Bethlehem’s small businesses loving ‘Best Main Street’ honor

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The whole country recently learned what folks in the Lehigh Valley have always known, Bethlehem’s Main Street is the best.

That fact was formally recognized by the historic Main Streets’ win for Best Main Street in a competition held by USA Today.

The small businesses that make up a good deal of the charm of the street weren’t surprised that they were able to earn the honor, because the quality and character of Bethlehem’s Main Street is what drew them there in the first place.

Kim O’Neill, who runs Knobs ‘N Knockers on Main Street with her husband Dave, said it was the history and charm of Bethlehem’s historic district there that drew them to the location in July of 2019.

It’s their second location for the store, which sells artistic architectural products. Their original location is in Bucks County’s Peddler’s Village, which has a similar historical charm vibe.

She said that fits in with what they sell.

“If it’s beautiful and useful, we try to carry it,” O’Neill said. “Main Street as our backdrop, as our canvas, is perfect to sell the type of items that would be used in historic homes.”

Because of the wide variety of historic homes and properties surrounding Main Street she said it was an excellent location, because the doorknobs, door knockers, and other items

the shop sells fit in with the aesthetic of such historic buildings and many of their customers come right from the nearby community.

But she said it’s the nature of the small business community and historical sites along the Main Street that create the magic that makes the stretch such a draw for small businesses and the people who love them.

As a UNESCO world heritage site, and events like Musikfest, Bethlehem’s Main Street gets attention from around the world, and she gets customers from far and wide that happen to stumble onto her shop when they’re touring the area.

She said not everyone is in Bethlehem looking to buy a door knocker, but they discover her store while browsing the surrounding shops and become a customer.

“We love that we’re exposed to a wide variety of people from around the country,” O’Neil said. “It’s a mix of locals and visitors.”

Creating that atmosphere is something the small businesses of Bethlehem’s Main Street take seriously.

The main retail corridor is anchored on each end by the Historic Hotel Bethlehem and Fegley’s Bethlehem Brew Works in the Main Street Commons.

Jeff Fegley, president of the family-owned Brew Pub, said since Brew Works opened in 1998, it’s been a draw to bring craft beer enthusiasts and foodies to Bethlehem and has remained successful even as the local market became saturated with competing brew pubs.

He noted that the Bethlehem Brew Works is far busier than their location in Allentown, and he credits the draw of the downtown’s historic charm for fostering the brew pub’ popularity.

He said having such anchor businesses as the Brew Works and the Historic Hotel Bethlehem helps create foot traffic for all of the businesses along Main Street.

“We’re sort of the bookends, and we help everything in between come to life,” Fegley said.

But he said it also works both ways, with those shops, historic buildings and cultural activities keeping the street entertaining – and busy.

“There’s always something unique on Main Street,” Fegley said. “The city itself has done a great job with street scaping and making it charming and walkable.”

He also gives a great deal of credit to the Historic Hotel Bethlehem, which works hard to make sure guests get out on Main Street and visit the restaurants and shops there.

In fact, hotel management was a driving force in the marketing and get-out-the-vote campaign to earn Bethlehem the Best Main Street designation.

Kelly Ronalds, director of room sales and guest experience for the hotel, said such honors are great for business at the hotel and surrounding shops and restaurants.

“It really has been big, especially for the hotel which has won Best Historic Hotel four times,” Ronalds said. “It puts us on the national and international level.”

While the hotel may seem like a big deal to the locals, Ronalds is quick to point out that as one of the few independently owned hotels in the region, it too is a small business, which helps make it stand out as a unique experience.

Having charming shops and a variety of places to eat within walking distance is a big draw for the hotel, so she said she always makes a point of letting guests know what kind of experiences and spots might be of interest to them.

She said it’s something all of the businesses there do.

“Everybody looks out for one another. They’ll make recommendations,” Ronalds said.

And she said the shop owners can offer such advice because they do go out and visit each other’s shops to find things.

“Because we do business with each other we can make recommendations,” she said. “I have shopped and dined in all of the places. We know one another.”

Fegley agreed that the mix of different businesses and industries is part of what makes the Main Street such a destination and new additions. He said the Boyd Apartments on nearby Broad Street is just one indicator of the future success of the area.

It’s that dynamic that attracted Chris Beers to open a Grandpa Joe’s candy shop on Main Street.

With 19 stores, Grandpa Joe’s is on the large size to be considered a small business, but it’s that small business feel that helps the Pittsburgh-based chain successful.

Through Musikfest and college, Beers was familiar with Bethlehem’s Main Street and knew it was an ideal location for his old-fashioned candy store concept.

“Of my 19 locations, 17 are on main streets,” Beers said.

He is attracted to the charm and community that such business districts hold, that contribute to the feel of his shops.

He said locating on Main Street in Bethlehem was a no brainer.

“Bethlehem is special to me,” Beers said. He even adopted a local elementary school and supports students with such things as providing candy to throw out during the city’s annual Halloween Parade.

It’s that Main Street feel and community spirit that adds to the shop’s own charm.

“When you come to Main Street you make it an event,” he said.