Customers can cut back on plastic waste by shopping at a new “refill store” in Berks County. Kemerton Refill and Refresh is open now, and will hold a grand opening Saturday, Nov. 20, at 82 Commerce Drive in Spring Township. Kemerton sells cleaning supplies, toiletries, lotions, olive oil, vinegar and more in refillable containers. Customers can buy containers there or bring their own. The store is closed Sunday and Monday; open Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m to 5:30 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Kemerton said all its products are sustainable, non-toxic and cruelty-free.
“We can reduce our consumption to save the planet and use less plastic to improve our own health, one bottle at a time,” said Kemerton founder Nicole Meckley. All refillable items are sold per-ounce.
“Kemerton” is a combination of the names of Meckley’s three children: Kennedy, Emerson and Hutton. Check the store’s social media posts for information. Kemerton is in the Village Square Shopping Center, off State Hill Road.
The relocation of the Hummus House to Bethlehem from Allentown is progressing, but the opening at 518 E. Third St. might not take place for about a week. Owner Albert Hechme said Thursday that the family-operated Mediterranean restaurant is still waiting on some equipment. The business also needs to recruit workers.
Hechme said the Hummus House’s menu will include many vegetarian and vegan meals, but meat dishes and sandwiches will also be available. The restaurant and deli will prepare family recipes that have been passed down for generations.
The restaurant’s hours will probably start at 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., but as more staff is hired, Hechme plans 12-hour days. Check the restaurant’s website for hours and opening information.
Wiz Kids 2 has had a “soft opening” at its new Madison Farms, Bethlehem Township, location, and now the cheesesteak restaurant is opening for real. Starting Monday, Wiz Kids 2 will be open starting at 11 a.m., through 8:30 p.m. Check the restaurant’s social media for updated hours.
The original Wiz Kids is at 65 E. Elizabeth Ave. in Bethlehem, and is a Bayou Boys operation, run by Christian Duarte, Mo Taylor and Jeremy Straub. In addition to cheesesteaks, the newest location will serve buffalo chicken, pizza and more. The new Wiz Kids at Madison Farms, off Freemansburg Avenue, is in the former Steak n Shake location.
Another Ahart’s Market is closing, this time in Allentown. The West Allen Street grocery lost its lease and will be replaced by a chain chosen by wholesaler United Natural Foods Inc., though when the new store will open is not known. Ahart’s in south Bethlehem closed earlier this year as bigger chains expand and independent grocers and regional brands are squeezed out.
United Natural Foods is traded on the New York Stock Exchange as ticker symbol UNFI. The Rhode Island-based company has locations in the U.S. and Canada, and a warehouse in Schnecksville, Lehigh County. United Natural Foods has a market value of about $2.8 billion. It supplies groceries to Amazon.com‘s Whole Foods Market and other retailers.
Another regional institution that will become part of a chain is the Lambertville Station Restaurant and Inn. The restaurant and hotel along the banks of the Delaware River has been acquired by Genesis Hospitality, which operates restaurants, inns and bakeries in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
The Station has 46 hotel rooms. Its restaurant is in Lambertville’s old train station, built in 1867.
Allentown is going to gain another Sheetz convenience store. A 6,070-square-foot building has been approved by the city’s planning commission. Sheetz at 2939 Lehigh St. will have 39 parking spaces, a couple air machines for tires, and gasoline pumps.
Access to the site remains an issue, to be worked out with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Sheetz wants full access for left and right turns off Lehigh Street.
Sheetz competes with Wawa in the convenience-store market. Wawa has additional regional locations in the works, but its website shows no recent updates to when stores in Allentown, Bethlehem, Nazareth and Coopersburg might open.
At the Lehigh Valley Mall, Bravo! Cucina Italiana has opened, serving pizza, salads and pasta. The new restaurant is one of the mall’s outdoor shops. Shake Shack is not open yet, but coming soon.
The shack will be near the mall’s MacArthur Road entrance.
