South Side's Home & Planet Store to Close Soon

Home & Planet, a store that has anchored the first block of E. Third Street in South Bethlehem for about 15 years, will be closing soon.

Store owner Jon Clark said he is looking to sell the building he owns at 25 E. Third St., which includes the 5,200 square feet of store space. Clark said he has already a number of people looking at it.

The exact store closing date is uncertain. “We’ll stay there for a while—I think until the building sells,” Clark said.

Clark is hoping that a buyer will be able to maintain the store as a single space. Restaurants are being mentioned as a likely replacement in the space, which has become a hub of arts in South Bethlehem under Clark’s guidance.

Home & Planet is home to a bathroom that was decorated by world famous outsider artist Mr. Imagination during his seven-year stay in Bethlehem.

Fans of the eclectic, Earth-friendly art and home furnishings sold at Home & Planet will be able to continue to find those items at Clark’s new store—RE:find, which he is planning to open in downtown Easton in a few weeks.

He said he still loves downtown Bethlehem, but felt he needed to move to make his business more manageable.

Clark said the new, smaller location at 437 Northampton St. will allow him to spend more time on the aspects of his business that he enjoys, such as working with artists like Bill Kreider, who creates the steel beam furniture that has become a Home & Planet signature.

Clark said he plans to bring unique items to the Easton store. For example, he has found one artist who makes furniture from discarded bleachers at the Lafayette College stadium, he said.