BETHLEHEM, Pa. – A vacation spot for rings, necklaces and different high-quality jewellery at Westgate Mall has discovered a brand new area to shine amid the continued redevelopment of the Bethlehem Mall.

Westgate Jewelers, a fixture on the Schoenersville Highway Mall for many years, will maintain a phased reopening Tuesday at its new location at 53 E. Lehigh St. in Bethlehem, proprietor Laurel DiFelice stated.

The shop’s new location shall be on the highest ground of the United Steelworkers of America constructing between Bethlehem Metropolis Corridor and Nisky Hill Cemetery.

The property, simply off Middle Road, homes places of work and assembly rooms for varied companies and organizations, together with United Steelworkers Native 2599, Bethlehem Firefighters Native 725, and the Worldwide Alliance of Theatrical Stage Staff Native 200.

There may be additionally a social room, which seats 200, which may be employed for personal occasions.

DiFelice was drawn to the central location as a result of space’s historic structure and close-knit neighborhood.

It is planning a grand reopening celebration, with promotions for Mom’s Day, graduations, and wedding ceremony season, all through the month of Could.

“As a result of we’re within the historic neighborhood of Bethlehem, we’re embracing the neighborhood,” she stated. “We additionally supply gadgets to our clients that aren’t present in different jewelers. For instance, we have now a diamond minimize within the form of the Star of Bethlehem.”

Westgate Jewelers provides new jewellery from over a dozen distinctive and outstanding designers together with an enormous assortment of property jewellery from world wide. The corporate additionally provides customized jewellery and watch and jewellery repairs.

“We specialise in high-quality jewellery, gold and silver,” DiFelice stated. “We’ve many items made in the USA and outdoors the nation. Our property jewellery comes from everywhere in the world and from many alternative historic durations, relationship again to the late 1800s.”

One other distinctive side of the enterprise is its “private contact,” the place clients could make an appointment to create a diamond engagement ring or different particular piece like an anniversary bracelet or reminiscence pendant necklace. of a liked one, DiFelice stated.

“We will additionally repurpose jewellery or refurbish members of the family’ jewellery,” DiFelice stated. “Then, shoppers could make an appointment, sit down with me, and have a private jeweler design no matter they need.”

Westgate Jewelers has grow to be recognized for its multi-week sidewalk gross sales, which often happen thrice a 12 months and have 1000’s of deeply discounted items, together with many priced as little as $1.

Because of the retailer’s transfer, this 12 months’s curbside gross sales schedule shall be completely different, however the common schedule is predicted to renew in 2024.

“We will have a barely modified schedule this 12 months as a result of it takes a very long time to organize for these gross sales, and my predominant focus proper now’s getting the brand new retailer so as,” DiFelice stated.

Together with the corporate’s transfer, DiFelice enlisted the skills of an rising graphic artist and Freedom Excessive Faculty scholar, Naomy Quiroz, to create the emblem and designs that shall be integrated into the shop’s signage, enterprise playing cards, and upcoming web site.

“She’s new to the scene and her expertise is unbelievable,” DiFelice stated of Quiroz.

The brand new Westgate Jewelers location will characteristic two entrances: a wheelchair accessible entrance close to the flagpole and one other entrance close to the western portion of the higher automobile park.

The transfer will convey with it different adjustments, together with a broader collection of DiFelice-designed jewellery and a brand new retail web site (debuting within the coming months), the place clients can store the corporate’s total product line.

“I respect all of the kindness the neighborhood and my shoppers have proven me throughout this transition,” DiFelice stated. “I am actually grateful for everybody’s help.”

Westgate Jewelers is one in every of a handful of former Westgate Mall companies that both discovered new houses or closed throughout the mall’s redevelopment.

The jewellery retailer and different affected companies, together with Vacation Hair, Style Nails, Hawk Music, Beginner Athlete and Subway, obtained notices a couple of months in the past to vacate their areas from mall proprietor Onyx Equities, which he plans to raze roughly 50,000 sq. ft of the mall inside to be able to construct roughly 8,000 sq. ft of recent retail amenities.

The Vacation Hair salon chain was the primary to go, merging with a neighboring location about three miles away at Pointe North Buying Middle, 5510 Crawford Drive, Hanover Township, Northampton County, in late January.

The chain’s Westgate outpost had been working within the mall for the reason that Seventies.

“All of our stylists have gone to Pointe North,” supervisor Sue Repsher stated. “It is actually unhappy as a result of we had been one of many first corporations in Westgate. And it is the individuals who dwell within the instant neighborhood that I am actually sorry for. A variety of them drive right here to get their hair achieved after which buy groceries. After I say them that there is one other salon six minutes away, they are saying, ‘I am unable to drive that far!'”

Cuong Nguyen, proprietor of nail salon Style Nails, purchased Nail Trix in South Whitehall Township and is constant his enterprise on the 1536 N. Cedar Crest Blvd. web site in late February.

“We won’t thanks sufficient for the limitless help of Style Nails over the previous 9 years,” reads a message on the corporate’s Fb web page. “We’re so lucky to have developed relationships with so many individuals, not solely as our clients however as our pals as nicely. We hope you’ll proceed to help us at our new location, which is roughly 11 minutes West on [Route] 22.”

Hawk Music, which had operated within the mall because it opened in 1973, closed on March 31.

The store provided the sale of drums, guitars and different musical devices together with instrument rental and restore.

Pat Paulus and his brother, Phil Hawk, ran the music enterprise that their late father, Invoice Hawk, began 50 years in the past.

“On behalf of my sister and I, our wonderful workers, present and previous, we need to thank all of our clients who’ve supported us over the previous 50 years,” Phil wrote on the corporate’s web site. “We’ll miss the store dearly. However hopefully the enterprise will proceed beneath new administration, in a brand new location within the subsequent month or two.”

Beginner Athlete, a preferred retailer that sells skateboards, longboards, informal put on, swimwear, sneakers, and equipment like sun shades, plans to reopen at 4:00 p.m. Friday, April 14 at its new area in Lehigh Buying Middle in Bethlehem, 2110 W. Union Blvd., the corporate introduced on its social media pages.

The retail retailer, based in 1982, is bringing its $20 shoe part again to its new location. Reopening promotions will embrace a $10 clothes part and free pizza (Fridays at 5pm).

Beginner athlete proprietor Joseph Yoo labeled the transition interval in latest months as “a complicated time” however was consoled by heat needs from supportive clients.

“Due to everybody who stopped by to point out love!” reads a publish on social media. “We won’t anticipate what we have now within the pipeline!”

Sandwich store chain Subway, which closed on Friday, is the mall’s newest former tenant.

Franchisee Nick Ferrani is seeking to nail down a brand new location for the close by restaurant.

“We want to transfer to a brand new web site as near the mall as potential,” Ferrani stated.

Onyx Equities, a New Jersey actual property funding and actual property providers agency, bought Westgate in 2018, with a number of rounds of restructurings over the following few years.

The most recent levels of the redevelopment embrace the demolition of a part of the mall inside and the development of two new constructions: a freestanding financial institution with a drive-thru (subsequent to the relocated Weis Markets) and a mall that can home Jersey Mikes Subs, Eating places QDOBA Mexican Eats and Starbucks together with a yet-to-be-announced retailer. A drive-thru for the Starbucks is deliberate.

One among downtown’s greatest adjustments occurred in 2021, when Weis moved from his 32,000-square-foot retailer close to the downtown core to a transformed 63,000-square-foot retailer in a part of the previous Bon-Ton Division Retailer North finish of the mall.

Different latest adjustments embrace Lehigh Valley Well being Community opening a 27,000 sq. foot medical gear processing facility behind the previous Bon-Ton; California-based {hardware} and power chain Harbor Freight Instruments opens in a part of former Weis area (adjoining area continues to be to be leased); and an Oak Road Well being major care medical facility that it plans to open in a part of the previous Ceremony Support area on the south finish of downtown.

Moreover, a Tremendous Wine & Good Spirits retailer is working from a brief location subsequent to Beginner Athlete as its authentic location is expanded close to the south finish of downtown.

Different deliberate additions embrace a world quick-service burger chain on the northern finish of downtown (reverse Weis) and a monetary establishment on the web site of the previous Dempsey’s restaurant on the south finish of downtown.

In-built 1973, Westgate Mall has housed many companies over time, together with notable former tenants such because the Artwork & Drafting Connection, Beef Home, Bookarama, Sweet Carousel, Hourglass Hallmark, McCrory and Toy Tunnel.

Greater than a dozen companies proceed to function within the mall, together with Nation Rose Florist, Grand China Buffet & Grill, Johnnys Bagels & Deli, Outlooks for Hair, and Panda Cleaners, amongst others.