{"id":47915,"date":"2025-11-29T22:35:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T22:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/47915\/"},"modified":"2025-11-29T22:35:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T22:35:10","slug":"community-tradition-fuel-small-business-saturday-turnout-in-west-reading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/47915\/","title":{"rendered":"Community, tradition fuel Small Business Saturday turnout in West Reading"},"content":{"rendered":"

The early birds were out on Penn Avenue long before the Small Business Saturday crowds kicked into full stride.<\/p>\n

Inside Taste of Crepes at 617 Penn Ave., Joanne Henny of Muhlenberg Township settled into the warm, cozy caf\u00e9 with her daughter Michelle Pieller and 19-year-old granddaughter, Olivia \u2014 three generations carrying on their Black Friday weekend tradition.<\/p>\n

Henny prefers West Reading\u2019s independent shops to big-box stores.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the one-on-one,\u201d she said. \u201cThey know their product. They don\u2019t just brush you off. It\u2019s not just a sale.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pieller, a Kutztown native now living in Delaware, agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very cute here,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019ve done a lot to make it accessible, and everything\u2019s different. It\u2019s not all the same stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pieller said she hoped to knock out much of her holiday shopping this weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnline is boring,\u201d she said. \u201cI like to feel stuff, the material, and look at things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TarynTaryn Shillady of West Reading and her daughter Natalie Duncan enjoy breakfast at the Taste of Crepes, 617 Penn Ave., before shopping during Small Business Saturday in West Reading on Nov. 29, 2025. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

Across the caf\u00e9, West Reading resident Taryn Shillady didn\u2019t need a special occasion to visit the avenue \u2014 she shops and eats local year-round.<\/p>\n

Her 4-year-old daughter, Natalie, enjoyed a kid-themed crepe \u2014 Saturday\u2019s special was \u201cThe Grinch,\u201d dyed appropriately green. But shopping was also on the agenda, at least for Mom.<\/p>\n

:I\u2019ll definitely be looking around because I like small rather than big box,\u201d Shillady said.<\/p>\n

Supporting small businesses is personal for Shillady, who is the marketing director for Lee Myles Autocare & Transmissions, a business that partners with small shops in the area.<\/p>\n

Penn Avenue was lined with activity throughout the morning and into the afternoon. Volunteers handed out canvas shopping totes at Sixth and Penn, where a kiosk sold West Reading-themed shirts and sweatshirts. A DJ played music nearby while families waited for Santa, who posed for free photos from noon to 3 p.m.<\/p>\n

North Sixth Avenue was closed to traffic for the festivities.<\/p>\n

\"DisplayingDisplaying West Reading merchandise that will be awarded as prizes are business owners Allison Shannon and Brian Adams during Small Business Saturday in West Reading on Nov. 29, 2025. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

Two merchants helping run the day\u2019s events \u2014 Allison Shannon, owner of Allison Clothing Company & Boutique, 522 Penn Ave., and Brian Adams, owner of The Art Room, 633 Penn Ave. \u2014 said Small Business Saturday is vital for the district.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the bread and butter of our local communities,\u201d said Shannon, who has spent 14 years on the avenue. \u201cWithout it, there\u2019s no community feeling. Everything today is so digital and quick. When you come to West Reading, you become family with our customers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adams said Penn Avenue has evolved dramatically.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew stores are coming in, old ones are going out, and with support, that\u2019s what keeps us alive,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re really the heart of the county.\u201d<\/p>\n

The avenue\u2019s variety \u2014 restaurants, boutiques, specialty shops \u2014 makes it easy for shoppers to find something for nearly everyone, Adams added. The weekly farmers market and a slate of year-round promotions keep momentum going.<\/p>\n

Nick Price, West Reading\u2019s Main Street manager, called the day the kickoff of the holiday season for merchants.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur businesses have already started decorating the windows,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is an important month for them, and today brings a little fun with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to Santa and the DJ, shoppers could spin a prize wheel for $5, with guaranteed winnings donated by avenue businesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe even have a heated tent giving out free massages,\u201d Price said with a laugh. \u201cIt\u2019s all about bringing people out and supporting the avenue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"HighHigh School friends stroll down Penn Avenue during Small Business Saturday in West Reading on Nov. 29, 2025. From left are Arden Heimbach, 17, of Sprnig Township; Mia Haas, 18, of Shillington; and Sasha Schaeffer, 19, of Exeter Township. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)
\n\"SherrieSherrie Srause of Adamstown decorates a tree at the Santa display during Small Business Saturday in West Reading on Nov. 29, 2025. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The early birds were out on Penn Avenue long before the Small Business Saturday crowds kicked into full…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":47916,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,182,139,28,128,130,129,706,707],"class_list":{"0":"post-47915","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-reading","8":"tag-berks-county","9":"tag-local-news","10":"tag-news","11":"tag-pennsylvania","12":"tag-reading-city","13":"tag-reading-city-headlines","14":"tag-reading-city-news","15":"tag-top-stories-reg","16":"tag-west-reading"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47915\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}