Small Business News

Bethlehem native Julianna Rodrigues, who has a form of muscular dystrophy, was the keynote speaker at the inaugural Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Collaborative at Moravian University, on Tuesday morning.

The owners of Let's Play Books announced they would be consolidating all retail operations at The End: A Bookstore near the west end of Allentown, while growing their focus on engagement events.

After a raging fire on Saturday night destroyed his Center Valley barn, tractors, trucks and equipment, Leroy C. Stahler Jr. vows to rebuild and continue the Stahler family legacy of farming, said his daughter, Tracy Beers.

JET Upholstery plans to open a workshop on Third Street to support its Bedminster showroom.

After two heart attacks, Wicked Sweet bakery owner Jessica Pelletier is speaking out to urge her fellow small business owners and others “to make sure that your days are actual days off. To be resting, to be refilling your cup, to be focusing on yourself."

Coopersburg's farmers' market disappeared with the COVID-19 pandemic. On Sunday, the market returned to the borough for the first time in years.

The Bayou, a southern food restaurant in Easton and Bethlehem, features food flights twice a week. The restaurant embraces Fat Tuesday each week with its mac and cheese flight, and celebrates Waffle Wednesday with chicken and waffle flights.

Scooped: An Ice Cream Trail has returned for its 7th year, taking Pennsylvanians on a tasty tour of the Keystone State.

Visitors can sample a wide variety of local craft brews while enjoying barbecue and a Grateful Dead tribute band this 2:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday, June 1. Samples are included in ticket prices: $40 in advance; $45 at the entrance.

True Motion — a German-engineered running shoe — is available for the first time in the United States through an Allentown-area startup, with Keystone Running Store as the first official retailer.

Ms. Velvet’s Café, a walk-up eatery serving breakfast and lunch, held a grand opening Sept. 20 at 239 N. Fourth St. in downtown Allentown. The business is named in memory of owner Carlos Marrero's late sister, Ruby Marrero, who died as a result of a hit-and-run accident a few blocks away from the eatery in 2017.

There's room for everybody, one business owner says.

After the March 2020 pandemic shutdown of non-life-sustaining businesses, more than 42,000 businesses applied to the Wolf Administration to stay open.

Gov. Tom Wolf has called for an increase as all six states that border the commonwealth offer higher minimum wages.

Come Memorial Day capacity limits will be lifted in Pennsylvania. Keeping everyone safe seems to still be the top priority.

As part of our occasional series on how local businesses are overcoming the challenges presented by the past year, consider this local theatre that found, even in the pandemic, the show must go on.

As part of our occasional series on how local businesses are overcoming the challenges presented by the past year, a local entrepreneur tells his story about launching a new brewery amid the pandemic.

WLVR’s occasional “Pivoting in Pandemic” series shares stories of how some local businesses have survived the challenges of COVID-19.

A recent federal study found roughly 200,000 businesses nationwide closed due to the pandemic. In the Lehigh Valley, it’s hard to get an accurate number of just how many businesses closed, though local experts say coronavirus’ impact on the economy has been mixed.

Along with the cooler, shorter days, Autumn brings changes in what fresh local produce is available in the Lehigh Valley. Local tomatoes are just a memory, but now is prime time for local apple varieties.

Jobs and the economy were the biggest talking points during a second debate between Susan Wild and Lisa Scheller.

Democratic Governor Tom Wolf is asking the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to intervene in his dispute with legislative Republicans who are trying to end pandemic restrictions he imposed in March to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.