At one time, Reading was home to about 26 different pretzel bakeries, earning it the nickname Pretzel City. Julius Sturgis is credited with opening the first commercial pretzel company in the United States in 1861 in Lititz; later moving the enterprise to Berks [...]
Ciotti Markets was started by the Ciotti family in their Summit Avenue home in Millmont in 1937. Their first full-fledged supermarket opened in 1947, at 330 Summit Ave. Below: Former Ciotti Market location at 330 Summit Ave., West Reading, PA. Ciotti’s Markets was [...]
Everything could be bought in that 400 block, from food to a diamond, from tires to a clock. Below: 400 block of Penn Street. North Side. First there was Kins for fine ladies to shop, and Pep Boys and Charles Auto Took good [...]
By 2045, the U.S. will be a majority minority nation. During that year, whites will comprise 49.7 percent of the population in contrast to 24.6 percent for Hispanics, 13.1 percent for blacks, 7.9 percent for Asians, and 3.8 percent for multiracial populations. This [...]
The oldest and largest establishment of its kind in this part of the State, Jno. F. Boyer’s old reliable stables, have long been recognized as unrivalled for efficiency of service and complete facilities in all matters connected with horses and general livery business. [...]
In 1976, due to the rise of larger macro breweries, Reading Brewing Company ceased operations. The following article appeared in the April 15, 1976 edition of the Reading Times newspaper. The Reading Brewing Co. was filling its Bergheim cans today with premium [...]
The Reading Brewing Company was founded in 1886 by Philip Bessinger with a brewery at Ninth and Laurel streets in Reading. The beer was originally called Old Reading Beer and was marketed as a Pennsylvania Dutch beer. The brewery began with a production [...]
Read’s Department Store was located on the northeast corner of 7th and Penn Streets. This imposing 3-story building was under construction just as the Great Depression struck in 1929; consequently, the intended business firm went bankrupt and the store went up for sale [...]
The Model Cities Program was an element of U.S. President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society and War on Poverty. The concept was presented by labor leader Walter Reuther to President Johnson in an off-the-record White House meeting on May 20, 1965. In 1966, new legislation [...]
St. Lawrence Luncheonette was a large and popular eatery that once hosted customers at 535 Penn Street. It was owned and operated by the St. Lawrence Dairy. Its ice cream and soda was understandably the most popular part of this operation. Below: Interior, [...]
