At 12:30 a.m. on a Friday in late October 2006, a Coopersburg shopper and her sister laid out sleeping bags in front of L.L.Bean. They wanted to be first in line for the $25 gift cards the store had promised its first 200 visitors. By 9 a.m. they were cold and tired, and they were still at the front of a crowd of several hundred. The Morning Call's opening-day story reported that marching bands, fire engines and more than 3,000 shoppers showed up for the grand opening of the Lehigh Valley's first lifestyle center.
L.L.Bean is still there. So are most of the other names from that first year. Two decades of retail closings have been hard on shopping centers, so the Promenade's anniversary this October tells you more about what stayed than what left. The stores that opened the center still make up its core. Nearly every change has come from the spaces around them.
The 2006 Roster, Checked Against Today's Directory
In August 2006, a trade report listed 15 of the center's opening shops and services. In its anniversary coverage, Lehigh Daily compared that list to the Promenade's current directory. Nine of the 15 are still there.
| Still in the directory, October 2026 | Gone since 2006 |
|---|---|
| Barnes & Noble | Aeropostale |
| The Fresh Market | The Children's Place |
| L.L.Bean | Nautica |
| American Eagle Outfitters | Lucky Brand Jeans |
| J.Jill | Wachovia Bank |
| LensCrafters | Sprint |
| Old Navy | |
| Starbucks | |
| Yankee Candle |
A few notes on that list. American Eagle is currently marked as closed for a remodel, not closed for good. The movie theater is still on the property under a different name. It opened as a Rave Motion Pictures cinema and is now AMC Center Valley 16.
The 15-name list also leaves out a big one. When The Morning Call covered opening day, it said the center had announced about 55 tenants and named Brooks Brothers among the big chains. This month, Brooks Brothers is one of the stores in the anniversary promotion, and the ribbon cutting will take place in the breezeway right next to it.
The Fresh Market wasn't even open on opening day. The Morning Call reported that the grocer planned to open early the next year. Twenty years later, it's one of the nine on the list.
What Left Was Mostly the Same Kind of Store
The six departures were a bank branch, a wireless store and four apparel brands. The stores that stayed include a bookstore, a grocery, a coffee shop, an outdoor outfitter, an optical shop, a candle shop and the movie theater, plus a handful of clothing stores.
The center's own changes point the same way. In April 2024, Saucon Source reported that "The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley" was becoming "Promenade Saucon Valley." The new name was meant to reflect a broader mix of tenants and a focus on the center as a community hub. The rebrand came with new colors and signage and upgrades to the Town Square amenities.
General manager Patrick Turner put it this way in the anniversary announcement, as reported by Saucon Source:
"For 20 years, Promenade Saucon Valley has been more than a place to shop and dine. It has been a gathering place for our community."
The New Names Are Filling Specific Doors
You can see the center's direction in which new tenants are moving into which spaces. The anniversary announcement named Norman's Hallmark, Sephora and Wonder among the newcomers, and they arrived one or two at a time. WFMZ's tenant coverage gives the location of each:
- Norman's Hallmark opened in March, next to Bath & Body Works.
- Mental Strength Ritual opened in March in Suite 610, next to Altar'd State.
- Sephora opened in April, next to Athleta.
- Wonder opened in June in Suite 802, next to Elite Salons & Suites.
- Warby Parker is planned for 2027 in a 1,559-square-foot space between Athleta and Dandelion.
With Warby Parker, the center will have a second eyewear store. LensCrafters, one of the original nine, is still open. Saucon Source covered the Warby Parker announcement on October 9.
Two more tenants haven't been named yet, and both are moving into spaces left by recent closings.
Suite 420, between American Eagle and Claire's, used to be The Hive, a market for handmade goods from local vendors that closed earlier this year. A pet-supply store is moving in. WFMZ reported that it will carry food, treats, toys and accessories, with no live animals and no grooming. Turner told the station, "They should be open in October, but I can't announce the name just yet."
Suite 700 at 2960 Center Valley Parkway has been home to Shula's Steak House and then Bar Louie, which closed in August 2025. A new restaurant is planned there. According to the same WFMZ report, a Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board notice dated July 24 was posted in the front window. It said the location's liquor license is being transferred from BLH Acquisition Co LLC to Saucon Valley TRS LLC. The restaurant's name, concept and opening date have not been announced.
The anniversary announcement said news about two future tenants is coming soon. The Barktoberfest page offers shoppers a gift card to the center's newest tenant, which it says will be "announced very soon." As of October 12, we couldn't find a published name for either space.
October 17, Hour by Hour
The anniversary program runs October 1 through 20 and includes 20 Days of Deals. Participating businesses include Athleta, Barley Creek Taproom, Brooks Brothers, Color Me Mine, Dandelion, The Extra Pair, Kay Jewelers, L.L.Bean, Pandora, Red Robin, Sweet & Sassy, Turning Point and Yankee Candle. Details are on the Promenade's anniversary page. For example, Athleta's deal is 20% off purchases of $125 or more, October 6 through 20.
The main celebration falls on the fourth annual Barktoberfest, presented by K9 Resorts. Here's the schedule from the official Barktoberfest page and Lehigh Daily's coverage:
- Friday, October 16, 4 p.m. Dock Dogs preview night.
- Saturday, October 17, 10 a.m. Barktoberfest opens. The Main Street Market, with animal shelters, nonprofits and pet businesses, runs until 4 p.m., along with dock diving, a DJ, pet costume contests, free pet portraits and family activities at AMC.
- 1 p.m. K9 officer demonstration.
- 2 p.m. The 20th anniversary ribbon cutting with the Southern Lehigh Chamber of Commerce, in the breezeway next to Brooks Brothers.
- 2 p.m. or 2:15 p.m. The $2,000 giveaway, with ten $200 gift cards to any Promenade business. Winners must be present. Lehigh Daily notes that the center's news release says 2 p.m., while its event pages say 2:15. If you're entering, plan to be there by 2.
- 4 p.m. Barktoberfest ends.
All day, if you spend $20 or more at any Promenade business, you can pick up a limited-edition anniversary tote bag while supplies last. A Walk Down Memory Lane display will show photos from construction and the 2006 opening through today.
After the Anniversary, Town Square Takes Over
Less than a month after the anniversary ends, the center switches over to the holidays. Snowflake Square, an outdoor holiday market in Town Square, runs November 14 through December 24. It's set up around the 40-foot tree and the Santa photo area, with local businesses, artisans and specialty gifts. Posted hours are Fridays 4 to 8 p.m., Saturdays noon to 8 p.m. and Sundays noon to 5 p.m.
The Promenade's events calendar lists the Holiday Tree Lighting for November 14, which is a Saturday this year. The event's own detail page still says "Saturday, November 15th," 5 to 8 p.m. That doesn't match the 2026 calendar, so the 2026 start time hasn't been confirmed. Check closer to the date before you plan around a specific hour.
The Town Square improvements from the 2024 rebrand are where all of this happens, and those holiday weekends are the best time to see the center's newer side next to the bookstore, grocery and theater it opened with. For more on how the Promenade connects with the Saucon Rail Trail and the Labuda Center, see our Center Valley late-summer guide. The Center Valley neighborhood page has more about the area around Center Valley Parkway.
At Witt Real Estate Group, we watch which storefronts at the Promenade fill and which stay empty, because what opens on Center Valley Parkway is part of how buyers see the neighborhood. If you own a home nearby and want to know where it stands this fall, start with a free home valuation. We'll walk you through the numbers ourselves.
