Not everyone can take the heat and pressure, but endure enough and you might get diamonds — or at least minerals, as will be the case when a Bethlehem store reopens this fall following a fire.

The Gemeral Store will reopen in early November at 216 W. Broad St. in Bethlehem, according to owner Ted Chiaparas, who signed the lease for the property last week.

It will sell minerals, crystals, jewelry, stones, pinned butterflies and “coddiwomples” that artist Steve Cross created from combining materials like Bethlehem Steel fragments, fossils, Alaskan rum, flower seeds, gold and rubies.

The store opened in late June at 707 N. New St. in Bethlehem, but closed just over a week later when a fire broke out.

The new location will have about double the space of the old one, Chiaparas said, and will feature the same offerings as well as a new ultraviolet display to show off such reactive minerals.

“It feels like a dream comd true,” he said of the reopening, adding that The Gemeral Store will also appear at local events coming up such as the Lehigh Valley Gem, Jewelry and Rock Show, the Lehigh Valley Wicked Plant Festival, Oktoberfest and Christkindlmarkt.

Chiaparas also thanked family, friends and the community for their support at events like Musikfest and the store’s online sales.

“It’s been huge and it’s been able to help us sustain,” he said.

The new location will operate 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, Chiaparas said, with the potential to open later during the holidays.

https://www.mcall.com/2025/09/08/bethlehem-gemeral-store-reopening/