Local news

The Bus Stops Here moves to corner of Main and Vesper in downtown Lock Haven

LOCK HAVEN -- The shop you know and love, The Bus Stops Here, recently had its grand reopening at its new location.

Owner Paula Neyhart and her late husband, John, have owned and operated the business since 1992.

Neyhart said she never had any plans to move, after staying at the previous location since 2010, but when the opportunity arose she went for it.

"It was an opportunity. I saw the space was empty and started talking to the people who needed to be talked to. They were all a wonderful bunch to work with -- and here we are. Everyone I worked with could not have been better. The realtors, the landlord -- just terrific people. We talked to each other and made it happen," said Neyhart.

Though she's been retired for decades, Neyhart still holds a passion for education and holds a continued interest in the education of students.

The Bus Stops Here is a wonderful resource for educational materials and features carefully chosen products that benefit children in and out of a school setting. It will continue to have essential items for every classroom regardless of grade, from art supplies and pencils to books and puppets -- this time with more floor space!

"Nothing will change except location," said Neyhart. "The configuration is totally different."

Neyhart and a few of her close friends spent around three weeks carting products to the new location at 25 E. Main St. They moved items from one shop to the other mostly at night after the shop closed, and slowly began to give the building new life.

The shop windows feature signage indicating items for sale -- puzzles, books, toys, games and puppets -- and large stuffed animals that add to the friendly atmosphere. A walk around the building will show you a lion, a unicorn, a kangaroo and peeking over the top of the signs, a friendly giraffe and dinosaur.

"It's been a lot of work, but it's been fun to do. I have three terrific friends and their husbands who helped. I had to keep my feet in both places," said Neyhart, who explained the process of moving while the old shop location was still open.

Lori Williams, one of Neyhart's friends who helped organize products in the new space, was enthusiastic about the changes.

"I have really enjoyed it. Organizational stuff is my forte so I loved helping her move everything and get the storage spaces organized. I love the new space -- it made everything so much nicer. It's so open. I think (customers) are going to be surprised," said Williams.

Williams and Neyhart's other friends pushed carts of products up and down the street, transferring inventory from one shop to the other -- even working on Christmas Eve to get the job accomplished.

"It's a phenomenal use of space and I think it's going to make your shopping experience so much easier and nicer. It's a wonderful store for teachers. I don't know how many people realize how many games and books and fun stuff are here even if you're not an educator. It's not just for teachers, it's for kids," said Williams.

The Bus Stops Here opened at 10 a.m. on Thursday and Neyhart welcomed her first customers and first sale of the day -- Pete and Rachel.

The two of them come into The Bus Stops Here pretty often, according to Rachel; Pete's favorite part of coming into the shop is buying things. Neyhart says they always bring in the Good News Bear Bulletin and shop around.

"(The shop is open) because of the good people who patronize it," said Neyhart.

The store's hours will remain the same, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

You can find more information about the store at the-bus-stops-here.com or on their Facebook, The Bus Stops Here.