Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1281965
100 PERHAPS WHEN LIZ WHITELAM, OWNER OF THE independent Downtown Reading bookstore Whitelam Books, looks back on these months when COVID-19 interrupted business as usual, she'll remember lots of windows. ere were the backseat car windows that customers rolled down to let Whitelam pass book orders through for curbside pickup. ere were the kids, hands pressed against their living room or kitchen windows, who greeted Whitelam with, "Yay, the book lady is here!" when she arrived at their doorstep to deliver books, puzzles, and games. And there were the hand-lettered inspirational quotes and positive affirmations on downtown Read- ing shop windows—written on the glass by Reading artist Antea Amoroso of Antea Amo- roso Design to spread positivity and cheer. e message on the window at Whitelam Downtown Reading Books reads, "Reading gives us somewhere to go when we have to stay where we are." e COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on many small local businesses and downtowns, but Whitelam says she's been thankful for the support that Reading resi- Clockwise from left, downtown Reading, tree- lined neighborhood, Biltmore & Main; Lisa Egan is the executive director of the Reading-North Reading Chamber of Commerce. dents and the town itself have shown for local downtown businesses throughout the crisis. She says from the very beginning, residents were sharing online messages of encourage- ment and reminding each other to shop lo- cally and support local businesses. "Part of the zeitgeist here is supporting the Shop Local movement," Whitelam says. "It was comforting knowing going into this that this is how we are as a community." Such a zeitgeist makes sense, given the transformation that the downtown Reading neighborhood is currently undergoing. Earlier this year, Northshore magazine reported on the ReImagine Reading Downtown initiative, which Erin Schaeffer, Reading's economic development director, described as an effort "to create a downtown organization, and that organization is created in partnership with the town." e support for downtown businesses during the pandemic has extended to eater- ies, too, with the town and the Reading-North Reading Chamber of Commerce partnering to provide eight sets of bright-green sidewalk bistro tables and chairs, allowing coffee shop and restaurant patrons to meet a friend out- side with their takeout. "We recognize that many restaurants and businesses are struggling," says Lisa Egan, ex- ecutive director of the Reading-North Reading Chamber of Commerce. "People like the fact that we have a walkable downtown…so we wanted that to continue, especially now with so much uncertainty." PHOTOGRAPHS BY DOUG LEVY WINDOW TO THE FUTURE N O R T H S H O R E N E I G H B O R H O O D S