More pop-up retailers, long-term tenants joining The Promenade … – 69News WFMZ-TV

UPPER SAUCON TWP., Pa. – A new business popping up at The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley wants to help you be the host with the most with curated drinkware, dinner plates, table linens and more.

Spoon + Salt, a tabletop rental company offering a variety of curated tablescapes, will operate a pop-up shop Thursday, Oct. 5, through Sunday, Oct. 8, in Suite 806 at the Upper Saucon Township shopping center.

Co-owners Courtney Murray and Amy Tomlinson met at Bucknell University, where they regularly entertained friends at their off-campus house.

Fast forward years later, the women found success in their respective careers – Courtney as a marketing vice president and Amy with a merchandising and product management background – but the pair’s passion for party planning remained.

The friends decided to launch Spoon + Salt to help alleviate the responsibility of hosting events.

“Reinvent your table for any occasion with thoughtfully curated tablescapes for rent,” a message on the business’ website reads. “No hassle. No clutter. Let us do the work (and the dishes!) for you.”

Individuals can choose from more than a dozen tablescape designs, including “The Arabesque,” featuring colorful arabesque motifs and geometric patterns on dinner and salad plate sets paired with gold flatware, handmade woven placemats and more; “All Aglow,” featuring a brilliant shimmer with layers of rich gold and cream throughout – perfect for dinner parties, formal celebrations or simply because you deserve to shine; and “Grand Chic,” offering a nod to the vintage floral designs of earlier years while showcasing contemporary flatware and accessories.

“Perfect for teatime, bridal or baby showers, or a proper lunch with the ladies, the look is unique with mix-and-match pieces sourced from around the country,” an online description for “Grand Chic” reads. “Linens are available in blush or ivory, and glassware in pink or clear.”

Spoon + Salt also offers a variety of designs suitable for the holidays, including “The Gathering,” which offers an elevated look for Thanksgiving and other fall events that includes hand-carved wooden chargers, plaid napkins, an orange runner and more; and “Feeling Festive,” which exudes holiday vibes with a three-piece white dinnerware set paired with red, green, and gold touches from the linens, flatware, and drinking glasses.

After choosing your tabletop look and specifying your guest count and party date, a tote with all of your tableware, accessories and instructions detailing how to set the table will be hand-delivered to your door one to two days before your gathering.

Once the party is over, hosts repack the dishware, flatware, and glasses in the provided sleeves, and they place these protected items – along with the linens, and candlesticks or votives – in the tote. A pick up date will be provided one to two days following the party.

“We help make your event special and stress-free,” Murray said. “You don’t even have to worry about the cleaning. You’d only have to brush off the crumbs or wipe off any left-over food from the plates before packing them back up.”

Spoon + Salt delivers to counties in Pennsylvania (Lehigh, Northampton, Monroe and parts of Bucks), New York (Rockland and parts of Orange and Westchester) and New Jersey (Warren, Sussex, Hunterdon, Passaic, Morris, Somerset, Essex, Bergen, Hudson, Union, Middlesex, Monmouth and parts of Mercer).

Pricing varies, with sets of four place settings starting at $80.

Because table sizes vary greatly, Spoon + Salt does not offer tablecloths. The business also does not provide centerpieces, but Murray and Tomlinson are happy to offer suggestions that will complement each tabletop design.

For more information, visit thespoonandsalt.com or call 908-818-0400.

Sweet Diehl Boutique finds sweet success

Spoon & Salt is moving into the Promenade Pop-Up Shop space that previously housed Sweet Diehl Boutique, which is set to hold a grand opening in its new, long-term space (between L.L.Bean and Sweet & Sassy) at 10 a.m. Oct. 14.

Sweet Diehl Boutique, a women’s fashion boutique founded by local entrepreneur Andrea Diehl, experienced such success in the pop-up space that Diehl signed a year-long lease at the shopping center.

At the boutique’s new location, measuring roughly 4,100 square feet, guests will find women’s tops, bottoms, dresses and outerwear ranging from small to 3XL sizes as well as fashionable accessories. They’ll also be introduced to a new brand in the store’s now more permanent location.

“We are proud that Sweet Diehl, our very first pop-up tenant, has signed a longer term lease and will soon move into a more permanent space at the center,” said Natalia Stezenko, senior general manager of The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley. “Andrea’s success showcases the value of the Pop-Up Shop program, and we are looking forward to seeing other big wins for retailers and entrepreneurs as they give a popular and easily accessible brick-and-mortar location like The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley a try.”

Diehl started Sweet Diehl Boutique, offering “flattering, comfortable and affordable on-trend pieces,” as an online-based business in late 2019.

She originally conducted operations from her home’s basement, but rapid business growth during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 led her to move operations to a brick-and-mortar spot offering warehouse and retail space in Topton, Berks County, later that year.

Diehl recently closed the Topton location in preparation for the business’ move to The Promenade Shops.

“This experience has been nothing short of incredible,” Diehl said. “It provided me with a low-cost, low-risk way to find out if a second brick-and-mortar location was a good business decision for me, and I was overwhelmed by the support Sweet Diehl received both from the community in terms of interest and purchases and from the center in terms of helping me get set up and ready for business in an efficient and cost-effective way.”

More pop-up shops

More pop-up retailers are coming soon to The Promenade Shops, including:

• Ivy & Ink, which helps wordsmiths craft a favorite place to think with writing-themed candles and other treasures designed to turn any location into a creative space, will operate Oct. 12-15 in the Promenade Pop-Up Shop. To learn more, visit the Ivy & Ink website.

• Threads by Gram, showcasing high-quality everyday products that people can see, touch and feel, will operate Oct. 26-Nov. 25 in the Promenade Pop-Up Shop. This retailer, started by husband and wife Derek and Christie Hurley in 2020, hand-makes or embroiders all of its products and even offers personalization for special orders. To learn more about Threads by Gram, visit its website.

• Blake Jewelers, a family-owned and operated jewelry store with decades of industry experience, will operate during the entire month of December in the Promenade Pop-Up Shop. Through its creative business model and a focus on quality, service and efficiency, Blake Jewelers offers prices that are as much as 70% less than traditional jewelry stores. To learn more, visit the Blake Jewelers website.

“We are incredibly proud of the significant momentum our new Promenade Pop-Up Shop has experienced since we opened it in August,” said Krista Berardelli, marketing director and business development manager for the center.

“Local retailers and entrepreneurs are clearly finding the Pop-Up Shop to be a place they can rely on to show them if a brick-and-mortar space is right for their business. And with our very first pop-up tenant signing a year-long lease, we are creating a winning strategy for these treasured local businesses that allows them to connect with their target shoppers.”

The new Promenade Pop-Up Shop is a dedicated 1,500-square-foot space that gives local entrepreneurs an opportunity to showcase their retail brands.

It aims to help fledgling retailers expand their reach into a temporary brick-and-mortar space at the shopping center while also introducing the community to a growing roster of new businesses.

Individuals interested in launching a pop-up retail location at The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley can visit thepromenadeshopsatsauconvalley.com/promenadepopup or e-mail Bil Ingraham at BIngraham@CentennialREC.com for more information.

Other new additions

The Promenade Pop Up Shop is more welcome news for the shopping center, which has filled several vacant storefronts this year.

Its most recent addition is Turning Point, an award-winning breakfast, lunch and brunch restaurant chain with more than 20 locations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, which opened last month near Playa Bowls.

Other new tenants include FD Market, a sustainable goods shop and zero-waste refillery; Handmade Mystic – Healing Crystals & Jewelry, selling healing crystals, hand-crafted jewelry and more; Batch Microcreamery, offering super premium, hand-crafted ice cream and other chilled treats such as floats, milkshakes and sundaes; and Love Obsessed, a trendy boutique offering women’s clothing, jewelry, accessories and unique gift items.

Zekraft, which “makes and curates well-crafted food and kitchen items” using ingredients from the Lehigh Valley and surrounding region, also is planning to join The Promenade Shops.

After recently closing the business’ Easton location, husband and wife owners Zeke and Elaine Zelker plan to open their newest Zekraft location on Oct. 9 inside the shopping center’s Capital Blue space.

The Zelkers also operate Zekraft locations in Bethlehem and Salisbury Township, both of which will continue operating as normal.

Additionally, Club Champion, a custom golf club fitting company with more than 120 locations worldwide, is set to open Oct. 13 in a 2,668-square-foot space between Torre and GailGray Home Furnishings & Design, according to Stezenko. 

“Club Champion will be an important addition to the tenant lineup at The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley, further strengthening the variety of in-demand offerings we provide to our shoppers,” Stezenko said. “Through this addition, local golfers will be able to easily access custom club fitting services that will help them perfect their swing and enjoy their time on the golf course to the fullest extent possible.”

“We’re excited to bring the best club fitting experience in the world to golfers in the Center Valley area,” added Nick Sherburne, founder of Club Champion. “This is a data-driven, Tour-level experience that yields real results on the course, no matter the player’s skill level.”

Club Champion, established in 2010, helps golfers achieve measurable game improvement through custom club fitting.

The Illinois-based company uses more than 65,000 head, shaft, and grip combos to design and fine-tune custom clubs.

Each studio offers golfers access to over 60 brands, and master fitters use real-time data and technology to improve distance, accuracy, and increase golfer confidence.

“Club Champion has solidified their position at the top of the industry through comprehensive Tour-level fittings, unrivaled club building, and the use of top-tier technology,” a company description reads.

The Promenade Shops, which debuted in 2006 with more than 70 tenants, now has around a dozen vacant storefronts.

Businesses that have recently left the shopping center include All Weather Selvedge Denim Co. and Evolve Salon & Spa, while other new additions include ELITE Salons & Suites and Squishable.