BETHLEHEM, Pa. – A longstanding destination for sofas, dining room sets and other furniture is in its final days, bidding farewell with steep discounts in the Lehigh Valley.
Unclaimed Freight, offering popular brand-name furniture for the bedroom, living room, dining room and office, is holding a store closing sale at 2260 Industrial Drive in Bethlehem.
An exact closing date has not yet been determined, but the store will cease operations sometime within the next couple of weeks, according to Tracy Gauthier, an event manager overseeing the store’s closure.
Unclaimed Freight operates at 2260 Industrial Drive in Bethlehem.
Ryan Kneller
“We’re trying to have the building emptied by March 1, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll be open for business until March 1,” Gauthier told 69 News. “So, we’re trying to get everything out as soon as possible because the building’s already sold.”
A store closing sale is underway, with posted signage reading “everything must go,” “drastic discounts!” and “store closing forever!”
Individuals shopping the store in its final days can take advantage of high markdowns on already discounted items, including furniture and other home décor such as lamps, mirrors, area rugs and artwork. All sales are final.
Inventory has become more limited in recent weeks, but there is still a good selection of pieces for every room of the house, Gauthier said.
The business is “really starting to get ridiculous with some of the pricing,” she added.
Unclaimed Freight operates at 2260 Industrial Drive in Bethlehem.
Ryan Kneller
“We’re at the point where we’ll literally entertain any offer that’s reasonable enough,” Gauthier noted.
“You can get items for pennies on the dollar. For example, we have $1,600 and $1,700 dressers that we’re selling for a couple hundred bucks right now.”
The closing sale kicked off Jan. 1, and store fixtures are also available for purchase, according to store manager Robert Hahn, who’s been with the company for 48 years.
“We’re very grateful to the Lehigh Valley community and everyone who has supported the business over the years,” Hahn told 69 News in January. “We’ve loved serving everyone.”
Hahn is the nephew of the late Joseph Colabella, Unclaimed Freight’s founder, who established the business in 1971.
Colabella previously operated an Easton home décor shop and warehouse, known as Unclaimed Salvage & Freight, in the late 1960s and also briefly operated a store in Whitehall Township before opening Unclaimed Freight’s flagship store in Bethlehem a few years later, Hahn said.
Unclaimed Freight operates at 2260 Industrial Drive in Bethlehem.
Ryan Kneller
Over the ensuing decades, Unclaimed Freight’s footprint grew to include more than a dozen other stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Missouri, Hahn said.
The Bethlehem location is the business’ last remaining store, which the current owners are closing as they prepare to retire, Hahn said.
Colabella, who passed away at age 91 in 2022, continued to work at Unclaimed Freight through his 80s.
“[Colabella] was hardworking, and his parents were immigrants who came from Italy,” Hahn said.
Unclaimed Freight aims to give customers “what you want, when you want it at a ridiculously low price,” according to a message on the business’ website.
The company offers a huge, constantly changing assortment of furniture and accessories “at prices that can enable everyone to indulge their sense of style and pocket some savings too.”
Unclaimed Freight operates at 2260 Industrial Drive in Bethlehem.
Ryan Kneller
The business buys brand name closeouts, discontinued lots, factory overruns and bankruptcy liquidations from domestic manufacturers and importers, selling them for up to 70% off of their manufacturer’s retail price.
“We buy first quality, brand name furniture, odd lots, closeouts and surpluses for pennies on the dollar and pass the savings onto you,” the online message continues. “We seek out great deals on current styles as well as the old favorites so that we can provide you with highly attractive furniture at the lowest possible prices.”
Unclaimed Freight is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.
For more information, call the business at 610-974-8194.