Welcome
The
community of West Reading is experiencing a transformation …
spirited by the growth of the Penn Avenue shopping district and
the expansion of its larger companies and institutions. Over 35
new retail and restaurant businesses have opened on Penn Avenue
since 1999 and two short blocks away, a $70 million expansion of
the Reading Hospital and Medical Center is providing a built in
market for the growth.
The West Reading Main Street Authority has sparked
much of the improvement by applying the widely successful
strategies of the “Main Street America” program with the added
support of a Borough-wide, long-term strategic plan for
revitalization.
Major companies located in the Borough include The Reading
Hospital and Medical Center, the region’s largest employer
with over 4,000 employees, R.M. Palmer, a
world-class chocolate novelty manufacturer, Narrow Fabrics,
a global textile corporation and headquarters for Edwards
Business Machines with retail outlets throughout
the eastern seaboard.
The major anchor for small business in West Reading is the
VF Factory Outlet Center and Designer Place Outlets
located just one block from Penn Avenue. The outlets attract 4 to
5 million visitors each year with annual sales volume nearing $190
million.
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