The Lehigh Valley Scene

Somewhere between the Poconos and Philadelphia is Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. It's home to a lot of famous things: Mack trucks, Dorney Park, Musikfest, Marshmallow Peeps...and some not so well-known things, like its abundance of thrift stores. In Allentown, you have no fewer than a dozen thrifts in a 10-mile radius. And that's not counting the ones in church basements. Let me take you on a virtual trip through the Lehigh Valley's thrifts right now.

We'll start out in Easton, just over the Delaware River from New Jersey. There are two thrifts there. One is actually in Forks Township, up College Hill near Lafayette College. It's in a strip mall where a Laneco used to be and has plenty of furniture, including a few console stereos. There's a nice selection of records to play on those stereos as well. Down the hill and across from Easton Area High School is one of three American Family thrifts in the Valley. This one's a little crowded but it's like the other two, which I'll talk more about later.

Moving west toward Bethlehem is a quaint little village called Hellertown. It's right off I-78, and 2 miles south of the exit is another Family Thrift. It's arguably the best of the three, being the cleanest and least cluttered. On any given day, as in any Family Thrift, there's a sale going on. 10% off clothes with yellow tags. 20% off green tags. Buy one get one free. 20% off furniture and electric under $14.95. Confused? Don't worry. There's a calendar on the door to tell you what's on sale when. And if those sales aren't good enough for you, I'll refer you to the banner out front that reminds you of the things inside that sell for as little as a nickel. What kinds of things can you get for your nickel? Well, big things. Couches, tables, even TVs that may or may not work, but would make great furniture. If you're a clotheshound you might find names like Gap or even Abercrombie on the racks, or on the mannequin who "greets" you as you come in. After all that excitement, you can go next door to the McDonald's and recharge.

Now we take a ride back up Route 412 through Bethlehem and the equally quaint village of Fountain Hill (yes, there really is a hill there), where resides one of two stores run by VIA. VIA is a local service for the disabled, and their thrifts offer a neat Frequent Shopper card that, when filled, gets you a discount on your purchase. There's lots of ersatz '60s and '70s furniture there, and maybe even an old Lowery or Kimball organ. Need some 8-tracks? You'll find plenty there, along with maybe something to play them on. There's a different sale going on every day, and bargains aren't hard to find - some of the best are are right out in front of the store.

From Fountain Hill it's a short drive to that thrift store Mecca of Allentown. That's where you'll find the other VIA store, which differs from Fountain Hill in that it's on two levels. All the furniture, books, toys, appliances and electronics are upstairs while the clothes and various other things are downstairs. And there are plenty of bargains onthe sidewalk here, too. A few blocks away is the third Family Thrift store. While all three Family Thrifts are pretty much alike, this one may disappoint you if you're all about clean, wide aisles. It's positively JAMMED with furniture most days. But if you can see the bargains for the furniture you'll come away pleased. And there are plenty of oddball items that show up: a full-size Centipede arcade video game, for instance. I'll tell you more about oddball items after we take a trip up to Whitehall for the new Salvation Army store. This one could be nice. The building was formerly an appliance store that went under only a few years after it was built and sat available until just this year. The Salvation Army moved in from their old store down the street. I haven't been there yet, but it sounds promising. Now, back down the street to Allentown again for the Good Shepherd thrifts. Good Shepherd is a rehabilitation hospital that's done amazing things for people, and they have two thrifts here. One is your typical thrift with the typical thrift store items. The other one is perhaps one of the best thrift stores ever. It's called the RePlace. Some days it's a great thrift store. Other days it's like being backstage at The Price Is Right. On the same day, they had for sale a hot tub, an HDTV, a gigantic entertainment unit, AND a 1995 Lincoln Town Car! There's loads of furniture, appliances, and plenty of office and building materials to set this store apart from any other you've been to. They also sell unusual items occasionally on craigslist and eBay, like the gymnastic horse that may have been used in the 1933 olympics.

As we head out of Allentown and go south, there are a couple of Goodwills and another Salvation Army store. But it's been a long day and we'll hit those - and a farmer's market or two - next time.