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15 09, 2025

Barbey’s Bet: How a Reading Mill Became VF Corporation

2025-11-27T11:27:54-04:00September 15th, 2025|Hosiery, Industry|0 Comments

At the turn of the 20th century, Reading was humming with knit-goods shops and glove makers. In October 1899, banker–brewer John Barbey and a small group of Reading investors organized the Reading Glove and Mitten Manufacturing Company, starting modestly but with national ambition. [...]

20 08, 2025

The Reading David Crystal Plant

2025-08-21T06:03:32-04:00August 20th, 2025|Hosiery|0 Comments

For most of the 20th century, the corner of North 13th and Rosemont Streets marked one of Reading’s busiest pieces of the apparel trade. David Crystal’s Reading operations stitched New York–designed dresses, finished precut garments, and—by the Izod/Lacoste era—handled everything from corporate offices [...]

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