With the latest COVID-19 restrictions mandated by Gov. Tom Wolf and the near-foot of snow dumped on a lot of the Lehigh Valley on Wednesday, vacation procuring this upcoming weekend took a giant blow. However Downtown Bethlehem’s small companies and eateries are discovering a means by it.
The Downtown Bethlehem Affiliation and Southside Arts District are instituting a “Merry Little Store & Stroll” all through the Christmas Metropolis on Saturday to deliver some vacation treats and stocking stuffers on to prospects in a secure, open-air method. The “Store & Stroll” is an outside strolling meals truthful and sidewalk sale happening on Saturday on either side of the Lehigh River.
In a launch despatched out by the DBA, DBA Supervisor Tammy Wendling stated, “We needed to create an occasion that balanced the enterprise neighborhood’s want for patrons with all the neighborhood’s want for security. This socially distanced out of doors occasion achieves that superbly.” It’s a significant last-minute push earlier than the vacations for native companies that sometimes see a few of their greatest gross sales through the vacation season — however as a consequence of COVID-19, procuring and eating out have turn into a a lot much less frequent event.
That’s why the open-air procuring will lend itself properly to social distancing and avoidance of the shut quarters in a few of Bethlehem’s shops.
Numerous Bethlehem eating places can have specialty objects which are simple to hold round as you stroll by the festive downtown amid your procuring, together with six cream cheese wontons with ginger garlic sauce for $5 from the Southside’s Jenny’s Kuali.
When you munch on these wontons or different fare out of your favourite Bethlehem eatery, you possibly can peruse what the small companies have to supply — lots of which can have the best stocking-stuffer: present playing cards. Along with no matter’s on sale on the sidewalk, a number of locations will probably be having present card flash gross sales, like $5 free with the acquisition of a $25 present card. With delivery speeds seemingly a no-go at this level, a present card is a last-minute go-to.
And as if the Lehigh Valley Well being Community isn’t doing sufficient to assist mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s sponsoring free two-hour downtown parking through the day.
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Connor Lagore could also be reached at clagore@njadvancemedia.com.
