There was a time when the booming city of Reading boasted several great department stores.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading,_Pennsylvania
In 1877, Calvin K. Whitner opened a dry goods and notions store in Reading.
Mr. Whitner’s long career as a retailer is a classic “rags-to-riches” story of advancement through perseverance and diligence.
A spectacular fire destroyed the first store in April of 1911.
By October of 1911, Whitner opened a new store, a five-story department store.
I believe that this postcard, not mailed, depicts the “new” Whitner Store of 1911.
Some shoppers considered Whitner’s to carry the finest goods in Reading.
Others preferred Pomeroy’s, another retail giant of Reading and southeast Pennsylvania.
The Pomeroys and Whitners were great business rivals, but both stores followed a similar trajectory.
This store closed in June of 1981, the last of the Whitner locations to close.
(The Whitner Store building was razed in 2004.)
The Pomeroy’s store in downtown Reading closed in March of 1985, and the building was demolished in 1995.
