May 1, 2026
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
The Bethlehem Co-Op Boondoggle is so close to opening, I can almost taste the organic radishes.
If it really does open this time, I will have to stop referring to it as the No-Op Co-Op, but it will always be the Boondoggle. That title is earned when a special-interest group pulls in $3.1 million or so of taxpayers’ dollars for a pet project that is now 15 years old.
The Boondoggle’s refrigerators are now working, according to a recent newsletter. Still, no opening date has been set.
The Boondoggle, which prefers to be called the Bethlehem Co-Op Market, will need an inspection by the city and a certificate of occupancy.
Meanwhile, at the last board meeting of the Happy Boondogglers, they said their latest endless fundraising campaign had brought in about $609,000, almost $1 million short of the $1.6 million goal.
The Boondoggle needs to restructure its debt, which at one point was about $1.1 million. That debt is held by a bank and LEAF, the Local Enterprise Assistance Fund, which “demonstrates effective alternatives to mainstream economic models.”
I have no idea what that means and I don’t care enough to look into it. Beware of jargon and those who spout it.
To restructure the debt, the Boondoggle needs a market study and an agreement on back rent. The Boondoggle also needs a general manager and seeks “gifts, loans or sponsorships.”
By gifts, they don’t mean a tie or a box of chocolates. This alternative “to mainstream economic models” wants your money. They’ve wanted it for 15 years and they will always want it.
How is that an alternative?
From The Four Tops:
“It’s the same old song,
But with a different beat … “
I’d like to see what happens if this alternative wonder opens and then Trader Joe’s opens nearby. Game, set and match. Trader Joe’s is what people want. It’s a real business that doesn’t beg for money endlessly. Trader Joe’s opens it doors and people come in and spend.
It’s a brilliant idea. Give people what they want and they give you money. It works, while telling people what they should want and asking for money is not a sound alternative.
At some point, they will need products on the shelves at 250 E. Broad St. and people to stock those shelves. I have experience but at my age I will only work on shelves that don’t require extensive reaching.
Maybe I shouldn’t count on getting arugula there anytime soon. The Boondogglers will have to go from being an idea that cost millions to an actual operation. Buying stuff. Selling stuff. Hiring people. Paying people and suppliers.
Don’t hurry them, they’ve only been caterwauling about this boondoggle since 2011.
I’ve given them the gift of publicity. I won’t give them money, but if/when they open, I’ll check it out.
Until then …
Boondoggle On!
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 