Jun 8, 2011

New shops flourish on Bethlehem Pike in FlourtownBy Barbara SherfChestnutHillLocal.com

If you haven’t driven through downtown Flourtown lately, you may want to head out to the bustling 1500 block of Bethlehem Pike, just beyond Starbucks and before the Flourtown Fire Company.

While Chestnut Hiller Mark Petteruti opened his flower and gift shop, Botanical Expressions, five years ago, it was joined last summer by Scarlet Begonia’s, an eclectic boutique filled with vintage clothing, gift items and unique decorative touches for the home interior.

Karen Phelps named her shop in honor of her favorite song by the Grateful Dead. The building, which dates to the 1800s, was formerly known as the Designer’s Nest. Phelps, who trekked daily from her Gwynedd Valley home to Phoenixville, got tired of the commute.

“Once I saw the bones of this store I knew it could be so much more,” she said, noting that the fresh look and paint has turned many motorists’ heads. “They want to stop in, but parking is limited on the street. My regular customers know that there is parking behind the store. I’m trying to get the word out about that.”

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