openings, housing all the best books, toys, games and gifts that customers have come to expect from the nation’s premier bookseller,” according to an August news release.
“The appetite this community has for books is no more apparent than in the aisles of our old Lehigh Valley Mall store, well-loved and shopworn in the 16 years since we first opened our doors,” Amy Fitzgerald, vice president of stores for Barnes & Noble, said in the release. “With this renovation we transform the bookstore with a warm and inviting new store design, along with a revamped B&N Café. Dramatic as this change will be, our focus remains the time-tested formula of well stocked bookstores staffed by excellent booksellers.”
Barnes & Noble is enjoying a period of “tremendous growth” as the strategy to hand control of each bookstore to its manager has proven successful, the release states.
The bookseller is enjoying exceptionally strong sales in its existing stores and has been opening many new stores after more than 15 years of declining store numbers.
In 2022, Barnes & Noble opened more new bookstores in a single year than it had in the whole decade from 2009 to 2019.
The bookseller opened about 30 new bookstores in 2023, and in aJanuary Publisher’s Weekly article, Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt said that he hopes to open 50 new stores in 2024, which would be the largest number of store openings in 15 years.
In its reconfigured Whitehall space, Barnes & Noble will operate adjacent to The Cheesecake Factory's first Lehigh Valley location, whichopened in December.
The Cheesecake Factory, with roughly 250 locations worldwide, is a full-service restaurant chain known for its more than 250 menu items, including over 30 decadent cheesecakes and desserts.
The new Whitehall restaurant features nearly 9,000 square feet of indoor dining, with seating for 227 customers, along with a 1,200-square-foot covered patio, offering seating for an additional 60 customers.
Coming soon tenants
The Lehigh Valley Mall, at MacArthur Road and Route 22 in Whitehall Township, is set to welcome five businesses – Stone Haven, Rally House, MINISO, Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant and Golf Galaxy – in the coming months.
Stone Haven, a store offering natural stone jewelry, is expected to open in June, according to Elizabeth DiDuca, director of marketing and business development at Lehigh Valley Mall.
Shoppers will be able to browse a beautiful selection of natural stones, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, rings, anklets and other related natural products.
Stone Haven will occupy the lower level space that previously housed Better Life With Bry.
Rally House, a specialty sports store chain offering an expansive selection of apparel, gifts, home decor and other types of merchandise representing local NCAA, NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS teams, is planning to open a new retail location this summer in a lower-level space near Macy’s.
Rally House has one of the largest selections of officially licensed team gear and local gifts, with its product assortment including fan favorites like jerseys, headwear, drinkware, home decor, collectibles and more.
The popular retailer also provides customers with a way to show their local support with an array of exclusive products celebrating beloved area destinations and landmarks featured on items like apparel, drinkware and hats.
Rally House traces its origins to 1989, when Tim and Mabel “Peg” Liebert started “Mabel’s Kitchen,” a catalog featuring Kansas-related apparel, gifts and other merchandise.
Mabel’s Kitchen evolved into another business, “Kansas Sampler,” which featured five Kansas City area stores selling Kansas Jayhawks, Kansas State Wildcats, Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals gear.
The company experienced great success, and the Lieberts eventually decided to expand the business to other markets under the “Rally House” name in 2008, according to a company description.
Today, the Kansas-based Rally House has more than 200 locations across 19 states.
There are more than a dozen other regional locations, including a Lehigh Valley shop in Lower Macungie Township, three Bucks County stores and several locations in Montgomery County.
A location opened in late March at 244 N. West End Blvd. in Richland Township, and another location is expected to open this summer at Promenade Saucon Valley in Upper Saucon Township.
MINISO, a variety store chain that specializes in household and consumer goods including cosmetics, stationery, toys and kitchenware, will open its first Lehigh Valley location this summer in a lower-level space next to Bath & Body Works, DiDuca said.
MINISO founder Jack Ye gained inspiration for MINISO while vacationing with his family in Japan in 2013, according to a brand profile.
He came across several specialty stores that stocked “good quality, well designed, and inexpensive products” that were mostly manufactured in China.
With knowledge and experience in product development, supply chain and the fashion industry, Ye established MINISO as a “brand catering to young people around the world,” the online description continues.
Ye wanted customers to have “affordable, well-designed, quality products.”
MINISO sells a wide variety of items, including household items such as noodle bowls and energy-saving, mini night lamps; health and beauty products such as moisturizing facial masks and lipstick; fashion accessories such as bath slippers and eye masks; and digital products such as headphones and a “home theater” double-speaker-stereo Bluetooth speaker.
“To meet the needs of young consumers, MINISO innovates through co-branding partnerships with popular license holders, its excellent designs, and trendy technology, and launches products that are visually pleasing, easy to use and fun to play with,” MINISO’s brand profile reads.
MINISO, headquartered in Guangzhou, China, operates its global business under the brand slogan "Life is for fun.”
MINISO has more than 5,500 stores around the world, covering the core business districts of major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Paris, London, Dubai, Sydney, and Istanbul.
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, with locations in Delaware, Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, is looking to open its first Lehigh Valley location in July at the mall's outdoor lifestyle center, DiDuca said.
The new location will occupy an end unit that previously housed Bravo! Cucina Italiana, which closed in fall 2022.
Iron Hill traces its origins back to 1990, when founder Kevin Finn received a homebrewing kit as a birthday gift from his wife.
The hobby quickly turned into a passion, and Finn's friend, Mark Edelson, started brewing with him. The duo eventually decided to enter their beers in competitions, garnering some impressive medals along the way.
In 1994, the pair met Kevin Davies, an experienced restaurant professional, and the group would go on to open Iron Hill's first location in 1996 at 147 E. Main St. in Newark, Delaware.
Today, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant has 21 locations in five states. Other regional locations operate in Ardmore, Newtown, North Wales, Phoenixville, and Huntingdon Valley.
Iron Hill offers a variety of signature beers, including a Brambleberry farmhouse ale, Philly Phavorite IPA, Pig Iron porter, and Vienna Red lager, along with several rotating selections that vary by location.
"That's because our head brewers at each location are always crafting new recipes that appeal to the local craft beer drinker, and tapping some of their favorites, as well!" a message on the business' website reads.
Food menu highlights include signature appetizers and shared plates such as fried green tomatoes, fried Rhode Island calamari, Mexican street corn dip and Philly cheesesteak egg rolls; salads such as grilled salmon, grilled shrimp Cobb, Thai chicken and sesame tuna; and entrees such as beer-battered fish and chips, pan-seared sea scallops, short rib stroganoff and jumbo shrimp and cheesy grits.
"Our food and beer menus are designed to complement one another, and some of our dishes are even made using beer as an ingredient," a message on the business' website reads. "We're excited to suggest the perfect beer pairing to enhance the flavors of your meal."
Golf Galaxy, an interactive golf store chain, is targeting late fall for the opening of its new Lehigh Valley Mall store, DiDuca said.
The new location will occupy a renovated outparcel space that previously housed HobbyTown USA and a portion of the former Babies R Us store, DiDuca said.
Golf Galaxy, which opened its first store in 1997, offers “superstore selection and pricing with pro shop knowledge and services,” according to a description on the business’ website.
The company prides itself on its world-class selection of brand name golf equipment, golf apparel, golf accessories, golf technology and golf gifts for golfers of all ages and abilities. The retailer also sellspre-owned golf clubsand offersgolf club trade-ins.
In addition to merchandise, Golf Galaxy offers a comprehensive array of golf services and interactive golf features.
Some of these features include: on-staff PGA and LPGA professionals offering lessons, computer video swing analysis and information about equipment and club fitting; certified club technicians who have the materials and tools to get your clubs regripped and reshafted, adjust your loft and lie, and more; fitting bays where certified fitters use state-of-the-art technology to find the clubs that best suit your swing and game; electronic golf course simulators to test your skills on the world's most famous courses; and indoor driving range and putting greens to test our your clubs.
“The redesigned Golf Galaxy Performance Center in the Lehigh Valley Mall will offer golfers of all levels an immersive experience – access to industry leading TrackManTM and BioMechTM golf technologies, state-of-the-art hitting bays, custom fittings, golf lessons from a Class A Certified PGA Professional and the best equipment, apparel, and footwear from top brands such as Callaway, TaylorMade, PING, Titleist, Nike, TravisMathew, New Balance, FootJoy and more,” a message on the Lehigh Valley Mall’s website reads.
Golf Galaxy, which was acquired by Dick’s Sporting Goods in 2007, has about 100 stores nationwide.
Another Lehigh Valley Golf Galaxy store operates in the Airport Shopping Center in Hanover Township, Lehigh County.
Bidding farewell
While new tenants are on the horizon, the Lehigh Valley Mall has also recently said goodbye to some businesses.
Slime Time, an interactive business allowing children of all ages to make their own slime, held its last day of business at the Lehigh Valley Mall in late January.
The facility, which opened in July 2021 in a former Radio Shack spot on the mall’s upper level, moved to Promenade Saucon Valley in Upper Saucon.
Co-owners Patrick Richie and Veronica Santana decided to move the facility – offering sensory activities, bouncy houses, birthday parties and more – primarily for more space. The Promenade Saucon Valley location totals roughly 5,000 square feet, about double the size of the former Lehigh Valley Mall location, Santana said.
Services and pricing remain the same, and gift cards can be used at any Slime Time location, including other regional facilities at Philadelphia Mills; Plymouth Meeting Mall in Plymouth Township, Montgomery County; Willow Grove Mall in Abington Township, Montgomery County; and Park City Center in Lancaster, Santana said.
“We’ve grown so much within the past almost three years and are so excited to be expanding to a larger location in the Lehigh Valley,” Santana said.
On the lower level near the mall’s main entrance, Better Life With Bry closed in early January as owner Bryanna Tomkins shifts the business’ focus to parties and entertainment and seeks a new brick-and-mortar space better suited to host such events.
Better Life With Bry offers natural and handmade body, home and cleaning products along with services that include birthday parties, corporate functions, girls night outs and other events where individuals can create their own bath, body and home products.
“We are currently mobile right now, where we’re doing mobile pop-up parties and partnerships with different businesses,” Tomkins said. “Our parties and bookings got so much traffic that people wanted to do sip-and-wine parties and other events, and they wanted to rent out our space. So, in order for us to grow and expand, we’re looking for a stand-alone property, where people could bring their own beer and wine and rent it out.”
Better Life With Bry, which originated as a mall kiosk before expanding into a storefront in 2022, offers locally made products such as body scrubs and washes, bath bombs, lotions, deodorant, foam soaps, soy candles and melts, fragrance oils and room spray and cleaner.
The business also hosts create-your-own product events at individuals’ homes, local businesses and other venues.
“We realized in our business that retail was popular, but our parties were more popular,” Tomkins said.
“So, now our primary focus will be parties, classes and other events, with retail being secondary. People will still be able to shop our products, but the whole experience will be more interactive. We’re going to have a whole wall where people can make their own candles, and you’ll also be able to make other items like body scrubs, lotions and sprays.”
Tomkins is unsure of when Better Life With Bry’s new brick-and-mortar store will open, noting that it could take several months to a year before she finds the right location and outfits it to her specific vision.
In the meantime, customers can shop online atbetterlifewithbry.comand stay updated on upcoming events via the business’FacebookandInstagrampages.
Also leaving the mall is Otaku House, a store offering anime merchandise; Little TrenzSetters Boutique, a children's clothing store; and Pepper Palace, a retail chain selling all-natural hot sauces, barbecue sauces, wing sauces, salsas, seasonings and dry rubs made by hand in small batches.
Pepper Palace originally operated in the mall’s outdoor lifestyle center before moving to an interior space on the mall's lower level, between Verizon and Hamsa Exoticz, in spring 2023.
The chain, with more than 160 retail locations in the United States and Canada, also sells jerky, dip and drink mixes, glazes and marinades, pickled goods, pepper jellies, horseradish and condiments.
Other regional Pepper Palace locations are at Peddler’s Village in Buckingham Township, Bucks County; Philadelphia Premium Outlets in Limerick Township, Montgomery County; King of Prussia Mall in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County; and Pocono Premium Outlets in Pocono Township, Monroe County.
Little TrenzSetters Boutique operated for a few years in the former Aldo space on the mall's lower level.
The store offered children’s fashions from popular brands such as Baby Sara, Hannah Banana and Appaman.
Otaku House operated for about a year in the former Norman’s Hallmark space on the mall’s upper level.
The store sold items such as figurines, toys, clothing, pillows, keychains and stickers.
Other recent changes
The Lehigh Valley Mall, which debuted in 1976 and added an outdoor lifestyle center in 2007, is home to more than 140 businesses, including anchor department stores Boscov’s, Macy’s and JCPenney.
Dave & Buster’s, the entertainment and dining chain that invites guests to “eat, drink, play and watch,”recently underwent extensive renovations, including the installation of new furniture, lighting and carpeting.
"The big upgrade in here is that the core it's brighter, it's lighter," manager Jeffrey Hartwyk said. "We did some market research and found out that people find that more appealing. They're more likely to come in and enjoy themselves but also have a memorable experience."
The space overall is much brighter, with new neon signage and overhead lighting.
Additionally, new social bays - three for digital darts and two for shuffleboard – were installed in former dining space.
The social bays, where guests will have the option to eat while they play, are able to be reserved by the hour online or at three kiosks near the facility’s entrance.
"We're adding in social bays so that people can rent out those social bays and guests can enjoy a little bit of a party on a smaller scale," Hartwyk told 69 News in January.
Also, VIP Fashion – carrying a wide selection of dresses for proms, quinceañeras, weddings and other special occasions – in recent weeks moved from its roughly 6-month-old location on the lower level near Macy’s to the space that previously housed Williams-Sonoma in the outdoor lifestyle center.
VIP Fashion, which also has locations at the King of Prussia Mall and Philadelphia Mills shopping center, offers unique dress styles from dozens of top designers and fashion houses, including Christina Wu, Nicole Bakti, Sophia Tolli and Martin Thornburg.
The store carries prom dresses, homecoming dresses, co*cktail dresses, pageant dresses, wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, mother of the bride dresses and more.
Customers also can shop an expansive collection of shoes and accessories such as jewelry, tiaras and handbags. Dressing rooms and layaway payment plans are available.
“We have dresses from several popular designers, including Sherri Hill, Jovani, Amarra, Portia and Scarlett and Ellie Wilde,” seller Angelina Dzmitryiera said. “We are also able to order dresses in different colors and sizes if we don’t have them in the store.”
