BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Roping in passersby at the massive Musikfest festival can be a challenge for the more than 100 festival-official vendors and more set up around Bethlehem.
Several retailers say they’ve got a few things up their sleeves, including specials each day, a plethora of flavor combinations and a variety of inventory to choose from to entice foot traffic.
Chrissy Maag, a local stay-at-home mom for the past 22 years and graduate of Liberty High School is in her third summer making the “Bethlum” shirts, hoodies, hats and more you may have seen folks wearing around town.
“The next thing I know, I had people texting me and stopping at my house on their way to Musikfest to buy their Bethlum shirts. So it kind of just evolved. It wasn’t planned; it just kind of happened.”Chrissy Maag, of The Bethlum Shop
Set up this week at Matchplatz, an unofficial area just outside Musikfest near The Wooden Match, 61 W. Lehigh St., you’ll find Maag and her Bethlum Shop.
It has tank tops, T-shirts, crewnecks, hoodies, embroidered appliqués, muscle shirts, leather-patch hats, coffee mugs, travel mugs, candles, stickers, magnets and more.
She even said folks will notice a new theme for some of the gear this year: “Bethlum knows how to ‘Fest!”
A first time for everything
With it being Maag's first official showing at Musikfest for the duration of the event, she said getting to this point was pretty straightforward.
It all started with her making the shirts a couple of Christmases ago, when she and a friend agreed it would be a hit around town.
“The next thing I know, I had people texting me and stopping at my house on their way to Musikfest to buy their Bethlum shirts,” Maag said.
“So it kind of just evolved. It wasn’t planned; it just kind of happened.”
That evolution included pop-ups here and there, including at Lehigh Pizza and Healing Hands Massage and Wellness Center, as well as Pints and Pies and Beef Baron.
She has even sold her merch at The Wooden Match during Celtic Classic.
Besides that, she said it’s mostly a word-of-mouth operation, with no major advertising moves foreseeable.
As of Thursday, her Etsy page lists 184 sales, with more than 40 five-star reviews.
“I would say a day doesn’t go by where I’m not getting at least an order or two on there,” she said of her Etsy page.
“I would say from Fourth of July ‘til Christmas, I’m pretty steady.”
Maag’s sister-in-law, who runs Maagnifique Photography, will be set up alongside The Bethlum Shop today, Aug. 9, offering photos and prints of the city taken at different times of the year.
Maag currently has a trademark pending for her “Bethlum” products, she said.
Waffles and ice cream, anyone?
Philly Waffle Cabin owner-operator Jenny Gardner said you don’t have to worry about your authentic Belgian sugar waffle losing its crispiness while topped with your favorite ice cream.
She said that’s all thanks to the pearl sugar.
“It caramelizes the waffles while they bake, and they never get soggy,” Gardner said.
On top of that, she even said a Belgian man makes the dough, and the ice cream is farm-fresh from Bucks County.
At Philly Waffle Cabin, you’ll find a special each day and a wide variety of flavor options, such as a waffle with blueberry pie ice cream as well as fresh blueberries, pie crust and whipped cream.
There's also a waffle with vanilla ice cream, raspberry drizzle and mini chocolate chips; and another variety with chocolate mocha coffee chip ice cream, whipped cream and mini chocolate chips.
She said children are bound to enjoy the Unicorn, with strawberry ice cream and rainbow sprinkles.
Head down to Service Electric Festplatz near Main and Spring streets to grab yours.
Vacation turned into a business
Gardner said it all started on a skiing trip in Killington, Vermont, when she and her family smelled waffles as they were coming down the mountain.
“We got them every day for the rest of vacation,” she said.
Gardner said she bought that franchise and became the brand’s first completely mobile vendor, currently running it with her daughter out of the Lansdale, Montgomery County, area.
They’re in their fourth year of bringing made-to-order, deep-pocketed Belgian sugar waffles to Bethlehem’s flagship festival.
“It’s a great 10 days,” Gardner said.
