Three new businesses are moving into MacArthur Commons in Whitehall Township, filling vacant space left behind by GameStop and Big Lots. Nothing Bundt Cakes is planned for the former GameStop unit, while Ulta Beauty and Umi Hot Pot Sushi & Seafood Buffet are set to split the old Big Lots space, which is being divided into three separate units altogether.
According to WFMZ.com, Nothing Bundt Cakes plans to open its new bakery within the next few months, while Ulta Beauty and Umi Hot Pot are both targeting a mid-2027 opening at the Lehigh County shopping center. Jason Abrams, managing partner of Montgomery County-based Abrams Realty & Development, told the station that his company is still negotiating with another business for the third unit carved out of the former Big Lots footprint. He said details about that prospective tenant cannot be announced before a lease is finalized.
Abrams Realty & Development purchased MacArthur Commons in 2018, and the property has seen steady turnover since. The center is listed as a 371,886-square-foot, 96%-occupied, grocery-anchored retail property, according to the Abrams Realty & Development project page, with existing tenants that include Dick's Sporting Goods, Burlington, Harbor Freight Tools, Planet Fitness, T.J. Maxx and Petco.
A Bakery Chain Expanding Across the Lehigh Valley
Nothing Bundt Cakes, founded by Debra Shwetz and Dena Tripp in Las Vegas in 1997, now has more than 840 locations across the United States and Canada, per the WFMZ report. The chain offers handcrafted bundt cakes, bundtlets and bundtinis, along with gluten-free, seasonal and limited-time selections.
The company has been expanding in the region lately. A Nothing Bundt Cakes bakery opened April 26 at 256 N. West End Blvd. in Richland Township, Bucks County, the station's report notes, and a bakery at 3788 Nazareth Road in Lower Nazareth Township opened in 2026. The chain also operates locations at 6379 Hamilton Blvd. in Lower Macungie Township and 1524 Main St. in Warrington.
Beauty Giant and First-to-Market Buffet Join the Mix
Ulta Beauty, described in the same report as an international specialty beauty retailer, opened its first store in 1990 and now operates more than 1,500 stores across the country, offering more than 25,000 products. The chain also has international operations through Space NK, a Mexico joint venture, and a Middle East franchise, and already runs regional locations at Airport Center in Hanover Township and Hamilton Crossings in Lower Macungie Township.
Umi Hot Pot Sushi & Seafood Buffet, meanwhile, will mark the chain's first Lehigh Valley restaurant. The brand currently has more than 20 locations across seven states and offers more than 200 premium buffet items daily, along with hot pot options, per the same account.
More Turnover at a Busy Shopping Center
The incoming tenants follow a string of changes at MacArthur Commons over the past couple of years. Five Below held a grand opening at the center in February, and Teriyaki Madness opened its first Lehigh Valley restaurant in December 2024. Harbor Freight Tools also joined the lineup in 2024, moving into the roughly 23,000-square-foot space that had sat empty for about five years after A.C. Moore's departure, according to lehighvalleylive.com.
The Big Lots store that once occupied the space now destined for Ulta Beauty and Umi Hot Pot was slated to close alongside more than 50 others nationwide, as reported by mcall.com. Sparkle Car Wash is also coming soon to a former parking lot at the property, adding yet another addition to the shopping center's ongoing makeover.
