Retail Watch: Would you get a haircut at the gym?

Victoria Beck loves to nerd out over printmaking. Beck is the owner of Living Stone Press, a brand new artistic space at 412 Chestnut St. in Emmaus. Beck shares half the spot with her business partner Robbie Matthews of Raw Pearlz, a boutique specializing in funky wearable goods.
What is printmaking? Beck likens the process to creating a rubber stamp. “You can create designs in wood or linoleum and just repeat [the design] if you want,” she explained. Printmaking has been used in Japanese art and has a distinct, imperfect quality to it that makes it feel fresh and less fussy, which means it’s perfect for people who don’t traditionally think of themselves as artists to dabble in.
The space will offer classes by day and operate as a studio by night. Beck said she’ll be working on print projects of her own, such as custom invitations, art for local businesses and advertising, and make her own printmaking art for customers to purchase and have.
That studio environment will also help foster an environment of creativity that Beck said she hopes will spill out to their individual clientele. Beck and Matthews, who work together by day at the Sixth Street Shelter in Allentown, are a study in opposites. “We collaborate all the time, even though our artistic styles are so drastically different,” she said. “My usual style is more minimal, but she pulls me out of my comfort zone and encourages me to use more colors.” That’s the kind of creative energy she hopes will inspire any one who walks in to the printmaking studio to try it out, “even if they don’t think they have any artistic talent.”
Curious to learn more? Check out Beck’s Instagram for information on upcoming classes and events: https://www.instagram.com/inkhound_unltd/.
Victoria Beck, the owner of Living Stone Press Works, poses inside her studio she shares with collaborative artist Robbie Matthews Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Emmaus. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)Victoria Beck, the owner of Living Stone Press Works, stands inside her studio she shares with collaborative artist Robbie Matthews Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Emmaus. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)Block prints created by Victoria Beck are displayed Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, at Living Stone Press Works in Emmaus. Beck shares the studio space with collaborative artist Robbie Matthews. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)Block prints created by Victoria Beck are displayed Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, at Living Stone Press Works in Emmaus. Beck shares the studio space with collaborative artist Robbie Matthews. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)Living Stone Press Works Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Emmaus. Victoria Beck shares the studio space with collaborative artist Robbie Matthews. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)Blocks used to create prints are displayed Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, at Victoria Beck’s Living Stone Press Works in Emmaus. Beck shares the studio space with collaborative artist Robbie Matthews. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)Victoria Beck, the owner of Living Stone Press Works, works at her press inside her studio she shares with collaborative artist Robbie Matthews Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Emmaus. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)Block prints created by Victoria Beck are displayed Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, at Living Stone Press Works in Emmaus. Beck shares the studio space with collaborative artist Robbie Matthews. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)Victoria Beck, the owner of Living Stone Press Works, poses inside her studio she shares with collaborative artist Robbie Matthews Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, in Emmaus. (Jane Therese/Special to The Morning Call)Show Caption of Expand
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Let’s set the scene: You’ve done a strenuous workout at Muscle Inc., the new gym at 1800 Stefko Blvd. in Bethlehem. You’ve lifted weights, maybe done some cardio. You could do the classic post-gym thing and grab a smoothie while you cool off, get your sore muscles massaged out, or — and hear co-owner Mike Corbo out on this — you could get a haircut.
“I know!” Corbo chuckled. “People love getting their hair cut.” Corbo knows this because Muscle Inc.’s previous location in Stroudsburg developed one as the world began to open up again after COVID. “It took off,” he said — proving this odd but somehow completely sensible combination was a winner.
Corbo said he and business partners Guy Cisternino and Bobby Cartalemi want to make Muscle Inc. a 15,000-square-foot bodybuilding mecca. That goal will be accentuated with its March 23 grand opening celebration lineup of celebrity guests from the bodybuilding world, including retired professional bodybuilder Branch Warren, current star bodybuilder Nick Walker, and four-time Mr. Olympia winner Jay Cutler.
As for that in-gym barbershop? “We’re talking to a few barbers,” Corbo said. “But we’ll have it soon.”
Muscle Inc. will host its grand opening on March 23.
Some briefs:
In other barbershop news, Lifestyle Barber Shop at 106 S. 3rd St. in Easton hosted their grand opening celebration on Feb. 29. Owner Fernando Cardenas said he made the move from the west side to downtown because “that’s where the momentum is at. Wilson was nice, and we are grateful for that location but we hit a wall and want to keep growing.”
Hounds Town Allentown, a pet boarding facility, will be holding a grand opening March 9 at 2305 28th St. SW in Allentown. As the name suggests, it’s got a doggy daycare, but don’t think your feline friends aren’t invited to the space as well; it will also have cat boarding. And if you’re looking to spoil your pet with a day of relaxation, an on-site pet spa might do the trick.
If you know kids who love to plunge into the weirdly gooey world of slime, you may have to take them to Slime Time. The store will be opening its second Lehigh Valley location at The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley later this month. The 4,000-square-foot store will open between Batch Microcreamery and Altar’d State and offer a variety of activities and materials around slime. If you’re confused about what the heck slime is, think of it a little like a household chemistry experiment where you combine things like glue, glitter and other doodads to create a gooey substance that’s not quite liquid, not quite solid.
Slime Time is the latest in a slew of store openings at The Promenade: The Great Greek Grille will be coming by June, and J. Crew Factory Outlet also will be coming soon. Last week, I reported on Dolly’s Boutique and Studio, a new pop-up prom shop that’s also taking residence there. The coronavirus pandemic hit The Promenade’s shops hard, but it seems like the outdoor mall is coming back to life with a variety of stores as we head into the warmer season.
Speaking of summer, I spent some time this week talking to local Rita’s Italian Ice franchise owners about the myth of Rita’s opening date being the first day of spring (spoiler alert: it is not — it’s March 1). That first day of spring myth dates back to the Rita’s tradition of serving free Italian ice to celebrate the spring equinox (and the sunnier, hotter days that will bring customers). Several franchise owners, however, open earlier than the March 1 date, anywhere between a week earlier or a month earlier to entice customers to come in even if it’s cold out. Does it work to break the myth of Rita’s opening on the first day of spring? “It’s very weather dependent,” one owner told me. Another diplomatically said that the slow time could be seen as beneficial for training new employees. Despite many franchises opening earlier than March 1, that myth of the first day of spring opening has stubbornly stuck.
I’m off next week, but will be back mid-March with more news on what’s going on in the retail scene in the Lehigh Valley. See you then!
Retail Watch is a weekly column covering retail and restaurant news in the Lehigh Valley. Have a question, tip, or want to see something in the area? Contact retail reporter Tanya Basu at retailwatch@mcall.com.
Source: pennnews