SALISBURY TWP., Pa. – A couple weeks after The Giant Company announced plans for a new grocery store at the South Mall, a flurry of other retail activity is underway at the Salisbury Township shopping center.

First, just in time for the holidays, a new store is offering unique gift options.

DragonKnight Gaming and Collectibles, carrying a wide array of new and vintage trading cards, comic books, action figures and more, opened Friday next to Eyebrow Thread, near the center of the mall.

Customers also can shop collectibles such as Marvel statues and anime-related items, owner Logan Shannon said.

Popular trading card games include Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Flesh and Blood and Magic: The Gathering.

Shannon, of Kintnersville, started selling items on eBay about a year ago. He also set up stands at the Quakertown Farmers Market in Richland Township.

The South Mall location is the business’ first brick-and-mortar store.

Second, Caring DAM Hearts, a nonprofit organization that has a mission of assisting and providing hope to homeless people, veterans and less fortunate individuals in the Lehigh Valley region, is planning to open its newest retail location – carrying new and gently used clothing, shoes, home goods and more – in mid-January.

Proceeds from the new shop – dubbed Caring Hearts Cache’ Thrift Boutique – will support the nonprofit’s Caring Hearts Clothing Closet and More store, at 7935 Route 873 in Washington Township, Lehigh County.

The Slatington area store, which opened in February 2022, is unique in that all of the displayed items are free to any person in need. You won’t find any price tags.

“It’s like a treasure hunt,” said Denise “Neice Eie” Martinez, founder, CEO and president of Caring DAM Hearts. “We’re constantly getting new donations. So, you never know what you’re going to find. We have brand new designer pieces, men’s suits, coats and outerwear, prom dresses, hand bags, infant clothing, everything.”

Martinez, a resident of Washington Township, founded Caring DAM Hearts in 2016 following a serious health scare.

A former corporate baker for 29 years, the stress of the job weighed on Martinez and she went into cardiac arrest while driving home from work one day.

After undergoing surgery for a heart condition, supraventricular tachycardia, Martinez was advised by a doctor to look into other professional work.

She fell into a depression following the surgery, but she eventually found comfort through a program called Transitions at Lehigh Valley Health Network.

The program led to Martinez forming a friendship with a homeless woman, who changed her outlook on life and helped her realize where she wanted to devote her energy following her baking career.

She soon established Caring DAM Hearts – with DAM being an acronym for her name – out of her garage before opening the first location of Caring Hearts Clothing Closet in 2020 on Linden Street in Allentown.

The operation outgrew the Allentown space within a couple of years, leading Martinez to open the Washington Township store in 2022.

In recent years, she’s also opened “Caring Hearts Cache’ booths” – carrying a similar mix of products – at The Slatington Farmers Market in Washington Township and South Mall Mercantile in Salisbury Township.

Proceeds from these booths’ sales, along with money raised through grant writing and fundraisers throughout the year, help to cover the nonprofit’s rent, electric bills and other overhead expenses.

With the retail booths proving successful, Martinez couldn’t help but see more opportunity for growth.

“I’m so excited,” Martinez said of the forthcoming boutique. “I have such an incredible team, and I just felt like we could do even more at the South Mall. It’s a mall that’s coming back to life, and I’m just super excited to be a part of it.”

Momentum at the mall

DragonKnight and Caring Hearts are joining a slew of other new tenants at the South Mall.

Attic Mice 2, carrying a wide array of collectibles, clothing, toys and more, in late summer opened a second location across the hallway from its original mall store.

The new location, dubbed “Deeper into the Attic,” carries items from around 50 vendors, and more small businesses are welcome to display their goods in the space, co-owner Dale Gerry said.

In total, the second location has room for around 100 vendors, and business owners interested in joining the roster may reach out to Gerry at 610-533-2097.

Currently, customers can shop a wide array of collectibles, household items and other merchandise, including artwork, jewelry, toys, dolls, DVDs, antique firefighting equipment, dishware, drinkware, flower pots and vases.

In April, Attic Mice completed a roughly two-mile move from its former home of four years at the now-closed Merchants Square Mall on South 12th Street in Allentown.

Gerry runs Attic Mice 2 with his wife, Tammy Gerry, and the couple sells collectibles that they’ve accumulated – including vintage Barbies, dollhouses and doll accessories – and also partners with about a dozen other local vendors, who sell their items at the store.

Customers can shop new and gently used men’s and women’s clothing, fashion accessories like jewelry and handbags, vinyl records, CDs and DVDs, trading cards, board games, Lego sets, sewing items, home decor such as lamps and wall art, Funko Pop! figurines and toys such as Star Wars, Transformers and Monster High figures.

“It’s fun to see people’s faces when they first walk into the store because it’s almost overload for the eyes,” Tammy said. “They don’t know where to look first. So, they just look all over the place, trying to take in the wide variety of items all at once.”

Several other businesses have also recently joined the mall’s retail roster.

SuperSets, a fitness facility that promises to help customers “get the body you deserve,” in April opened its third gym in a 19,000-square-foot space that previously housed Full Circle Training.

The South Mall location offers state-of-the-art workout equipment and free weights, personal training services and showers and lockers. It also features a supplement shop and nutritionist.

Additionally, Ohana WonderTown Playground, a multi-level children’s recreational facility, opened in early July.

The playground, with blue- and yellow-checkered flooring, features climbing apparatus, sliding boards (twisty and regular), bridges, tunnels, hanging obstacles, a four-seat merry-go-round and more.

There are also large building blocks, riding toys, a ball pit, and a trampoline.

The 3,200-square-foot facility, offering open play, birthday parties and private events, is geared toward children aged 6 months to about 7 years (or 4 feet tall), and it accommodates up to 35 children at a time during open play, owner Yadira Disla said.

New anchor tenant

More good news for the South Mall came a couple of weeks ago when The Giant Company announced plans for a new, ground-up store and fuel station at the mall.

The new grocery store will total approximately 68,000 square feet and will be a redevelopment of the site that previously housed The Bon-Ton department store, which closed in 2018.

Upon completion, Giant’s current store and fuel facility located at 3015 West Emmaus Ave. in Allentown will close.

“After 35 years at our current location on West Emmaus Ave., it’s time to grow our store footprint and move a little further up the road,” said John Ruane, president of The Giant Company.

“A larger and updated store will allow us to offer our Allentown area families the latest amenities while underscoring our commitment to providing our customers with great value, the best quality and friendly service they’ve come to expect from GIANT.”

A grocery store has been proposed at the South Mall for nearly a year, according to an online brochure presented by the South Mall’s leasing team, The James Balliet Property Group.

Construction of the new Giant store is tentatively scheduled to begin in 2025 subject to obtaining all of the necessary permits and approvals, according to the release. 

Specific store amenities, employment opportunities and an opening date will be shared at a later date.

Currently, The Giant Company operates seven stores and employs more than 1,400 team members in Lehigh County.

Rich history

The South Mall’s origin dates to 1971, when its original owner – Hess’s of Allentown – built a department store at the site. An expansion that included an enclosed mall occurred a few years later.

Today, about a dozen vacancies exist among the shopping center’s approximately 50 total spaces.

Businesses leaving the mall in recent years include Cave Brewing Company, fahion retailer Elay’s Outlet, gift shop Charmed Rose Creations, Shop 610 Barber Supply, Gold Drip Jewelry and Uniquely Lopez Co., a family-run business offering restored furniture, local artisan wares and do-it-yourself home decor workshops.

Tenants joining the roster in recent years include C&I Minerals and a second location of Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley ReStore.

Also, Back to the Arcade, with more than 70 retro and modern arcade games, opened in late 2021 in a renovated space that once housed Victoria’s Secret.

Other prominent tenants include Ross, Petco, Staples, Fine Wine & Good Spirits, Mattress Firm, A1 Steak House, Blick Art Materials, South Mall Mercantile, Bath & Body Works and Yocco’s.