Screpesi’s Sandwich Shop in Reading, Pennsylvania—founded in August 1949 by Joseph and Stella Screpesi—has delighted locals for over seventy-five years with fresh food, friendly service, fair prices, and a proudly simple, memorable menu. Joseph Screpesi Humble Beginnings The first shop opened its [...]
There are certain places that, though gone, remain etched in memory—not for their architecture or their menus alone, but for the way they captured the spirit of a community. Mary’s Dog House, which stood proudly at the northwest corner of St. Lawrence Avenue [...]
Few retail promotions have ever captured the public imagination like Boscov’s famous April tradition: “Did You Boscov Today?” What began as a tongue-in-cheek idea from Albert R. Boscov in 1970 grew into a shopping phenomenon that packed stores, flooded parking lots, inspired slogans, [...]
On February 10, 2017, Albert Boscov left this world as he had lived in it—sharing love. His final words to his wife, Eunice, were “Eunie, I love you,” capping nearly six decades of partnership. For many, this tender farewell summed up the character [...]
Pizza Italia at 1528 North 14th Street has anchored its block for more than half a century, the kind of neighborhood place where Albright students, nearby families, and Little League teams all learned the rhythm of a hot pizza pie sliding from the [...]
In the late 1930s, a little tin shack tucked by the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks at Front & Court Streets became one of Reading’s most beloved seasonal landmarks: the Orange Car. It was introduced to Reading by the Austin family—Florida citrus growers who, hit [...]
Here in Berks County, we didn’t just shop at a department store—we “Boscov’d.” The playful question “Did you Boscov today?” became one of Pennsylvania retail’s most recognizable slogans, a little wink that turned a family-run chain into a hometown habit. It worked because [...]
Tucked behind Saints Cyril and Methodius R.C. Church along the narrow, brick-paved run of Bell Alley, a few steps off 613 Laurel Street, a little coal oven turned out hand-twisted soft pretzels at dawn for generations. Neighbors knew the cadence by heart—mix at [...]
ATV’s story begins with Sicilian baker Paolo (Paul) Alberti, who emigrated from Palermo to Reading and opened Alberti’s Bakery in the early 20th century. In those years, Reading supported several small Sicilian bake shops—most notably George Tomasi and Vecchio—that competed for neighborhood customers [...]
P. F. Eisenbrown & Sons traces its roots to the Eagle Marble & Granite Works in Reading’s 300 block of North Sixth Street, founded in 1873 by Penrose Frederick (“P. F.”) Eisenbrown (1831–1898), the grandson of a German immigrant. Trained in wood-carving by [...]
