WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. – The curtain is rising on a new performance venue as well as a new chapter for a prominent Lehigh Valley shopping plaza, with several other new tenants – including a grocery store, family adventure park and full-service restaurant – set to join the mix in the coming months.
Straight Up Magic, a theater featuring live, interactive magic shows, comedy shows and more, opened Friday at 2001 MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township.
The 100-seat theater, owned and operated by prominent local magician Jason Bishop, is located inside the Whitehall Plaza, formerly known as Whitehall Mall.
In the spring, the iconic shopping center was acquired by Miami-based Mishorim Gold Properties, a company that specializes in revitalizing commercial properties, transforming shopping centers and maximizing real estate potential through strategic investments.
Over the past several months, Mishorim Gold has been implementing a host of interior and exterior renovations while strategically enhancing the center’s tenant roster.
Longstanding vacancies have been filled, including the former Bed Bath Beyond space, which is now home to a Forman Mills store, offering brand-name clothing and other merchandise at a fraction of traditional retail prices.
The Lehigh Valley location of Forman Mills previously operated less than a mile away at 2150 MacArthur Road.
Now, Whitehall Plaza is welcoming even more businesses, including unique, experiential tenants.
Straight Up Magic
Straight Up Magic, which has sold-out shows on its opening weekend, will occupy a renovated space that was previously home to an Arby’s restaurant.
It will feature interactive magic and illusion performances by Bishop and his longtime on- and off-stage partner, Kim Hess.
The couple is joined by a team of illusion assistants and Gizmo, a Yorkshire terrier with an outsized personality who has become an audience favorite and recognizable member of the Straight Up Magic company.
Bishop grew up in Emmaus and attended Salisbury Area School District schools before graduating from Fleetwood Area High School in 1996.
Some of his fondest memories from those teenage years include working at Superior Restaurant in Emmaus and Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in South Whitehall Township and catching movies at Emmaus Theatre and AMC Tilghman Square 8.
In his post high-school years, Bishop garnered worldwide acclaim by performing premier magic shows in more than 40 countries.
His illustrious career includes acts on Broadway, aboard luxury cruise ships and in prominent theaters around the world, and he’s also appeared on TV programs such as the “TODAY Show,” “CBS Sunday Morning” and “Masters of Illusion.”
He’s also performed for celebrities such as Christian Bale, Gerard Buttler and Jennifer Anniston.
In opening his new Whitehall theater, Bishop’s excited to establish a new homebase close to his roots.
“My assistant, Kim, and I worked really hard to create a great venue with AV, curtains, specialized lighting and concession areas,” Bishop said.
“It’s a really beautiful space, and I’m really proud of that. I’m also excited to bring something like this to the Lehigh Valley. It’s a growing area, and people want New York-quality experiences without having to travel to New York and pay New York prices. So, that’s what they can do here – enjoy a high-quality experience without a massive drive.”
Magic theaters are increasingly popular in North America, with about 75 operating in the United States and Canada, Bishop said.
Despite its intimate space, the new Whitehall theater will feature “big illusions” that have been featured on TV and in 2,000-seat theaters, Bishop said.
“You don’t usually see illusions on that scale in a 100-seat theater,” Bishop said. “So, it’s really great.”
To start, Straight Up Magic in Whitehall will primarily feature shows by Bishop, Hess and their team before introducing other acts in the coming months.
Bishop and Hess enjoy keeping their acts fresh with new tricks, but some staple aspects remain as they are crowd favorites.
“The dog, Gizmo, vanishes and reappears,” Bishop said. “People love that. I also do a signature card act, where I end up bouncing cards off the floor and into the audience. People are always awed by that as well.”
Shows typically last 75-90 minutes, and general admission tickets start at $45, Bishop said. There’s also a 10% discount for groups of four or more.
Tickets can be purchased online at jasonbishopmagic.com.
“After we establish ourselves and start getting people in the area used to us, then we’ll reach out to some of our friends who are mostly from New York or Philadelphia and have been on big TV shows and toured the world,” Bishop said.
“We plan on bringing in other magicians who have been on ‘Penn & Teller: Fool Us,’ ‘The Tonight Show’ etc., as well as some comedians and comic performers as well.”
Other tenants on the way
Following Straight Up Magic’s debut, more tenants are on the way at Whitehall Plaza.
Ziad’s Supermarket, carrying a wide assortment of fresh produce, dairy products, meats and other groceries, is expected to open in mid-December, owner Ziad Saleh told 69 News.
The new store will occupy a renovated space that was previously home to a Five Below store in the outdoor portion of the shopping center.
The Five Below store moved earlier this year to the MacArthur Commons shopping center, located a little more than a mile north of Whitehall Plaza.
Saleh’s sons, Abdul Kareem and Mohamed Saleh, will lead store operations, Ziad said.
Individuals will be able to shop a wide array of items, including fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs, meats, cheeses, cereal, snacks, pastries, drinks, frozen food and unique international groceries, Ziad said.
“We’ll also be carrying a lot of healthy, local groceries, with a whole section featuring items from our local farmers,” Ziad said.
“We’re going to give the community a clean and welcoming place to shop, and our price points will be very affordable.”
Across the parking lot from the soon-to-open Ziad’s Supermarket, indoor entertainment facility Lululand Adventure Park is set to occupy a newly formed space, totaling more than 53,000 square feet, which previously comprised two separate units – one that was home to buy buy Baby and another that was home to Michaels and later seasonal holiday shops.
The new Whitehall facility is expected to open in the spring, according to Keagan Haflich, Mishorim Gold’s national property manager.
Lululand, with more than a half dozen locations open or coming soon in multiple states, features trampoline and foam pit areas, multi-level play structures, ninja courses, aerial gliders, climbing walls, arcade games and more.
“We’re not just another indoor trampoline park; we’re a community hub built on the belief that active play has the power to create magical family memories,” reads a message on Lululand’s website. “Our mission is simple: to provide a fun, safe, and clean environment where children can jump, explore, and grow, while parents enjoy complete peace of mind.”
Lastly, Mr. Tokyo Japanese Restaurant is coming soon to space that previously housed women’s clothing retailer Lane Bryant.
Mr. Tokyo, which also operates other locations throughout the country, serves a variety of freshly prepared sushi, hibachi dishes and other Japanese specialties.
A target opening date for the Whitehall restaurant has not yet been announced, Haflich said.
New vision bringing more changes
Earlier this year, the former Lane Bryant space also was home to Bella Bridal, a formalwear boutique offering a wide array of dresses for weddings, proms and other special occasions, which has since moved back into its original space in the shopping center’s interior portion.
Another tenant, Magical Massage, offering a variety of premium massage services, also plans to move to the plaza’s interior, Haflich said.
“[Magical Massage] is moving inside because we have another business that’s interested in taking the outdoor space,” Haflich said.
“No other leases have been signed just yet, but we have a lot of interest. We’re also in talks with multiple coffee coffee shops and cafes that would like to open inside, and we have [letters of intent] on every available space. Our owner, Mark Gold, is very particular in the tenants that he brings on board as he always wants to create a symbiotic relationship among all of the tenants.”
Gold, president of Mishorim Gold, oversees more than 6 million square feet of commercial real estate across North America, and his leadership is defined by an ability to convert distressed shopping centers into thriving hubs.
A notable success was the Jacksonville, Florida-based Regency Court Shopping Center, where Gold increased occupancy from 30% to 85%, injecting new vitality into the local retail environment.
Haflich labels Gold a “real true visionary.”
“[Gold] comes in and just does really big things with amazing ideas,” Haflich said.
“A lot of people and tenants follow him wherever he goes. It’s a pleasure for us to both learn from him and work with him.”
Earlier this year, Mishorim Gold tapped top architects and designers to bring a refreshed look to Whitehall Plaza.
Exterior upgrades, including façade improvements and new landscaping, have mostly been completed, Haflich said.
Attention has now turned to the plaza’s interior portion, which is undergoing a serious facelift, with new wall paint, simulated wood flooring and lighting set to be completed in the coming months.
A staircase has been enclosed, new storefronts with glass windows have been installed and faux greenery panels line the walls with new wood panels going up soon.
Colorful animal sculptures are situated in the shopping center’s lobby, and the Mishorim Gold team plans to also hang a sculpture from the ceiling, Haflich said.
New benches and dining tables are also coming soon, Haflich added.
Still, the Mishorim Gold team is intent on maintaining elements of the property’s rich history.
For example, the former Plaza movie theater sign is still displayed above an area that once served as the theater’s entrance, and “that’s not going anywhere,” Haflich said.
The movie theater closed in the 1990s and was later repurposed as a fitness facility before being overhauled again in recent years to house its current occupant, The Gravity Vault Indoor Rock Gyms.
“We’ll probably restore the sign, possibly make it light up with background lighting,” Haflich said. “We really like it and want to honor the property’s history. Overall, we have a lot of exciting changes in the works, and we really can’t wait for the community to see them all come together.”
Whitehall Mall opened along Whitehall’s Grape Street in 1966 with more than 50 stores, including then-popular retailers Woolworth and Zollinger’s department store.
Other former prominent tenants include Clover and Leh’s department stores.
In 2020, the mall also bid farewell to longtime tenants Sears and Old Country Buffet.
About a dozen tenants currently operate at the shopping center, including Kohl’s, Floor & Décor, Men’s Wearhouse, Comic Masters, Bellisima Nails and Canines N Critters, among others.
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