The fitness chain’s last Lehigh Valley location is closing permanently – The Morning Call

The last Lehigh Valley fitness chain location will cease operations later this week.

Retro Fitness Bethlehem, which offers a wide selection of strength and cardio equipment along with other amenities such as group fitness classes, personal training and a cardio theater, is scheduled to be located at 1856 Stefko Blvd., according to a release Friday, May 27. be closed email to members.

“We appreciate the business you have given us over the years and thank you for being a loyal member,” the message said.

Opened in 2014 in the Stefko Boulevard shopping mall, the Bethlehem gym is one of around 100 retro fitness locations nationwide.

Other local retro gyms previously operated at the Mountainville Mall on South Fourth Street in Allentown from 2008–2011 and at the 25th Street Mall in Palmer Township from 2008–2020.

With plaid floors, red and yellow equipment, and retro movies in the workout areas, the New Jersey-based ’80s-inspired fitness chain offers monthly memberships starting at $19.99.

Other amenities include tanning beds, juice bars, full-service locker rooms, and supervised children’s playrooms.

Retro Fitness Bethlehem members with questions or concerns regarding their membership are encouraged to contact ABC Financial at 866-364-4596 or customercare@abcfinancial.com. Effective May 5th, all membership billing has been disabled and memberships will be automatically canceled with no further charges.

“We are working with ABC Financial to refund all paid full memberships as well,” the message continued. “We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you and wish you continued success in your fitness journey.”

The Bethlehem Gym space, totaling nearly 14,000 square feet, is listed as “coming soon” on the Stefko Boulevard Shopping Center‘s online map.

Two more stores are coming soon: This Is Burrito, a fast-casual restaurant specializing in made-to-order burritos, along with B Positive, a state-of-the-art blood plasma collection center, are slated to open later this year at the mall, Scott said Horner, vice president of Colliers International’s Allentown office, which brokered the deals.

B Positive, which will occupy 3,200 square feet at the south end of the center, will collect high-quality blood plasma that will be used in the development of life-saving therapies.

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All blood types are welcome, and donors will be compensated for each full donation, according to the company’s website.

Donors, who must be between the ages of 18 and 65, can donate plasma twice a week and earn more than $500 a month.

This Is Burrito, which will occupy a 2,000-square-foot space a few doors down from B Positive, will function similarly to a chain’s popular burrito restaurants, owner Karen Lin said.

Diners can customize their orders with proteins like beef and chicken along with salad, salsa, cheese, and other toppings. Tacos and other Mexican specialties are also available.

The B Positive premises had been vacant for more than a decade, while the This Is Burrito premises previously housed J’s Steaks & Subs, which moved a few blocks north to 2140 Stefko Blvd. in 2017.

Both spaces are currently under construction and tentative opening dates have not yet been announced.

Stefko Boulevard Shopping Center, owned by Regency Centers, is located in a dense retail corridor and is home to more than a dozen other stores including Valley Farm Market, Dollar Tree, Fine Wine & Good Spirits, Stefko Pharmacy, T-Mobile and Little CALI Arepa – and empanada bar.