ALLENTOWN, Pa. – A new destination for fresh fruits, vegetables and other foods is joining a growing roster of tenants at a Lehigh Valley shopping center.
Valley Fresh Marketplace, a store selling produce, canned goods, snacks and other groceries, is expected to open within the next couple of weeks at 1384 Hanover Ave. in Allentown, manager Eddie Mashraki told 69 News.
The store, owned and operated by partners David Saad and Naseef Mashraki, will occupy an updated space in the Allentown Commons shopping center.
“We live in Allentown, we grew up in Allentown, and we’re excited to do something positive for the city and Lehigh Valley overall,” Eddie said.
Individuals will be able to shop a wide variety of high-quality fruits and vegetables, sourced from venerable suppliers across the country, along with other grocery items such as meats, cheeses, yogurt, cereal, snacks, juice and soda.
The store also will carry a large selection of unique, international groceries that aren’t often found at large chain supermarkets, Eddie said.
“We’ll have a little something for everybody,” Eddie said. “We’ll have groceries from Latin America, Jamaica, the Middle East, everywhere. The produce will be of the highest quality and very affordable.”
Valley Fresh Marketplace also plans to wholesale produce to other local businesses, including minimarts, restaurants and supermarkets, Eddie said.
Valley Fresh Marketplace
The store is tentatively set to operate 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.
Following the store’s final inspection, an official opening announcement will be made on the business’ Facebook and Instagram pages.
“The store’s grocery selection is around 70% stocked,” Eddie said. “We’re just waiting for the final OK, and then we’ll start stocking the fresh produce.”
Allentown Commons is a contemporary five-building shopping center with 70,612 square feet of retail, office and medical space.
The shopping center is home to a diverse mix of tenants, including Planet Fitness, Family Dollar, Health Network Laboratories, Popeyes and Big Woody’s, among others.
First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union plans to open its new Allentown Financial Center – a modern facility designed to enhance the in-person and drive-up banking experience for the community – at the Allentown Commons on March 31.
Also, Larken Associates, a leading full-service commercial and residential real estate firm, in December announced two other leases at Allentown Commons: a 2,606-square-foot lease with Albert Appliances, LLC, an existing tenant offering a wide variety of new and used refrigerators, stoves, washers, dryers, and other household appliances at competitive prices; and a 2,150-square-foot lease with Root’d Corp, a new community-focused juice and smoothie bar offering a broad range of nutritious options.