Dec. 24, 2025
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
“The Bethlehem Co-Op is not open. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the tale I am about to relate.” — Borrowed from the 1951 film “A Christmas Carol,” my favorite movie retelling of Charles Dickens’ short novel.
No, the Bethlehem Co-Op Boondoggle is not open. As of tomorrow, 15 Christmases will have passed without a local co-operative grocery store despite the millions of tax dollars burned.
Bah! Humbug! as Ebenezer Scrooge said.
There is no Co-Op, yet none of us have starved.
“Are there no grocery stores, are there no farmers’ markets?” I say, updating Scrooge’s response. I will stop the nonsense. I admire Dickens’ work too much.
Just as Scrooge found redemption, perhaps the Boondoggle can. It just needs $160,000 to find its way. Maybe.
The Boondoggle’s own holiday message promises that THIS TIME, “We are months away from opening our doors.” Yes, we have heard this before. We have been hearing it for years.
Despite the do-gooder-ism at work here, it’s all about the money.
“We need $160,000 more to unlock funds we have in hand, but that are currently restricted until we reach $600,000 total raised.” Yet a few months ago, they had raised $623,000. Is the Co-Op engaging in negative fundraising?
I don’t trust the Boondogglers’ numbers. They change. I don’t trust their proposed opening dates. There have been too many of them.
Do they need $1.6 million to open and stay open, or $825,000 to open, or $600,000, or $160,000, or is focusing on numbers just an obnoxious nasty thing to do when the real point here is peppiness and positive thinking?
They’ve already spent $3.1 million of public funds. I’ve been asking local government to make sure they don’t get anymore. Taxpayers’ money should not be “the gift that keeps giving.”
So another holiday passes, and another year of a “no-op co-op” at 250 E. Broad St. in Bethlehem. With each day the Boondoggle isn’t open, money goes out the door for no return. And they always ask for more, for what?
Yet the Boondoggle maintains an active social media presence, participated in Luminaria Night … yes it did, really … and it spouts off on Facebook about the principles of co-ops.
There are seven co-op principles. I’ll add an eighth:
Don’t preach until you open those doors and keep them open.
It’s getting tiresome. It’s getting ridiculous. Still, sometimes it’s entertaining.
Happy Holidays!
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 
I’ve been following this story on and off for a while as the story does not seem to change. It appears that NO ONE is accountable. It also appears that the Mayor of Bethlehem is being a do nothing in this regard. I find the whole delay and spending of atrocious amounts of money astounding. Where is the outcry by those whose meony has already been “stolen”. A 15 year return on investment? I could goon and on but you already know the drill. Promise after promise. Who’s getting rich off of this? Somali’s?
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