Lehigh Valley Marketplace

By Cathy Kiley

There are a couple of ways to drive to Jim Thorpe from the center of the Lehigh Valley: Whether you take the Northeast extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Route 209 South; Routes 309 or 248 to Route 209, all roads lead to Jim Thorpe. That last half-mile stretch of road along the Lehigh River is breathtaking in any season, but never more so than in the fall. This fabulous view welcomes visitors to a quaint, humble town simply chock-a-block with interesting shops, galleries, museums and eateries. The picturesque setting of Jim Thorpe’s Victorian buildings against the backdrop of the Pocono Mountains makes you feel like you are stepping back in time.

We’ll start our tour where I parked-in front of Chatelaine at 81 Broadway. Now in its 20th year, the shop, owned by Elaine Sturm, features handcrafted jewelry by more than 100 designers. What I particularly liked at Chatelaine were the amber and sterling silver Swift Arrow earrings and colorful blown-glass bottle stoppers from Global Village Glass Studios. There are also pretty scarves, candles and soaps as well as a good selection of children’s books, games and puzzles under the roof of this compact shop. Closed Tuesdays. www.chatelainepa.com.

I strolled past Strange Brew, The Psychedelic Coffee Shop and stopped to listen to a duet of strumming guitars before grabbing an iced tea and proceeding to 77 Broadway to visit Shabby foo foo with “all things pretty” on display. Mother-daughter shopkeepers Carol Winnicki and Kellie Barber brought their shop here from Frenchtown, New Jersey, five years ago. This store is loaded with feminine treasures and pleasures that Winnicki terms “truly shabby chic.” The selection of soft romantic, vintage and new stuff features beautiful crystal lamps, as well as lace and hand-embroidered table toppers. There is a basket of reasonably priced opera-length gloves that brides-to-be may find of interest; and on a nearby table, a tiered crystal cake plate caught my eye along with lovely vintage china tea sets. Check out this delightful shop’s extensive website at: www.prettyshabby.com for hours and more information.

I peered in the windows at Flight of Fancy at 39 Broadway and admired the gorgeous wood carvings on display and kites lining the shops’ ceiling. A sign in the window states that an item has value to its owner because of the way that item makes you feel. How true-and there are many beautiful items in this location to make you feel just fine! Next door at The Gem Shop, owners Danielle and Elizabeth Mulligan have offered vintage and Tiffany-inspired costume jewelry for 20 years. Also on display here (and at another location on Main Street in Bethlehem) are unique purses and brightly-colored wrap skirts and scarves. I admired a selection of reasonably priced turquoise jewelry that I thought beautiful. The Gem Shop is open seven days a week. www.thegemshoponline.com.

There is enough to peruse at the Emporium of Curious Goods at 15 Broadway to take up an entire morning-especially if owner Barrett Ravenhurst (a former professional magician at Dorney Park) is in residence. Here you will find everything from gargoyles, dragons and fairies to plenty of moons, stars and incense, including crystal balls, wicca and a shrunken head! Plenty of new age books, musical instruments including sitars, Jewish shofars, harps and Australian didgeridoos are for sale, and there is also a large selection of Egyptian art and jewelry. This store is actually two shops in one. Ravenhurst, together with Rick Brong, own the Mauch Chunk General Emporium (beginning in the rear of this shop and flowing into the area next door) offering Victorian antiques and reproductions as well as Christmas and other seasonal items. Allow plenty of time to explore this interesting shop. It is probably unlike anything you have seen in a while.

Take a quick peek in Past and Presents where owner Barbara has been selling antiques, used books and miniatures for 17 years. Then cross over Broadway and make a stop at The Treasure Shop. The Treasure Shop has been around for 26 years, and owner Peggy Dart specializes in Irish knit sweaters and Celtic gifts. Speaking of Celtic influence, experience the old-world charm of the beautiful Jim Thorpe Inn at 24 Broadway and relax in their spa after a day of shopping and sightseeing. Molly Maguire’s Pub has both Harp and Guinness on tap to quench that thirst and The Emerald Restaurant offers four Irish entrees on their diverse menu. www.innjt.com

By far, the sweetest shop on Broadway is Rainbow’s End selling old-fashioned candy, popcorn, roasted peanuts, Hershey’s hand-dipped ice cream and Asher chocolates at reasonable prices. For 11 years, proprietor Sandy Guy has been assisted by husband Michael who took time to show me around. Enjoy coffee or a soft drink while checking out the cute gift items. I bought some nostalgic Scented, Beeman’s and Black Jack gums while I was there and could have bought much, much more if I had allowed my sweet tooth to take control.

The Dreisbach House has called 62 Broadway its home for seven years. Here you will find an eclectic selection of vintage clothing, scarves, purses and fantastic hats. There is funky jewelry, a rack of fur wraps, plus hat boxes and other curiosities. Owner Lisa Gaugler stocks chenille bed spreads, crocheted table runners and other decorating items from a by-gone era in this beautiful circa 1899 building.

Built around 1861, the Albright Mansion is located at 66 Broadway. Hosts Bart and Meriel Springer serve breakfast, lunch and dinner in their Civil War Restaurant. Enjoy fine, elegant cuisine in a lovely setting. They offer prix fixe or a la carte menus on Friday and Saturday, both of which are not overpriced. The restaurant is BYOB, so feel free to bring your favorite wine or other refreshment. I noted that English Tea is served in the afternoon. What a treat after a day of shopping!

Walk back to the old Mauch Chunk Train Station, pick up tourist information and check out the train schedules for a Steam Train ride to admire the fall foliage. Oh, remember that Jim Thorpe River Advertures is located nearby. You may contact them at 570-325-3432 or www.jtraft.com to book your rafting adventure in season. (Please check out our feature article in the Summer 2009 issue of Lehigh Valley Marketplace.)

Next, go over to Race Street and visit Homespun to admire their primitive country home décor. Deb Weitzhall has owned Homespun for about five years. The Gettysburg Family Heirloom bedspreads here are beautiful. You will also find seasonal items as well as 100 percent soybean candles and fragrant soaps. Upstairs is an adorable bed and breakfast with a two-bedroom unit perfect for a family getaway.

In May 2007, husband and wife team Heriberto Yunda and Stephanie Verme opened their restaurant Moya located next to Homespun. (Moya is the name of Yunda’s Ecuadorian home town.) The brick building with bright green, purple and orange doors and shutters has been completely refurbished. Chef Yunda brings his culinary talents to Jim Thorpe after 25 years in New York City restaurants, and Verme’s artistic talents add to the minimalist décor that includes beautiful wood floors and dining chairs, soft lighting and crisp white linens. Their fresh, unpretentious cuisine is South American with Mediterranean influences, and prices on their menu, as well as their extensive wine list, are reasonable. Many people in town told me that the food is wonderful. Open for dinner only-closed Wednesdays. www.jimthorpemoya.com

Take a stroll through the grand gothic structure that is St. Mark’s Episcopal Church as you approach Stone Row. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Stone Row is home to a few quaint shops. First, experience a wine tasting any day of the week at Big Creek Vineyards, a local farm winery. Then, you must stop at The Country Cottage, “Home of the Blue Ribbon Pickle.” Owner Lori Stahley has been jarring her dill pickles, salsa and jams in her modest kitchen for nine years. She uses only local produce and cans five days each week, producing about 10,000 jars per year. I can attest (having taken a few jars home) that her products are terrific. She carries an array of country gift and décor items as well as many seasonal ornaments, prints and other items in the Christmas shop upstairs. The Country Cottage is open every day.

At the end of Stone Row is Serendipity, where for seven years, owners Ernest and Diana Brummell have amassed a selection of over 4,000 old glass bottles and an extensive collection of used and rare books (some dating back to the 1700s) as well as other interesting antiques. Ernest is skilled in custom silver and goldsmithing-as well as jewelry repair-and is well-versed in local history and lore. A visit here is sure to please.

Interior designer Tricia Huber has owned Designs Unlimited for five years at 72 Race Street. Her specialty is kitchen design, but her lovely little shop is full of inspired gift and décor items. I particularly liked the Julie Leland hand-painted glass vases and palm Tula Hats with UPF sun protection on display here. Nice shopkeeper, too!

I spotted some very intriguing items at Save the Robots which sells a mixture of mid-century modern, art deco pieces. Owner Toby Kramer-LaPadula greeted me as I admired his collection of funky 1950s lamps and kitschy items crammed into this tiny shop. He also carries interesting one-of-a-kind new and vintage jewelry, colorful scarves and headbands as well as apparel items. I said “hello” to the resident umbrella cockatoo Astro before walking with Toby over to gallerie b at 108 Broadway where he displays his more upscale collection of vintage 1960s op-art and psychedelic posters, sculpture and higher-end Danish modern minimalist furniture. The house where gallerie b is located dates back to the 1820s and is home to four or five separate galleries of fine art and antiques. Owner Sandra Eve Knoll’s original works are on display, along with other artists of various media including oils, photography, jewelry and sculpture. The Corsetiere of Dragontown owner Brooke Aubuchon has her studio upstairs where she designs fabulous handmade corsets. These corsets, offered in more than 200 fabrics with steel ribs, are very attractive and are made to be worn either as outside fashion or as a functional undergarment. They are simply gorgeous and may take eight inches off a woman’s waist!

Across the street is Café Origins, a Eurasian vegetarian café that uses only the finest high quality local organic products. Owner Denise O’Donnell is a trained, certified Manhout-an elephant keeper and caretaker who volunteers time with the elephants every year in Thailand. This is a cute café which also sells Fair Trade goods from Thailand, the proceeds of which are returned to this country.

Marianne Monteleone Design Gallery at 97 Broadway shows gorgeous original signature jackets, handmade jewelry and accessories. The staff will assist with custom-fitting your garments and in choosing accessories for basic clothing pieces on which you may build an exciting new wardrobe. Above this interesting store is Suites on Broadway, three private suites available as a B & B alternative in a great location. Log onto: www.shopmmdesign.com to see these beautiful fashions.

Add The Mauch Chunk Opera House, sitting just up the hill at 14 W. Broadway, to your tour. They have an interesting lineup of local and international artists including an Eric Clapton -retrospective featuring the Craig Thatcher Band on October 10th. More information is available at www.mauchchunkoperahouse.com. Owner/artist Dan Hugos combines his love of the Jim Thorpe community and photography in his Dakota Ridge Gallery. Exquisite, fine art photography by local and national artists is on display at this location across from the Opera House. www.dakotaridgegallery.com. Open weekends or by appointment.

On the edge of town at 268 West Broadway, housed in an old, refurbished wireworks factory and silk mill, is the Carbon County Cultural Project, home of the Stabin-Morykin Gallery and Flow Bar and Restaurant. This is an extremely interesting place to visit. The original oak bar, which was hidden for years under pink Formica, is now restored to its rightful polish. Stone walls accent the dining room where the original dressmakers’ tables are now dining tables held upright by pipes used in the original piping system. The floors are beautiful, but the focal point of the dining room is the glass-and-wood enclosure covering the exposed stone archways over the Mauch Chunk Creek that runs beneath the building. It’s amazing to peer into the glass and watch the streaming waters below. The décor of Flow is unique and tasteful, as is their fabulous outdoor dining patio surrounded by lush gardens fed by a stream of water from the mountains above. Lunch here is a delightful experience with great music and food prepared by executive chef Chris Allen (formerly of The Farmhouse, The Glasbern and Melt). Save time to stroll through the galleries, chat with friendly owners Joan Morykin and Victor Stabin and enjoy a relaxing drink before heading out to visit the Asa Packer and Old Jail museums to complete your tour.

There are so many little shops, galleries, bed and breakfast locations and restaurants in this emerging arts community that they simply could not all be mentioned. I must say that this is a laid-back town as some shops may close for lunch or be closed on the day you visit because the owner simply took the day off. Also, many shopkeepers still work full-time jobs with Jim Thorpe being their retreat destination. On the weekends, however, this place is hopping and all shops are open.

Jim Thorpe’s location, nestled in the mountains along the Lehigh River sets the stage for a perfect weekend of hiking, biking, rafting, shopping, dining and sightseeing. Come, explore and enjoy this unique town only 40 minutes from the Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton areas.