Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1198098
NORTHSHOREMAG.COM 36 JANUARY + FEBRUARY 2020 FAC E S + P L AC E S What do you love most about Reading? Is it the eclectic and delicious gourmet foods and wines from Pamplemousse? The community vibe and great reads at Whitelam Books? The train station's convenient downtown location or the pretty, old- fashioned street lamps? Those who live and work in any city or town seem to know, both anecdotally and in- tuitively, what people love about the place and what needs a refresh. But it's not often that a town gets the chance to ask its residents these very questions and shape itself into some- thing even better. That's exactly what's happening right now with ReImagine Reading Downtown, an initia- tive to create a downtown district manage- ment organization that teams the town with local businesses, organizations, residents, and property owners to provide collaborative sup- port, investments, supplemental services, and place-making projects. The ongoing goal is to make the downtown a place that residents, businesses, and visitors want to live, work, and spend time in. "It's an initiative to create a downtown organization, and that organization is created in partnership with the town," says Erin Schaeffer, the town's economic development director. The ReImagine Reading Downtown initia- tive will aim to turn up the volume on things that people already love about the town and revamp the areas that could use a little TLC. "The current strength of downtown is that it's walkable, and our infrastructure is really," says Schaeffer. "We like to call it a transporta- tion hub." It has not only the commuter rail but also MBTA bus access and bike racks, right in the town's commercial core. Reading does seem to have it all in terms of the perfect location. In addition to being a "transportation hub," it's just 12 miles from Boston and is convenient to routes 1, 95, and 93. Plus, its walkable downtown is already D A T E O F S E T T L E M E N T 1644 D A T E O F I N C O R P O R A T I O N 1644 A R E A 9.9 square miles P O P U L A T I O N 24,747 Z I P C O D E 01867 M E D I A N H O U S E H O L D I N C O M E $ 107,654 THE DETAILS Reading's historic town center and Diane Manahan of Pamplemousse PHOTOGRAPHS, TOP TO BOTTOM, BY SHUTTERSTOCK, BY ADAM PERRI home to many beloved shops and restaurants. Among them is Pamplemousse, a gourmet shop filled with fine wines, gourmet foods, craft beers, kitchen gear, housewares and gifts, thoughtfully curated gift baskets, and other culinary specialties that always seem to delight and surprise its customers. Owner Diane Ma- nahan says they rotate their wines and beers, for instance, often because "we always want to have something new for people to taste." "We put a lot of work into making it a very special place. There aren't a lot of stores like this where you can do one-stop shopping," Ma- nahan says. "It is a different type of shopping experience. We're not a packie. We're more of a