Palmer Park Mall bids farewell to arcade, welcoming another | Eat, Sip, Shop

PALMER TWP., Pa. – After about eight months of business, an arcade featuring retro and modern games has closed at the Palmer Park Mall, but a new arcade – a second location of a popular Allentown area arcade – is set to open at the same shopping mall. 

The Arcade Era, offering more than 60 retro and modern arcade games, closed earlier this summer at the Palmer Township mall. 

Business partners Romina Bartel and Alejandro Vargas opened the Palmer Park Mall arcade in December.

It was The Arcade Era’s second location, supplementing a location that continues to operate at the Stroud Mall in Stroud Township.

In a July 20 post on The Arcade Era’s Instagram page, the owners announced Aug. 13 as the arcade’s vacancy day at the Palmer Park Mall.

They claimed that Palmer Park Mall management falsely accused them of “several things,” terminated their lease and was looking to replace their arcade.

The Arcade Era’s location at the Stroud Mall remains open and is “doing amazing,” the owners stated.

“Thank you all for the amazing support through our time here, it was a blast!” The Arcade Era’s announcement continues. “We have received several offers from other places for us to open at their establishments so who knows, maybe you see us popping up at other places, the future is bright.”

Karla Saavedra, the Palmer Park Mall’s general manager, confirmed to 69 News that the mall chose not to renew The Arcade Era’s lease.

“We did have The Arcade Era on a trial basis at the mall.,” Saavedra said. “They had a 1-year lease, and it didn’t work out. So, we decided not to renew them. We do wish them the best.”

The Palmer Park Mall won’t be without an arcade for long, however.

Back to the Arcade, a popular arcade featuring more than 70 retro and modern arcade games, is planning to open a second location by early November at the Palmer Park Mall, owner Mark Paden said.

Back to the Arcade has operated at the South Mall since November 2021, and before that, Paden ran the business out of the now-closed Merchants Square Mall in Allentown.

The South Mall location will continue to operate as normal, Paden said.

“I’m really excited,” Paden said.

“The Palmer Park Mall is beautiful, and I’m excited to create another great spot for people of all ages to have fun. It’ll take me a few months to design the space and acquire the games as the games that I get are always unique and rare. But I’m hoping to open by Nov. 1.”

“Back to the Arcade has a great following and is very family friendly,” Saavedra added. “I think it’s going to be a wonderful addition to the Palmer Park community.”

Back to the Arcade’s new Palmer Park Mall location will operate near Spin Me Round record store, Paden said.

He estimates that the new location will have between 30 and 40 arcade machines to start before growing to include several more in the months following its debut.

At the South Mall location, guests can play classic 1980s upright cabinet games like Burger Time, Donkey Kong, Double Dragon and Galaga.

There is also a wide variety of other types of games, including air hockey, Skee-Ball, Super Chexx bubble hockey, immersive shooting games such as “Jurassic Park” and Big Buck HD Wild and claw machines where you can move a metal claw for a chance to win prizes.

More than a dozen pinball machines include classic selections such as Jaws, The Munsters and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, along with selections modeled after new pop culture favorites such as Strangers Things and The Mandalorian.

No quarters or tokens are needed to play the games.

Guests pay one price for all-day play. The cost is $20 for adults, $15 for ages 18 and under and $10 for veterans and ages 60 and older.

“When I designed the arcade, my goal was to offer something for everyone in every age group,” Paden said.

“So, we have a lot of retro games and pinball machines, and we also have some newer games as well. It’s a beautiful sight when younger kids are playing the older games. It’s almost like they’re excited to step back in time.”

As is the case at the South Mall arcade, the new Palmer Park Mall arcade will feature brightly colored walls, black lights and television and film memorabilia, Paden said.

There will be a direct entrance from the mall’s parking lot, and the arcade may stay open past regular mall hours, Paden said.

Originally, the arcade will occupy one Palmer Park Mall space, but Paden said he eventually plans to add a connection to an adjacent unit.

“I’m only going to build in one of the spaces first, and when I get done with the first one, we’re going to put a hole through the wall, which will be like a time portal,” Paden explained.

“You’re going to walk into the next room, and that’s going to be a place where you’re really going to go back in time. It’s going to be wild. I’m not doing both at the same time because it would be too much work and I won’t have enough machines at first.”

Paden said he is excited to expand his vision for family fun at the Palmer Park Mall.

Like the South Mall location, the new location also will host birthday parties and other private events, including bachelor parties, Boy Scout events and sports team celebrations, Paden said.

“It’s a business, but I don’t do it for the money,” Paden. “I only charge $15 and $20 for people to have fun all day, and I donate a lot of the money to no-kill shelters and various charities.”

Other new additions

Back to the Arcade will be joining a Palmer Park Mall roster that includes a slew of other new tenants.

Desi Bites, specializing in authentic, made-from-scratch Indian cuisine, opened in July in the space that previously housed The New Ranchito – a former restaurant offering Mexican and Puerto Rican dishes.

Desi Bites is operated by husband and wife Yasdeep Singh and Harsharan Kaur, and their partner, Paramjit Singh.

Desi Bites, with seating for approximately 90 guests, offers starters such as chicken and vegetable samosas, soups such as manchow and sweet and sour, flatbreads such as garlic and butter naan and popular entrees such as chicken tikka masala, kadai chicken, goat korma, saag lamb, fish curry, shrimp curry and tandoori shrimp.

Other menu highlights include biryani selections such as chicken, goat and lamb; South Indian dishes such as cheese dosa (crispy, savory rice crepe with melted cheese), pav bhaji (spicy mashed vegetable curry with buttered buns) and vegetable uttapam (savory rice and lentil pancake with vegetables); and Indo Chinese dishes such as hakka noodles (stir-fried noodles with vegetables and soy sauce), vegetable fried rice and gobi Manchurian dry (crispy, tangy and savory cauliflower bites).

Wrap’d Tight 2.0 Fully Loaded, specializing in gourmet wraps, salads and loaded baked potatoes, is expected to open within the next couple of months, Saavedra said.

The fast-casual restaurant will fill a renovated space that was previously home to a Subway eatery.

Wrap’d Tight was established in 2005 on Bethlehem’s South Side, originally operating at the Five Points intersection before moving to a now-demolished building at South New and Third streets in Bethlehem and then moving again to its current location at 2027 Willow Park Road in Bethlehem Township.

The business offers catering, delivery and pick-up services from its Willow Park Road location, and Griffith also hosts events for up to 60 people at a catering hall in the same shopping plaza.

In addition to preparing for Wrap’d Tight’s new location at the Palmer Park Mall, owner Heather Griffith also is bringing the business’ new mobile food trailer to local events.

The trailer is making appearances at festivals and other public events, and it can also be rented for private functions such as birthday parties and corporate gatherings.

“We’re super excited to be expanding operations with our food truck and also our new location at the Palmer Park Mall,” Griffith said.

“We’re going to be tapping into a whole new audience in the Easton area, and we’re super pumped and grateful for the opportunity. Right now, we’ve paused the Bethlehem location to focus on the Easton location and food truck for the next month and a half because it’s the popular season for food trucks. But it’s my intention to have both locations open because we want to continue serving our customers in the Bethlehem area, our original home.”

Wrap’d Tight is known for its gourmet wraps, salads and loaded baked potatoes.

Customers can enjoy original wraps such as BLT, tuna salad, turkey bacon cheddar and ham Swiss veggie, along with specialty wraps such as chicken Caesar, chicken spinach feta (fresh spinach, red onion, seasoned crumbled feta cheese, sauteed chicken breast and balsamic vinegar), chef salad (crisp green lettuce, turkey, ham, Swiss and American cheeses, red onion, boiled egg, lightly crumbled croutons and zesty ranch dressing) and bacon cheeseburger deluxe (seasoned hamburger strips, melted cheddar cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, ketchup and tomato bacon sauce).

Customer favorites include the “Hunny on Honey” wrap (lettuce, honey turkey, honey ham, onions, sweet peppers and honey mustard) and “The KRIT” wrap (seasoned chicken, avocado, tomato, red onion, mixed greens and garden vegetable sauce).

“We do hot wraps, cold wraps and even lettuce wraps for our gluten-free customers,” Griffith said. “We have items for everyone, including vegans. We take care of everybody.”

By just reading the business’ name, most people wouldn’t know that one of Wrap’d Tight’s most popular selections is its wide array of overstuffed baked potatoes.

Around a dozen baked potato varieties include a “Steak ‘n Potato” (slow-cooked sliced steak with sauteed onion gravy) and “Southwest Chicken” (chicken, black bean corn salsa and cheese).

Top-sellers include the “All or Nothing” (butter, sour cream, chives, crumbled bacon, melted cheddar cheese, broccoli, chili and chicken) and “Hot Potato” (Buffalo chicken, cheese and hot peppers).

Changing roster

Back to the Arcade, Desi Bites and Wrap’d Tight 2.0 Fully Loaded are joining a growing roster of businesses at the Palmer Park Mall, located at Nazareth Road and Park Avenue.

Blue Flame Events, known for organizing festivals, vendor events and other functions throughout the Lehigh Valley and Poconos, in early April opened its first brick-and-mortar store – featuring items from more than 100 local crafters and small business owners.

Shoppers can browse a wide array of hand-crafted items, including home decor, children’s toys and fashion accessories such as jewelry and handbags.

The store also features selections from Blue Flame Events co-owners Timothy and Kimberly Stockers’ own business, Candleman Creations, such as all-natural soy candles, wax melts and bath and body products such as soaps, moisturizers and beard care products.

Also opening at the mall in April was Lehigh Valley Fashion Week Shops, an extension of the biannual Lehigh Valley Fashion Week event.

Cyrie Jackson-Robinson founded Lehigh Valley Fashion Week in 2014 with a goal of spotlighting the creative work of local fashion designers and models.

The new store carries the latest fashions as shown in various Lehigh Valley Fashion Week runway shows, along with a rotating selection of pieces from top designers based in New York and other prominent cities throughout the world.

Individuals can browse seasonal men’s, women’s and children’s fashions, including dresses, pants, shorts, shirts, sweaters and outerwear. A mix of formal wear and casual wear are featured, along with shoes and accessories.

Another new addition is Santalexa & Fitness Love, offering hair care products and services, eyelashes and more, which opened in mid-March at the eastern end of the mall, near Boscov’s.

Shoppers can browse 100% human hair extensions and wigs, eyelashes, laminated eyebrows and hair care and weight loss products.

Santalexa is owned and operated by Santa Martinez, an entrepreneur who expanded her brand to include educational training in 2022.

Martinez educates women looking to acquire knowledge about hair extensions by teaching different techniques.

Santalexa offers high-quality, natural hair extensions and various hair vitamins, containing ingredients such as Morrocan oil, jojoba oil, camellia seed oil, aloe vera and Vitamins A, C, E and B5.

Other Santalexa items include a professional hair iron, electric comb with diamond handle and brush with pink diamond accents.

In addition to these most recent additions, businesses opening at the mall over the past year include: Asante Art Gallery, showcasing a variety of African artwork; and Hocca Bubble Tea, specializing in freshly prepared bubble tea and bubble waffles.

Additionally, Cloud City, which buys, sells and trades games, comics, toys and collectibles, moved last summer from its two-year-old location at the western end of the mall (near Decor Home Furniture & Mattresses) to a larger location at the eastern end of the mall (near Boscov’s).

American Eagle Outfitters, a popular clothing chain, closed its Palmer Park Mall store in January; Day 2 Night Style, a business offering women’s clothing, shoes and accessories, closed its store in February as it transitioned to a primarily online enterprise; and Milford Furniture, selling a wide variety of household furnishings, closed its Palmer Park Mall store in March.

The mall now features three vacancies – the spaces that previously housed American Eagle, Milford Furniture and The Arcade Era, Saavedra said.

The mall is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.