One year after forced closures, Bethlehem’s Westgate Mall attempts to redefine what it is (2024)

Angie Rodriguez was busily sweeping the front of Johnny’s Bagels and Deli at Westgate Mall in Bethlehem on a recent Friday.

“It’s always so dusty here,” she said. “I don’t like it, but we have to deal with it.”

The dust that is always coming through the shop comes from construction that has overtaken Westgate Mall. The strip mall, with an indoor section that links Johnny’s to a few other businesses like Sky Zone Trampoline Park, GNC and Westgate Pizza, has undergone a major renovation and construction project aimed to create a more modern, revitalized strip mall.

What that revitalization means, however, is up for debate. In February 2023, Onyx Equities, a New Jersey firm that acquired the mall in 2018, informed several small businesses they had 90 days to vacate. These included Amateur Athlete, a sports business that had been at its location for nearly four decades; Hawk Music Center, which had been there for 50 years; and Westgate Jewelers, Holiday Hair and Fashion Nails.

In their place, Onyx announced it would be demolishing and expanding into two structures, including a redesigned strip mall that would house Jersey Mike’s, QDOBA Mexican Eats and Starbucks.

Last month, Gerrit Curran, who operates several Jersey Mike’s locations in the Lehigh Valley, told The Morning Call that he was looking forward to opening the Lehigh Valley’s ninth location at Westgate.

“It’s gotten a revamp, and I’m so eager to get there,” he said. “It’s going to be a great fit for the community and I haven’t been so excited in a while.”

Plans for the mall, which opened in 1973, were “exciting developments … of 13,000 square feet of dining and service offerings” such as the McDonald’s that opened March 14, “marking a significant milestone in strengthening Westgate Mall’s position as a thriving hub for commerce and dining,” Onyx said in a statement to The Morning Call.

Yet on recent trips to Westgate, The Morning Call found that both customers and business owners are wary of what’s to come, and how construction is affecting businesses, particularly smaller ones that survived Onyx’s axing last year.

“This construction is bad for business,” said a hostess who only identified herself as Lily at Grand China Buffet and Grill. “It hasn’t been easy. I’ve been here for several months and we’re losing customers. It’s always noisy and dusty.”

The dust was a constant complaint among both customers and business owners. (Onyx’s response when asked about dust and parking lot construction complaints: “Improvements are slated to be completed by Summer 2024.”)

“I would come over here more, but this parking lot is a mess,” said Ann Decker, who was filling her vehicle with gas at the Weis fuel station. Decker said the fact that the parking lot was craggy, without clear lines and full of potholes, made her less eager to come to Westgate to shop. For her, Westgate is solely the location of a gas station — at least for now.

“I used to love coming by and shopping at the Bon-Ton,” Decker said, looking over at the Weis, which now holds the anchor spot the defunct department store held until 2018.

What would make her come back to shop? “A better parking lot,” she said. “And maybe a craft store, like a Michael’s.”

Decker’s wish for a better parking lot — smoothed over, with lines and no dust — were echoed by various people. The future of the parking lot could be seen at the McDonald’s, whose freshly cemented and lined lot offered a hint of what may come when construction is complete.

It also offers a hint of the type of storefront Onyx is courting as it remakes the mall. Onyx plans to open the Starbucks, QDOBA, Jersey Mike’s, and a Tropical Smoothie Cafe in a newly revitalized section by the end of the year. Construction was going strong for the Starbucks as of last week, along with two financial institutions, People First Federal Credit Union and Penn Community Bank.

The new franchises make some businesses uneasy, while others welcome the new traffic. Next door to Grand China, Burro Morales was serving up sandwiches to customers at Johnny’s Bagels. He doesn’t think McDonald’s is taking away his store’s customers.

“Business is good, it’s fine,” he said.

Angie Rodriguez chimed in: “It’s because we sell turkey and halal products, and McDonald’s doesn’t sell that, so we have customers coming in to get those.”

Morales looked outside as Rodriguez spoke. “I don’t like the dust,” he said. “But it’s fine.”

Nearby, at GNC, manager Chaz Rodriguez said business was better than fine. “Sales are really good,” he said.

Chaz Rodriguez took over managing duties in October and said he’s noticed people swinging by the store out of curiosity, exploring Westgate.

“People want to know what’s here and want to come back,” he said. “There’s definitely a change that’s needed.”

Onyx has certainly made changes. A long strip of empty, boarded up stores line one construction site just outside the mall entrance and leads to a boxed-off corner where Country Rose Florist sits.

“I’ve loved being here for 24 years,” owner Jannel Jarrah said. “I feel lucky that we’re one of the smaller people that were kept around.”

Jarrah said she’s grateful. “I see a lot of franchises opening up, but this is our little home,” she said, describing the flower-strewn shop. “We finagle around it [the dust] — I see that they’re building lamp posts and trying to move quickly, which I appreciate.”

Rick Cuth, the assistant manager at the newly remodeled Fine Wine & Good Spirits, said he’s excited for the future of the mall. “Yeah, the construction affected us a little, and there’s confusion with the parking lot not having lines,” he said. “But we’re doing really well and we’re looking forward to this year.”