Faces of Main Street
Meet the entrepreneurs, small business owners, and local personalities who bring character to our community.
Faces of Main Street
Her Sister Told Her She Was a Natural. It Took Her Years to Believe It.
Michelle was 14 when her sister asked her for a haircut, 20 when she became a stylist, and 25 years into the career before she stopped believing she could run a business of her own. In 2023 she opened Brooklyn Axccents LLC on Hamilton Boulevard in Trexlertown, named for the borough she grew up in.
Faces of Main Street
Raised in the Family Restaurant: Turnstone Creative Hires Giovanni Amodei
The Bethlehem agency has named a lifelong Lehigh Valley resident to lead business development. He spent twelve years selling food across Pennsylvania, and before that he grew up in his family’s restaurants.
Faces of Main Street
The Person Who Keeps the Deal Moving: Lehigh Financial Group Hires Stacey Figueroa
Commercial loans close on documentation, not handshakes. The Allentown brokerage has brought on a licensed real estate salesperson to run the paperwork from submission through closing.
Faces of Main Street
She Was Going to Shut Down Hocus Pocus in 2020. It Just Turned Ten.
Rose Selvaggio started Hocus Pocus Cleaning in 2016 to get herself through school, and planned to shut it down the year she graduated. Ten years later it employs about 30 women, serves more than 425 recurring clients and is tracking toward $1.7 million in revenue.
Faces of Main Street
The Fifteen-Foot Commute: How South Mountain Woodworking Found Its Way to Cementon
James Phillips spent six years at Ford learning to listen to people, then turned a Covid hobby into a full-time furniture shop in a Cementon garage. He has lived in the Lehigh Valley for about a year, and he named the business after the mountain.
Faces of Main Street
A Third-Generation Butcher Brings 150 Family Recipes to East Allen Township
For five falls Jeremy Scavazzo took his son to the pumpkin patch on Nor-Bath Boulevard. This summer he bought the building next door. Scavazzo's Gilded Cleaver opens with two smokehouses, a grandmother behind the counter, and more than 150 recipes handed down from the grandfather who taught him.
Faces of Main Street
27 Years fueling Small Business: A Q&A With Jeff Barber of Lehigh Financial Group
The founder of Lehigh Financial Group, recently named to the inaugural LVB 300, on SBA myths, why old downtown buildings are so hard to finance, and the deal that taught him more than the ones that closed.
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Faces of Main Street
Meet the Couple Behind Centre Square Cheese, Easton’s Gourmet Destination
How Ron and Jennifer turned a 15-year dream into Centre Square Cheese, a specialty cheese, tinned fish and gourmet shop at the Easton Public Market.
Faces of Main Street
Steel, Sales and Suds: The Many Lives of Ken Rampolla
He learned the business on Bethlehem Steel's Loop Course, built what's billed as America's largest steel sales agency, co-founded Lost Tavern Brewing, and was just named board chair of the museum preserving Bethlehem Steel's legacy. Ken Rampolla's career is the Lehigh Valley's story in miniature.
Faces of Main Street
From a Group-Chat Joke to a Creamery: Meet the Friends Behind The Crow’s Nest
A February group-chat joke turned into a leap of faith for Stacy Kiefer and Jessica Bogert, who are reviving a nostalgic Upper Milford Township ice cream spot as The Crow’s Nest Creamery.
Faces of Main Street
Owner of Whitehall's King Kone Buys Coplay's 2nd Street Tavern, Plans "The Coplay Cabin"
Rick Safi, owner of Whitehall's iconic King Kone, has purchased Coplay's 2nd Street Tavern and plans to reopen it this July as The Coplay Cabin.
Faces of Main Street
From NYC to the Lehigh Valley: How Crispy Halal Is Building Something Bigger Than a Restaurant
A Queens family is bringing authentic New York halal street food to the Lehigh Valley, expanding from their Allentown original to a new South Bethlehem location.
Faces of Main Street
Rick Zongora: Keeping the Lehigh Valley Comfortable at Comfort Solutions HVAC
Rick Zongora of Comfort Solutions in Allentown has built one of the Lehigh Valley's most reliable HVAC companies by treating every service call, from a routine tune up to an emergency repair, as if his own family were waiting on the other end.
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Faces of Main Street
Aziza Khalil: The Trusted Eye Behind Northampton Coin Exchange in Whitehall
Aziza Khalil of Northampton Coin Exchange in Whitehall has built a trusted destination for coin collectors and precious metals investors across the Lehigh Valley with deep expertise and unwavering integrity.
Faces of Main Street
Marc Sames: The Iron Valley Real Estate Agent Who Makes Real Estate Personal
Marc Sames of Iron Valley Real Estate has built a real estate practice in the Lehigh Valley centered on one principle: every client deserves the same level of dedication regardless of the price of the property.
Faces of Main Street
Stacy and Sean Sabol: The Dent and Detail Duo Perfecting Cars in Emmaus
Stacy and Sean Sabol of Advanced Dent Repair and Detail Shop in Emmaus have turned meticulous paintless dent repair and auto detailing into an art form that keeps Lehigh Valley cars looking showroom fresh.
Faces of Main Street
Doug Frederick: The Realtor Who Knows Every Street in the Lehigh Valley
Doug Frederick of the Howard Hanna Frederick Group has spent decades helping families find their homes in the Lehigh Valley, combining deep local knowledge with a client first approach that has made him one of the most trusted names in Valley real estate.
Faces of Main Street
Ali Nasser: Honest Cars, Honest Deals at AutoProved in Allentown
Ali Nasser of AutoProved in Allentown has earned a loyal following by doing something radical in the used car business: being completely transparent and treating every customer like family.
Faces of Main Street
Matt Weis: Transforming Lehigh Valley Backyards One Hardscape at a Time
Matt Weis of Lehigh Valley Hardscaping has built a business turning ordinary outdoor spaces into stunning patios, walkways, and retaining walls that families actually use and enjoy year round.
