Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites to Celebrate Schropp Shoppe Grand Opening

April 29th, 2024

Supported by funds from Keystone Savings Foundation, the nonprofit partnered with
architecture firm Alloy5 to design a space that embraces the area’s rich culture and history.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (April 8, 2024)—Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites (HBMS) announced
that it will open Schropp Dry Goods Shoppe at 505 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA, in May 2024.
The shop will be located in the Schropp Dry Goods Shoppe & Museum Shop, which is currently undergoing
renovations. The community is invited to a ribbon-cutting event on Thursday, May 23, 2024, to
celebrate the shop’s opening.

Schropp Shoppe, inspired by the building’s original purpose as a dry goods store in Victorian
Bethlehem, is a retail experience featuring the atmosphere of a mid-19th-century dry goods
shop with a curated selection of modern goods reminiscent of the historical past. The shop’s
opening is tied to the renovation of HBMS’s Schropp Dry Goods Shoppe, which includes restored flooring,
press tin ceilings, and an updated floor plan to improve guest flow.

“Thanks to the extensive and well-preserved records of both the original Schropps’ store and
the boarding school for girls in Bethlehem, whose students were frequent patrons of the store,
we have a clear picture of what was sold in the store in the 1800s, stated Brett Peters, Curator
of Collections & Exhibitions for HBMS. “Much of it was merchandise we still buy – everything
from groceries and stationery to hardware, China, and kitchen supplies. Almost everything a
19th-century household needed could be purchased at the local dry goods store.”

The building was constructed in 1832 by John Sebastian Goundie as a connecting structure to
his home, serving as a dry goods store managed by his daughter and son-in-law. In 1852,
Goundie sold the property to Louis Beckel, who added a third floor to the building and
incorporated decorative elements. In the mid-2000s, HBMS rediscovered and opened the
original doorway between the Goundie House and the store, allowing visitors to walk between
the spaces.

“Our historic buildings truly come to life when people walk through their doors. We are excited to
offer visitors an additional way to interact with Bethlehem’s rich history and the stories of the
individuals who lived and established businesses here,” said LoriAnn Wukitsch, president and
CEO of HBMS. “By purchasing something from us, visitors not only get a memorable gift, but
they also contribute to preserving and sharing the history that gives Bethlehem such a unique
sense of place.”

Wear and tear on the historic structure created a need to renovate and restore certain aspects
of the building.

HBMS partnered with Bethlehem-based architecture firm Alloy5 to design the space. The firm is
known for incorporating a building’s rich history into contemporary designs and previously
worked on the Berwick Youth Center, Seven Generations Charter School and Lehigh
University’s Goodman Stadium.

“Transforming a historic space into a welcoming, visually appealing retail space has been
enjoyable for the team at Alloy5,” said Michael Metzger, president of Alloy5.“We’re always
happy to lend our creativity to support our community and proud to collaborate with Historic
Bethlehem Museums & Sites on the new Schropp Dry Goods Shoppe design.”
More information on the Schropp Dry Goods Shoppe is on HBMS’s website at
www.historicbethlehem.org/visit-us/schropp-shoppe/.

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