The National Auto store in Hellertown closed April 30, along with the other remaining retail outlets the auto parts retailer operated in eastern Pennsylvania. The space is now one of at least six that are unoccupied in the Shoppes at Hellertown. The only potential bright spot for the shopping center appears to be the opening of a Starbucks inside the former Bank of America branch at Main Street and Polk Valley Road, although no official opening date has been announced as of yet.
The closure of a National Auto store in Hellertown earlier this spring resulted in another vacancy in the Shoppes at Hellertown shopping center on Main Street in the borough.
What type of business do you think should fill it?
What else do you think would be successful there?
The modestly-sized shopping center is located along Rt. 412 at Polk Valley Road, at the south end of Hellertown. Other businesses that are located in it include the Saucon True Value hardware store, Dollar General, H&R Block, New Star, Quest Diagnostics, B&B Pools, Hellertown Diner, DiMaio’s Italian Ristorante & Pizzeria and Dolce Patisserie.
Among the businesses that have closed at the Shoppes at Hellertown in recent years are Bank of America, T-Mobile and Spring Hill Dry Cleaners. A Tower Health urgent care center closed temporarily–according to the company–at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, however as of May 2021 the facility had yet to reopen.
A Starbucks with a drive-thru window was announced for the former bank branch early last year, generating excitement for local coffee-lovers, however no opening date has yet been confirmed by the company. Work on the project has started and stopped.
Space in the shopping center is leased by the James Balliet Property Group, which is part of KW Commercial Real Estate. More information about it may be found on the company’s website, which notes that it is “located in the heart of affluent Saucon Valley, within close proximity to I-78, Rt. 33” and the Pennsylvania-New Jersey border.
