ALLENTOWN, Pa. - This Friday was of the last lunch rush hours for the Downtown Allentown Market."It's upsetting, but it's the reality," said patron Al Jacobsen.Opening to a robust crowd and a full taste of businesses, the market's October 2019 start, hit a heavy hiccup with COVID, and as work life shifted, hours were shortened. Owner City Center is closing the 12,000-square-foot market April 17 as only three tenants remain.For Chez's Delicatessen, which is moving nearby, the shortened hours signaled the fizzle ...
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - This Friday was of the last lunch rush hours for the Downtown Allentown Market.
"It's upsetting, but it's the reality," said patron Al Jacobsen.
Opening to a robust crowd and a full taste of businesses, the market's October 2019 start, hit a heavy hiccup with COVID, and as work life shifted, hours were shortened. Owner City Center is closing the 12,000-square-foot market April 17 as only three tenants remain.
For Chez's Delicatessen, which is moving nearby, the shortened hours signaled the fizzle of the sizzle.
"That's your dinner, that's your, you know, that's a whole shift of customers that you have to cater to," said owner Maria Piazza.
Samantha Younes's Middle Eastern restaurant Zahra has been part of the original market menu.
"It's emotional for sure. I mean, I spent six years building up my business here," she said.
Coming from a restaurant family (her family owns Aladdin's in Allentown),the market offered Younes the chance to make something her own.
"The way that this worked out was essentially, you get a turnkey business. So each of our kitchens were furnished, and it sort of gave us a, you know, a leapfrog start to owning a small restaurant," she said.
She's looking for a restart too. City Center says the space will be used for residential. Market regular Reetha Dubinkin feels an opportunity was missed, as more anchors and pop ups would have kept business fresh.
"Highlight all the great creativity in the culinary scene in the Lehigh Valley. That would have been my choice," she said.
"They should have asked you," I responded.
"You know, I have a lot of ideas," She chuckled.