Much of the Allentown area's shopping is actually located in neighboring Whitehall, which is about five minutes north of downtown via PA Route 145, which is also Whitehall's main commercial street. Route 145, also known as MacArthur Road (7th Street in Allentown) is home to the Lehigh Valley Mall, anchored by Macy's, JCPenny, and Boscov's; a new upscale wing has been added to the mall with stores including Williams-Sonoma, J crew, Pottery Barn and Ann Taylor. There are other stores on MacArthur Road and also on the intersecting Grape Street, including Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Best Buy, Kmart, Home Depot, Sports Authority, Dicks Sporting Goods, Burlington Coat Factory, Giant Food, Staples, and the smaller Whitehall Mall, anchored by Sears and Kohl's.
A second Allentown mall, South Mall, anchored by Bon Ton, Black Rose Antiques, Staples, Petco, and Stein Mart, is located on Lehigh Street, in west Allentown's border with Salisbury Township and Emmaus..
The 19th Street area near Muhlenberg College is a funky little commercial district with a coffee shop and art house movie theatre.
A small commercial district is also available on the eastern portion of Union Boulevard, near Plymouth Street, Club Avenue, and Pennsylvania Avenue. This area houses Giant Food, Marshalls, Dan Schantz Greenhouse, Wells Fargo, Staples, HomeGoods, a Big Lots and other stores.
For an original shopping experience, try the Allentown Farmers Market. Located at 17th and Chew streets, this farmers market features everything from fresh meat and produce to local gifts.
For local produce, go to the Plaza Growers Market on Wednesdays at lunch over the growing season, May through October. It's located on Hamilton Street in the downtown between 8th and 9th.
Merchants Square Mall features antiques and collectibles. Located at 1901 South 12th Street.
More shopping is available at Crest Plaza' on the west side of Allentown, on Cedar Crest Boulevard, including Weis Markets, Fashion Bug and Target Greatland.
The Promenade Shoppes at Saucon Valley, located outside of Allentown in Upper Saucon Township, is a newer and very upscale shopping destination, which also includes restaurants and Lehigh Valley's largest movie theater. Anchor stores include Ann Taylor, Sage, Banana Republic, and Brooks Brothers..
Two new shopping centers are being built on the East Side of Allentown. On Airport Road, there is large shopping center, Airport Center, currently housing The Christmas Tree Shop, A.C. Moore, Golf Galaxy, Five Guys Burgers & Fries, Target, Ross, Zoup!, GameStop, Sleepy's, and a few more. Future plans include Sam's Club and a few others. The other shopping center, Hanover Commons, is located on Hanover Avenue and recently went under renovations. The only current stores are Popeye's, Philly Pretzel Factory, and Family Dollar.
Valley Plaza, on Catasaqua Road, houses Ollie's Bargain Outlet and smaller stores. Carmike Cinemas and BJ's are located nearby.
A shopping center on South 4th Street has a Kmart and a PriceRite, with most other stores being vacant. The center has a few armed security guards on patrol. There is higher security in the area due to the proximity of the Cumberland Gardens housing projects and the crime from the area.
Weil's Antique Center, 2200 31st St., ☎ 610-791-7910, . �
Josh Early Candies, 4640 W. Tilghman St., ☎ 610-395-4321, . Family owned & operated. Home-made chocolate and other sweets. �
Dan's Camera City, 1439 W. Fairmont St., ☎ 610-434-2313, . Get film developed. Print digital prints while you wait. Create cool gifts using your own photos. Camera equipment for sale and rent. �
From the area of Cedar Beach Park to Dorney Park there are a slew of shops along Hamilton Street/Hamilton Boulevard/PA-222 (same street, three names). Heading from downtown Allentown going north toward Interstate 78, there's Phoebe Floral & Home Decor, PopCorn To Go, and the shops at 3900 Hamilton Center, like a Robbin's Jewelers, just to name a few.
Warner Stained Glass, 795 Roble Road, ☎ 610-264-1100, . �
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Allentown
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Allentown - updated May 2024
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Allentown Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
