2 new vacancies, 2 tenants coming soon, several stores moving at Lehigh Valley Mall

Kendra Scott, a lifestyle brand with gemstone-inspired collections that include fashion jewelry, fine jewelry, home goods and beauty, is expected to open this summer in the Lehigh Valley Mall's outdoor lifestyle center, near Lululemon.

WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. - As spring fades to summer, changes are heating up at the Lehigh Valley Mall.

Two businesses are coming soon, two storefronts have recently become vacant, and several businesses are relocating at the two-story shopping center at MacArthur Road and Route 22 in Whitehall Township.

Lehigh Valley Mall

Many retailers, including Victoria's Secret, are finding new locations to call home, at least temporarily.

Last month, The Unique Boutique, a store carrying handmade gifts, home decor, personal care products and other items from more than 50 local vendors, held a grand opening at the mall's outdoor lifestyle center.

The space previously housed Williams-Sonoma, a worldwide kitchenware, dinnerware and home furnishings retailer that closed its Whitehall location in January after 15 years of business.

The Unique Boutique, formerly known as the Small Business Gallery, originally opened in November 2021 on the mall's lower level, near Macy's, owner Jennifer Smith said.

Its move to the lifestyle center is temporary as Victoria's Secret has moved into The Unique Boutique's former storefront as renovations take place in the fashion retailer's original space.

Smith anticipates moving The Unique Boutique back into its original space in early fall, "probably in October," she said.

"It's really great to see the store doing so well and the community continuing to support these small businesses," Smith said. "When I first opened the storefront in late 2021, it was only supposed to be for two months during the holidays, but I decided to keep it going year-round because it did so well."

Victoria's Secret, the longtime retailer known for its signature bras, panties, lingerie, sleepwear and athleisure and swim apparel, is expected to move back into its original lower-level space (a few doors down from its temporary location) following the completion of renovations in late summer, manager Julia Malave said.

The transition will include Pink - Victoria's Secret's sister brand - moving across the hallway from its current location to part of the redesigned space next to Victoria's Secret, Malave said.

To allow for Pink's upcoming relocation, Blue Monkey Vapes - a store selling e-liquids and vaping devices and accessories - recently moved to the mall's second-level space that was previously home to Things Remembered, which closed earlier this year.

Blue Monkey had been in its lower-level space for about four years and before that, it operated as a mall kiosk for another four years, store associate Chris Naegel said.

Blue Monkey, with roughly two dozen locations in several states, offers hundreds of flavors of e-liquids. Popular brands include Hi Drip, Bad Drip, Sad Boy and Juice Head.

In its new, second-level space, Blue Monkey expanded its merchandise mix to include candy, chips and other snacks.

Also on the move at the Lehigh Valley Mall is Cloud City, which is expected to move on Aug. 1 from its roughly year-old spot on the mall's second level (former Disney Store space) to a newly renovated, second-level spot near Macy's.

The store's forthcoming location previously housed VR Cafe, an entertainment facility offering virtual reality gaming options, which closed in April.

At its new location, Cloud City - which buys, sells and trades games, comics, toys and collectibles - will have about 800 square feet of additional floor space for its retail displays as well as tournaments and other organized play events for Yu-Gi-Oh!, Dungeons & Dragons and other games, an owner said.

Cloud City was established in 2013 and previously had a couple of Emmaus area stores before moving its Lehigh County operations to Whitehall last year.

A second location of the business opened at the Palmer Park Mall in April 2021, and that store also is preparing to move to a larger mall spot, tentatively set to open July 1, an owner said.

At the Palmer Township mall, Cloud City is moving from its two-year-old location at the western end of the shopping center (near Decor Home Furniture & Mattresses) to the eastern end of the mall (near Boscov's).

The business' new Palmer space - a recently closed FYE store - is roughly 1,000 square feet larger than its current spot - a former Christopher & Banks store.

At both of its new mall locations, Cloud City will continue to offer its same merchandise mix, including comics, manga, board games, video games, Funko Pop! vinyl figures, plush toys, action figures and trading card games such as Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic: The Gathering.

All of these transitions follow other recent Lehigh Valley Mall moves, including wireless carrier T-Mobile, which moved from its lower-level spot near Boscov's to a larger lower-level space between Better Life with Bry and L'amour; toy store Toys Toys, which moved from its lower-level space near the mall's main entrance to T-Mobile's former lower-level space; and Pepper Palace, a retail chain selling all-natural hot sauces, barbecue sauces, wing sauces, salsas, seasonings and dry rubs, which relocated from the mall's outdoor lifestyle center to an interior space on the first level, between Verizon and Hamsa Exoticz.

As several businesses are in transition at the Lehigh Valley Mall, two chains are looking to open their first Lehigh Valley locations:

First, Kendra Scott, a lifestyle brand with gemstone-inspired collections that include fashion jewelry, fine jewelry, home goods and beauty, is tentatively set to open June 30 in the mall's outdoor lifestyle center, near Lululemon, according to Farial Moss, Kendra Scott's public relations director.

The store will occupy the space that previously housed Vera Bradley, a designer of women's handbags, backpacks, tote bags, luggage, fashion and home accessories and unique gifts, which closed in mid-February.

Founder Kendra Scott has always had a love of natural gemstones, and when she noticed a void in the jewelry market for quality styles and stones at an affordable price, she decided to create them herself.

"Through the use of natural materials, including genuine stone and shell, we create quality, affordable luxury products that make fashion and its trends truly accessible," a message on the business' website reads.

Scott established the business in 2002 as a new mom with limited resources and a big dream, according to a description on the business' Facebook page. She also created a culture that allowed her to put family first.

"Family will always come first at Kendra Scott and you, my customers, are a part of that family," she wrote.

Texas-based Kendra Scott has more than 130 retail stores nationwide, including other Pennsylvania outposts at King of Prussia Mall; Suburban Square in Ardmore, Montgomery County; and in Pittsburgh.

The brand's jewelry also can be found at prominent retailers such as Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom.

"The [Whitehall] store will offer a variety of Kendra Scott jewelry including fine, demi-fine, fashion, watches and Scott Bro. by Kendra Scott, our mens collection," Moss said. "We will also have our Color Bar, which allows customers to design their own pieces by choosing the metal, the shape, the size, the stones, and offer on-site engraving."

Face Foundrié, a chain of all-inclusive focused facial bars, is expected to open in late summer in the Lehigh Valley Mall's outdoor lifestyle center, next to Warby Parker.

Second, Face Foundrié, a chain of all-inclusive focused facial bars, is expected to open in late summer in the mall's outdoor lifestyle center, next to Warby Parker.

Face Foundrié empowers customers to look and feel their best "by providing cutting edge services, accessible pricing, and an extensively trained staff of experts that deeply care," according to the business' mission statement.

"Our goal is to provide efficient and effective services for all things face: facials, lashes, brows and skincare," the statement continues.

Face Foundrié offers a half dozen, 40-minute focused facials, featuring "results-driven service with the perfect touch of relaxation."

Popular facials include the Sculpt, "essentially a workout for your face," which uses Hungarian massage and facial cupping to lift, tone and sculpt the face (helps reduce puffiness, promote lymphatic drainage and boost circulation); Cryo Queen, which uses cryotherapy to increase collagen production and boost radiance (cold therapy stimulates blood flow and circulation helping with all skin concern); and Dermababe, which gently removes the top layer of dead skin and peach fuzz to provide a deep exfoliation (allowing the skin to better absorb and use other products).

Customers can level up their facial by choosing an enhancement such as collagen mask, dermaplaning, LED light therapy, or chemical peel to target specific skin concerns.

There are also other services such as brow wax and shapes, brow lamination, eyelash extensions and mini facials, which the business describes as "20 minutes of skincare heaven," along with retail items such as cleansers, moisturizers, toners, serums, exfoliants and lip balms.

Face Foundrié has more than 40 locations open or coming soon across the country, including another coming-soon location at the King of Prussia Mall.

"We are super excited to be coming to Lehigh!" said Cheyanne Thurston, Face Foundrié's vice president of marketing. "... The company currently has 23 stores across the country and is expected to end 2023 at 60 locations. We plan on opening our Lehigh location along with a second location in King of Prussia this summer."

Face Foundrié and Kendra Scott will join another new mall retailer, All Weather Selvedge, specializing in denim jeans made from proprietary Japanese selvedge fabrics, which opened in April in a second-level space previously occupied by Chrystols Shoetique.

Owner Andre Williams, a 2010 Parkland High School graduate and former New York Giants and San Diego Chargers running back, got the idea for All Weather Selvedge following years of difficulty finding jeans that could fit properly.

Following the departures of Things Remembered, Vera Bradley and VR Cafe at the mall earlier this year, a couple of other storefront vacancies have recently popped up.

First, Time After Time, a store offering sales of watches and watch accessories along with watch repair, has closed on the lower level near Swarovski Crystal.

Second, T-Mobile, offering a variety of wireless plans, cell phones and accessories, recently closed on the mall's upper level near Claire's Accessories. T-Mobile continues to operate a location on the mall's lower level.

These departures follow the April shuttering of Country Memories, an independent retailer selling a wide variety of country collectibles, gifts and home décor, which closed on the mall's second level as owner Pat Vandak retired from the retail business.

A mall spokesperson did not immediately return a message seeking information about potential tenant replacements for these spaces or existing vacancies such as Bravo!, Almost Vegan and Ruby Tuesday.

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