Business with focus on art, creativity, to open new site at Promenade Saucon Valley

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

SmARTivities Showcase plans to tentatively open on Oct. 4 at the shopping destination, 2845 Center Valley Parkway. It will go between Elite Salons & Suites and The Promenade Pop-Up Shop. SmARTivities is taking over the space formerly occupied Peeps & Co, which closed in winter 2021, and most recently housed Nissley Vineyards, a pop-up retailer last holiday season.

SmARTivities’ original location in 2018 opened at 60 Centre Square in Easton. It’s 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 to expand to make creativity more accessible to folks of all ages. The 3,527-square-foot Promenade space is a little smaller than the Easton space, which totals 4,600 square feet.

“I wanted to reach more people and the Promenade location is perfectly situated to allow easy access for people to come from Allentown, Bethlehem and surrounding areas of the Lehigh Valley,” Khalil told lehighvalleylive.com this week.

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

“We have a relaxed and inspiring environment where anyone can be creative and learn new skills, appreciate art, and find unique items to give and inspire others,” she said.

Khalil has more than three decades of experience working as a self-taught, skilled artist.

Her niche had always been crafting custom pieces — from small items to large mural work.

A Marietta, Georgia, native, Khalil moved to the Lehigh Valley in 2014. Prior, she traveled the east coast, participating in various professional arts and craft shows with her husband, Amro Khalil, and the couple’s three children. She also spent some time working as a medical administrative assistant after obtaining an associate’s degree from Northampton Community College in Bethlehem Township.

As a side business, Khalil in 2014 launched “April Khalil Artistry,” where she traveled to birthday parties, area festivals and special events, hosting arts and crafts workshops, offering face painting, and teaching art. Khalil’s goal was always to create a space for others to allow their imaginations to take flight, she said.

That’s when she launched smARTivities with the idea for both novices and advanced artists to have space to be creative while other area artists could showcase and sell their work.

Today, smARTivities offers pottery wheel classes; open studio time; paint-your-own pottery; make-and-take crafts; and DIY (Do It Yourself) classes. It also hosts private parties. Each site will offer artist showcase space.

“The Promenade shop really will become an expansion of everything already offered in Easton,” Khalil said.

“Maker Showcase” at the Promenade will allow guests to 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. Selections will include candles, crocheted products, paintings, wooden crafts, pottery, photography and cork bags.

“Creation Station” at the Promenade will include all the make-and-take projects, such as paint-your-own-pottery selections.

There’ll be room at the Promenade for more activities and classes soon, Khalil said.

Plans for both sites include specialized screen printing and embroidery personalized services, including custom graphics for business promotional products, recreational sports team jerseys and handcrafted area souvenirs.

“SmARTivities Showcase is a constant, work-in-progress, creative center, which has been evolving since first opening,” Khalil said.

Hours for SmARTivities Showcase in Easton are from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday; noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The shop is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays for art classes and special events.

Hours for SmARTivities Showcase at Promenade Saucon Valley will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Thursday; and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday.

The opening of SmARTivities Showcase will mark just one of a handful of new additions coming to the newly-revamped “Promenade Saucon Valley.”

The shopping center in April announced it would change its name from the former The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley to reflect an expanding tenant mix and evolving focus to become a community hub and gathering place.

The revamp also included a new color palette and seating spaces; a freshly-painted star was added at the pop jet fountain; and shades went up over the outdoor amphitheater seats. More events were added, such as Sip & Shop, which allows guests 21 and over to enjoy an alcoholic beverage while shopping at the center. Lleashed, well-mannered dogs are welcome in common areas as well a lengthy list of dog-friendly stores.

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

Hand-finished jewelry retailer Pandora is more than doubling its current space. The new store is set to open in early October between Altar’d State and Sleep Number. Its layout will include a central island, surrounded by wall fixtures to showcase the retailer’s collections, Convery said.

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

Other recent additions include Rally House, a specialty sports store chain, which 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 5,100-square-foot location operates in space previously occupied by the children’s fashion retailer Justice.

Slime Time shuttered in early January at the Lehigh Valley Mall in Whitehall and opened at the Promenade in March. A Fulton Bank opened at the shopping center in February.

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

A directory map shows roughly a dozen vacant stores at the shopping center. However, Natalia Stezenko, senior general manager for the shopping center, previously stressed plans to fill those empty storefronts.

“There is strong interest in several spaces, but nothing official to announce just yet,” Convery said this week.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.

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