Bethlehem Co-Op Boondoggle Will Not Open in 2025; It Needs Money, and Then Some More Money, and Then a Little More Money, and Then … Does It Hire Elves?

Dec. 16, 2025

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

The Bethlehem Co-Op Boondoggle has broken another date. It will not open in 2025, and it still has set no next failed opening date.

That means it has broken three promises to open just this year. It was going to open earlier this year, then “this summer” (it’s 14 degrees out on the Back 40 today) and then there was a general vow to open by the end of 2025.

There are 374 hours left in 2025 as I post this earth-shaking missive. The Boondoggle still doesn’t have a refrigeration system, something that you’d think would be in place before they started announcing failed opening dates starting in 2022.

The non-operating grocery and doodad co-operative has yet to sell a pound of local produce at 250 E. Broad St., but it has spent more than $3 million of public dollars and run up more than $1 million in debt.

So it’s not as if they haven’t been busy, plus they hold social events, meaning the taxpayers provided $3.1 million for a club and its fun activities.

From my bootleg recording of last night’s Boondoggle board of directors meeting:

— The no-op co-op is trying to raise money. “We’re getting closer.” Closer to something. I don’t know what. Something. It’s out there, somewhere.

— The Boondoggle has a staff of two at a store that is not open. It had a general manager for a year or so a couple years back, but it is looking for another with help from Weaver’s Way, a Philadelphia co-operative.

The staff is “small and nimble.” Maybe they are elves?

— “Momentum is positive.” Momentum toward what? I don’t know, but I like the sound of this.

— “We don’t have a lot of resources and we have a lot to do.” Now and then, some reality seeps through the naive earnestness and general do-gooder-ness that surrounds the Boondoggle.

— All equipment is in the store, according to a board member, but it hasn’t been installed. This is all trivia until refrigeration is connected.

— The Boondoggle has added one “member-owner” in December for a total of 1,742. That’s unfortunate, because until that person decided to put $300 into the Boondoggle, membership was 1,741 and Bethlehem was founded in 1741. Symmetry.

— The board approved the minutes of the last meeting. And you dare to say they aren’t getting anything done!

— They’ve raised $436,425 as part of their latest fundraising campaign and the goal is $1.6 million but they need to get to $600,000 to use some other money and it makes no sense and the numbers change and I don’t believe any of it.

— What’s taking so long? “We want to get it right.” They’ve been wanting to get it right since 2011. They’re not open, in debt and have made many false promises. That’s not right.

— A number of supporters are considering a larger donation. I want to meet these people. Give me half, keep the rest, and we all wind up ahead. I’ll return my cut if the Boondoggle opens under current management by 2028 and stays open for a year.

So, barring a Christmas miracle, there will be no operating Boondoggle in 2025 despite many promises.

Once again: if this organization is running out of money for operating costs, and it can’t open a store even with millions of taxpayers’ dollars, how will it ever run an actual co-op with a staff and customers?

Will the City of Bethlehem government demand some clarity from the Boondoggle, after supporting it and cheering it on?

Will I find a bigger Boondoggle to look at? Spoiler: Yes! This is the Lehigh Valley, home of the Big Boondoggle. “We’ve only just begun … ” as Karen Carpenter sang.

Stay tuned!

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