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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – One Westgate Mall business has closed and nearly a half-dozen others plan to close or relocate in the coming months as part of the redevelopment of the Bethlehem shopping center.

While salon chain Holiday Hair closed Wednesday, Amateur Athlete, Fashion Nails, Hawk Music, Subway and Westgate Jewelry & Repair are preparing to leave the Schoonersville Road shopping center in the next few months.

The business owners have received notice to vacate from the mall’s owner, Onyx Equities, which is planning to demolish 50,000 square feet of the mall’s interior to build about 8,000 square feet of new retail.







Westgate Mall

Amateur Athlete in Bethlehem Westgate Mall




A representative for Onyx Equities did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the vacated tenants.

In the year A Holiday Hair outpost that has operated in the mall since the 1970s has merged with a nearby location three miles away in Pointe North Shopping Center, 5510 Crawford Drive, Hanover Township, Northampton County.

“All of our stylists went to Pointe North,” says manager Sue Repscher. “It’s very, very sad because we were one of the first businesses in Westgate. And I feel sorry for the people who live in this area. A lot of them drive here to get their hair done and then go to the grocery store. When I tell them there’s another salon six minutes away, they say, ‘I can’t drive that far!’ They call me

Another longtime tenant, Hawk Music, has been in the mall since its opening in 1973.

The store, which offers sales of drums, guitars and other musical instruments along with equipment rentals and repairs, operates at the north end of the mall. However, its longtime home was in the center of the mall (now home to Sky Zone Trampoline Park), co-owner Pat Paulus said.

Paul and her brother Phil Hawke carry on the music business that their late father, Bill Hawke, started 50 years ago.

Paul said her brother Hawk may continue to make music elsewhere, but plans to retire after the Westgate store closes.

“I’ve been here since the beginning, and I’m ready to watch the grandkids now,” Paul said. “My brother is five years younger and he’s the one in music. That’s his life. He plays guitar and bass professionally and can tune any instrument you bring to him.”

Paul said the mall’s management team had ordered them to vacate the property “within the next two months,” and the siblings had asked a lawyer to extend the deadline.

“We still have a lot of stuff to sell, so we’re hoping to extend our time a little longer,” Paul said. “It’s sad because this has been my life for so long and I feel like we and other mom-and-pops are being pushed out of the mall.”

A few doors down from Hawke’s Music, Laurel DeFelice, owner of Westgate Jewelers and Repairs, emphasized that the business is not closing and she is not retiring.

Instead, the business, which has been in her family for generations, will move to another, as-yet-unknown location in Bethlehem.

“We will continue to work hard in business, and we will continue to serve the community as always,” DeFelice said. “We look forward to a smooth transition, and will make very public announcements on radio stations, social media and other channels as we prepare to reveal our new location.”

Difelice couldn’t give an exact time frame for the business’s final date at Westgate, but said it will remain open for at least two more months at its current location.

The jewelry store has become known for its large sidewalk sales, which are typically held three times a year, and the business will hold its final sidewalk sale starting Feb. 19 at Westgate, Difelice said.

The sale, which runs for a few weeks, will feature thousands of highly curated pieces, including those valued at $1.

“We are known for our fine jewelry and watches and have one of the most unique collections of estate jewelry in the Lehigh Valley,” DiFeles said. “We offer jewelry repair – batteries, bands, and more, and we’ll continue all of these services in our new location. People can also make an appointment to have their pieces fixed, a personal piece of jewelry on their hands. We offer this service now, but we’ll expand it in the future.”







Westgate sign

Bethlehem Westgate Mall




Beyond Westgate Jewelry and Repairs, an employee at sandwich chain Subway said the restaurant will hold its last day of business in April.

And next door, the owner of Fashion Nails, Cuong Nguyen, said the salon is expected to open in March – “probably March 20”.

Fashion Nails has been operating in the mall for eight years, offering manicures and pedicures.

“I don’t know what to do,” Nguyen said. “I’m trying to find a new place, but I haven’t found anything yet.”

Aside from fashion nails, owner Joseph Yeo, a longtime amateur athlete, is also scrambling to find a new location for his business.

Yu said he received a letter last Friday stating that he must withdraw from the market within 90 days.

“By my calculations, I think April 20 will be the last day here,” Yeo said.

Amateur Athlete, selling skateboards, longboards, casual wear, swimwear, shoes and accessories such as sunglasses, has been in Westgate for 38 years.

Yeo says he saw him in the letter ordering him to leave. He said the mall owner was aware of plans to redevelop part of the mall’s interior, but was led to believe it would not affect the store.

“Over the course of the last year, with all the renovations going on, I always believed the store was safe and we shouldn’t be moving,” Yeo said. “I called the mall’s management team repeatedly about new store signage and other issues and they never gave me any indication that this was going to happen.”

Yeo said he asked about working at another storefront in Westgate, but was never given a definitive answer. The mall’s management team said they could discuss the matter later, but said there would be no room left when he was forced to vacate.

“I really don’t know what to do when I have to leave,” he said.

Bree Chambers, a customer who was shopping at the amateur athlete on Thursday, sympathized with Yo.

“It’s ridiculous that the mall is forcing small businesses to put in a Starbucks,” Chambers said. “There’s a Starbucks half a mile down the road. And this business has been here for 40 years. It’s a shame!”







Westgate Mall

Bethlehem Westgate Mall




Onyx Equities, a New Jersey real estate investment and asset services firm, purchased Westgate in 2018, with several rounds of renovations taking place over the following years.

The latest phases of the redevelopment include demolishing the interior of the mall and building two new structures: a free-standing bank with drive-thru (next to the relocated Weiss Markets) and a strip mall that will house Jersey Mike’s subscribers. QDOBA Mexican Eats and Starbucks restaurants with an as-yet-undisclosed retailer. A drive-thru for Starbucks is planned.

One of the major changes in the center was the By 2021, Weiss was moving from a 32,000-square-foot warehouse near the center to a renovated, 63,000-square-foot store in the former Bon-Ton department store on the north side. End of shopping center.

Other recent changes include Lehigh Valley Health Network opening a 27,000-square-foot medical device processing facility behind the former Bon Ton. California-based tools and hardware chain Harbor Freight is opening in part of the former Wyss space (the space next door has yet to be leased); And Oak Street Health plans to open a primary care medical facility in part of the former Rite Aid space at the south end of the center.







Westgate Dempsey

The former Demsey’s restaurant location has been open for many years in Bethlehem’s Westgate Mall.




Additionally, a fine wine and fine spirit store is operating out of a temporary location next to Amateur Athletic, and its original location is expanding near the south end of the center.

Other planned additions include an international quick-service hamburger chain on the north end of the center (in front of Weiss) and a financial institution on the site of the former Dempsey’s restaurant on the south end of the center.

In the year Built in 1973, Westgate Mall has been home to many businesses over the years, including notable former tenants such as Art & Draft Connection, Beef House, Hourglass Hallmark, McCrory and Toy Tunnel.

More than a dozen businesses continue to operate at the mall, including Country Rose Florist, Grand China Buffet & Grill, Johnny’s Bagels & Deli, Outlooks for Hair and Panda Cleaners, among others.

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