ALLENTOWN, Pa. (WLVT) - The Downtown Allentown Market celebrated its grand opening Thursday on the ArtsWalk, along with a new arcade bar, which officials say is kicking off the entertainment vibe downtown.
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Downtown Allentown Market is a food hall with nine dining options, including a bar. Natalia Stezenko with City Center Allentown said this market is going to help kick off the entertainment aspect of the ArtsWalk, and encourage more businesses to come to the area.
One of the businesses who is already on board is the Coin Arcade Bar, directly across from the market. "This is essentially like a grown up playground," said owner of the arcade, David Bracetty. He is looking forward to providing people with a nostalgic feeling, by offering 20 retro arcade games. "Now you can enjoy them with a drink at your side, a couple friends duking it out, and really just go back in time to a point in your life where there was maybe a little bit less stress than their is," said Bracetty.
"The pedestrian-friendly nature of the ArtsWalk was why we wanted to create it as a destination to come and hangout and enjoy time with your friends and family," said Stezenko. A new pocket park also had its grand opening on Thursday along the ArtsWalk. The park will have live music for the next six weeks during lunch time.
City Center also announced they will remove the obstacle of paid parking, by offering free parking from 5 p.m. to midnight on weekdays. On weekends, parking will be free from 8 a.m. to midnight, but this excludes special events. "We’re definitely competing with suburban shopping malls and centers, which have massive parking lots and free parking," said Stezenko. "So we thought 'why not take away that kind of competition by offering free parking in the downtown?'”
A neighborhood grocery store, Radish Republic, will also be moving in on the ArtsWalk, next door to the Coin Arcade Bar. To learn more about the arcade, click
here for their website.
