Art and creativity-focused company opens new location on Saucon Valley Promenade

A company with an eye for art and creativity is expanding this fall with a new location on the Saucon Valley Promenade in Upper Saucon Township.

The soft opening of SmARTivities Showcase is scheduled for October 4 at the shopping destination 2845 Center Valley Parkway. It will be located between Elite Salons & Suites and The Promenade Pop-Up Shop. SmARTivities is taking over the space formerly occupied by Peeps & Co, which closed in winter 2021 and most recently housed Nissley Vineyards, a pop-up retailer last holiday season.

The original SmARTivities location opened in 2018 at 60 Centre Square in Easton. It is located next to the Carmelcorn Shop. The name is short for “Show Me ART Activities.”

Founder and owner April Tennille Khalil, of Easton, said she decided on the expansion to make creativity more accessible to people of all ages. The 325-square-foot Promenade space is slightly smaller than the Easton space, which is 425 square feet total.

“I wanted to reach more people and the boardwalk is perfectly located to provide easy access for people from Allentown, Bethlehem and the surrounding areas of the Lehigh Valley,” Khalil told lehighvalleylive.com this week.

“Everyone has a creative side – we are born with it and forget how important it is as we grow older. SmARTivities is a place to explore that creativity while also getting the support people need from a community that truly cares about their artistic journey,” said Khalil.

“We provide a relaxed and inspiring environment where everyone can be creative and learn new skills, appreciate art and find unique things to give and inspire others with,” she said.

Khalil has more than 30 years of professional experience as a self-taught, trained artist.

Her niche has always been creating custom pieces – from small objects to large murals.

Khalil is a native of Marietta, Georgia, and moved to the Lehigh Valley in 2014. Before that, she traveled the East Coast participating in various professional arts and crafts shows with her husband, Amro Khalil, and the couple’s three children. After earning her associate degree from Northampton Community College in Bethlehem Township, she also spent time working as a medical administrative assistant.

As a side business, Khalil started April Khalil Artistry in 2014, where she traveled to birthday parties, regional festivals and special events, hosted arts and crafts workshops, offered face painting and taught art. Khalil’s goal was always to create a space for others to let their imaginations run wild, she said.

At that time, she founded smARTivities with the idea of ​​giving both beginners and advanced artists space for their creativity, while other artists from the region could exhibit and sell their work.

Today, smARTivities offers pottery classes, open studio hours, pottery painting classes, take-home craft classes, and DIY (Do It Yourself) classes. They also host private parties. Each location offers artists an exhibition space.

“The Promenade Shop will really be an extension of everything Easton already offers,” Khalil said.

At the boardwalk’s Maker Showcase, guests can browse a collection of handmade items and artwork on display and for sale. Khalil plans to feature the work of over 50 small businesses at any given time, including candles, crochet products, paintings, wood crafts, pottery, photography and cork bags.

The “Creation Station” on the promenade includes all make-and-take projects, such as a selection of pottery to paint yourself.

Soon there will be space on the promenade for more activities and courses, said Khalil.

Plans for both locations include specialty personalized screen printing and embroidery services, including custom graphics for corporate promotional products, recreational sports team jerseys and handcrafted local souvenirs.

“SmARTivities Showcase is a permanent, creative hub that is constantly working and has evolved since it opened,” said Khalil.

The SmARTivities Showcase in Easton is open Sundays from noon to 5 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon to 6 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The store is closed Mondays and Tuesdays for art classes and special events.

The SmARTivities Showcase at the Saucon Valley Promenade is open Sundays from 11am to 5pm, Monday through Thursday from 10am to 7pm and Fridays from 10am to 8pm.

The opening of the SmARTivities Showcase is just one of a few new features on the newly designed “Promenade Saucon Valley”.

In April, the mall announced it would change its name (formerly “The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley”) to reflect its growing tenant mix and changing focus as a community center and gathering place.

The remodel also included a new color palette and seating areas; a freshly painted star was added to the Pop Jet fountain; and blinds were installed over the outdoor amphitheater seats. More events were added, such as Sipping and shopping, Guests 21 and older may enjoy an alcoholic beverage while shopping at the mall. Well-behaved, leashed dogs are welcome in common areas, as are a long list of dog-friendly shops.

Madeleine Convery, marketing manager for the boardwalk, told lehighvalleylive.com this week that the Great Greek Mediterranean Grill is opening next month between Lashes by Gab and Komé Fine Japanese Cuisine; Five Guys Burgers and Fries is slated to follow next month between European Wax Center and uBreakiFix; and Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls is slated to open next to Slime Time in January 2025.

Handcrafted jewelry retailer Pandora will more than double its current retail space. The new store is set to open in early October between Altar’d State and Sleep Number. Convery said it will feature a central island surrounded by wall lights to showcase the retailer’s collections.

The current Pandora store – between Bath and Body Works and American Eagle – will remain open until the new space is completed, she said.

Other new additions include Rally House, a specialty sporting goods store chain that opened in late July between Barnes & Noble and J.Crew Factory. The J.Crew Factory store opened in April between Francesca’s and Barnes & Noble. The 5,000-square-foot store is located in space previously occupied by children’s clothing retailer Justice.

Slime Time closed at the Lehigh Valley Mall in Whitehall in early January and opened on the Promenade in March. A Fulton Bank opened at the mall in February.

Promenade Saucon Valley is home to 50 national retailers, independent boutiques, restaurants and entertainment venues. It is located within the Stabler Corporate Center, which was renamed in 2022 to “More stable paths” to reflect the campus’s 1,000-acre walkway network that connects dozens of businesses. Stabler Pathways includes Saucon Valley Promenade, Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital, Penn State University Lehigh Valley, two hotels and various businesses.

A site plan shows about a dozen vacant stores in the mall. However, Natalia Stezenko, senior general manager of the mall, previously stressed that there are plans to fill these empty stores.

“There is a lot of interest in several areas, but there is nothing official to announce yet,” Convery said this week.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann can be reached at [email protected].