UPPER SAUCON TWP., Pa. – Owners of Smartivities Showcase, an artist market and “creative space” founded in Easton, cut the ribbon Thursday night on their new location at Promenade Saucon Valley.
In addition to paintings, clothes, candles and other goods made by local artists, Smartivities offers art classes and paint-your-own pottery.
The Downtown Easton store will close on December 29 as the company shifts to the Upper Saucon Township location.
“I think we’ve outgrown” the old storefront on Centre Square, said the shop’s owner, April Khalil. “With this location being centrally located, we could do what we wanted to do and have better access to parking and things like this that we didn't have downtown.”
“It's important for people to remember that they are creative and that they can be creative,”April Khalil
Smartivities was born in 2018 from Khalil’s desire to share art, both by offering opportunities to create it and by selling work that others have made.
“It's important for people to remember that they are creative and that they can be creative,” she said. At the same time, “I like to help the artists who have these ideas and have these good products to get them out to people.”
For the artists whose work Smartivities sells, the store is a chance to get their work in the hands of buyers and to get to know some of their fellow artists, said Lynn Gojanovich, whose paintings are for sale there.
The move to Upper Saucon Township started taking shape earlier this year, said Khalil, when Promenade Saucon Valley reached out as part of ongoing efforts to attract more small businesses as tenants.
Smartivities also fit into Promenade’s plans to offer more services and “experiences” alongside the more typical retailers, said Patrick Turner, general manager of Promenade Saucon Valley.
“What the city has done for us over the years – what [Easton] Main Street Initiative has done for us – has been invaluable,”April Khalil
“You can go and see a national brand pretty much anywhere you want to go,” Turner said. “But to find these local crafters, these local businesses – it really puts us in touch with the community and it brings a sense of togetherness.”
Amid slower-than-usual sales over the holiday shopping season, reduced foot traffic in recent months and ongoing parking woes in Easton, Khalil said the move made sense. She chalked the slow business up at least in part to construction near Centre Square.
Though it is time to move on for the sake of her business, Khalil said she is grateful for the role Easton played in growing Smartivities into what it is today.
“What the city has done for us over the years – what [Easton] Main Street Initiative has done for us – has been invaluable,” she said. “They’ve helped us get this far.”
