LEHIGH TWP., Pa. – A mom-and-pop business offering pistols, rifles, shotguns and more has joined a shopping center in Northampton County.
NJT Arms, where individuals can buy, sell and trade new and used firearms, opened on Wednesday at its new location at 4330 Lehigh Drive, Unit 5, in Lehigh Township.
The store is operating in an updated space that previously housed a dry cleaner in the Lehigh Town Center.
NJT Arms operates at 4330 Lehigh Drive, Unit 5, in Lehigh Township.
Ryan Kneller
Husband and wife Nelson and Julia Tassie of Northampton established NJT Arms roughly 13 years ago.
Originally, the couple ran the business out of their home for about a year before expanding operations with a retail location in the 2100 block of Main Street in Northampton and then later a larger store a few blocks south in the 1800 block of Main Street.
The business’ most recent former location, which operated for around 10 years, closed on Nov. 26 in preparation for the transition to Lehigh Township.
In the Lehigh Towne Center, the Tassies also operate a two-year-old pool hall, Blue Mountain Billiards, and the decision to move NJT Arms to the same shopping center mostly stemmed from a desire to increase convenience, Julia said.
Blue Mountain Billiards operates on Lehigh Drive in the Lehigh Town Centre in Lehigh Township.
Ryan Kneller
NJT Arms’ new location also features ample free parking in a lot, a contrast to the metered parking on Main Street in Northampton, Julia said.
“It’s a team effort at both businesses, and we saw it as more convenient to operate them on the same property,” Julia said.
“Now, if I need him or if he needs me for whatever reason, we can just walk over to the other business instead of driving back and forth.”
NJT, denoting the first initials of Nelson’s first, middle and last names, is a licensed federal firearms dealer carrying a wide array rifles, shotguns and pistols, along with ammunition and accessories.
Individuals can shop guns from top brands such as Glock, Sig Sauer, Ruger and Smith & Wesson.
“We make sure to carry a wide array of guns because everybody has different preferences,” Julia said.
“People can shop in store and on our website, and if we don’t have something they’re looking for, we can also order it for them.”
At its new location, NJT Arms is open noon to 6 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.