West Reading Avenues Summer 2021 - 4

Summertime in West Reading
A
Letter from the Manager
by Mark Ratcliffe, Main Street Manager
s we move forward with our five-year plan and welcome
more than 20 new businesses in West Reading, renewal
and regrowth is the perfect description for our community
this year. The first part of our renewal will be freshening up our
image and logo. Partners Design is helping us take this first step,
and we look forward to sharing this with you very soon.
Activities and events will be even more important in the years
to come. Creating reasons for our community to get out of the
house and get together will be important for our merchants to
compete with online shopping. West Reading will be a place to
shop, dine, stay and play for years to come. We plan to grow our
public art to help create a more dynamic place to visit. Having
public spaces we can activate will also be very important as we
grow. A pocket park where our community can come and eat
lunch, listen to live music or watch live theater. A space where
our Farmers Market will have a better home and holidays on
the avenue will have a safer place for our Christmas tree lighting,
caroling and added holiday cheer.
Times are a changing, and West Reading looks to change with
them. Staying at home created a strong drive to fix up our homes,
and in 2020, we were happy to welcome a number of homerelated
businesses this past year. Saylor House and its exquisite
design and home furnishing business
opened in the old Curious Consignment
building. Finch & Fern also opened
up in the 700 block with home gifts and furnishings that are
both sophisticated and fun. Empire Home Center will help you
remodel your kitchen or bath, and Swerl Designs that opened
recently in the 400 block makes custom furniture and creative
furnishings. Add a Coral Reef Connection fish tank and West
Reading is a one-stop shop for your home.
Events are starting to happen again
and this summer's Art on the
Avenue June 19 will be the first
event we plan to do with the
street closed. West Reading
Tavern is planning its French
Fry Fest in August, and the
Pennsylvania Downtown
Center, the group that oversees
and helps all of the main streets
in the state, will hold its annual
managers meetings in Reading
this year. We look forward to welcoming them in September
with a special dinner and mural walk in West Reading. Fall Fest
will take place Sept.18, and we look forward to more events
as we move into 2022.
2021 hope springs eternal and we have a lot
to look forward to this year in West Reading.
Personally, I look forward to seeing everyone on
the avenue very soon!
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Avenues Summer 2021
West Reading Avenues Summer 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of West Reading Avenues Summer 2021
