This was my great new discovery of the weeken and it made my day. It you are a fan of a cozy brick…read moreand mortar bookstore filled with reading treasures this is the place for you. What a great addition to downtown Phoenixville! The staff was super friendly and very knowledgeable!

I'm conflicted, really, on this one…read more I was super excited to see Reads & Company open, and right across the street from the Colonial Theater, where Lion and I spend a lot of time. We are both bibliophiles and cinephiles. I have spent so much time in bookstores browsing, discovering, exploring. A day comes when I got to town before Lion. Having time to kill before the movie we were going to see, I head over to Reads to check it out. Out front is a blackboard sign that's cute, good sign. The space is deep and somewhat narrow, which is pretty normal for the age of the architecture. You work with what you have. I first see a board of upcoming author events with books stacked below, in case someone wants to pick up the book in advance. Nice merchandising move, I think. Then I start checking out the stacks lining the walls and arranged on tables. The presentation is clean, sleek with warm tones. There are A LOT of titles here, and typically 1-2 copies of each, which is smart. Maximizing shelf space, with just-in-time supply chains you're not risking being 'out' much. The selection skews towards topical issues in politics, biographies, business, etc, and fiction. A selection of staff recommendations with write ups. There is in the back a children's section with a nook for kids to hang out in that's shaped like a rocket ship. Some absolutely adorable onesies. A perfunctory but respectable selection of YA and SciFi and Literature. No humor or books on movies/directors, which I thought would be a nice tie with the historic theater. They do have local authors in a section and some history of the local area, which is cool. Staff were very friendly once I initiated conversation, and I don't mind that. As a more introverted person I find that too bright a greeting, too much chat, especially in a place to bury myself in a book, is off-putting. They were great, really. The struggle: There are no places for anyone over the age of, say, 4, to sit, unless it's the sleek wood floor. Even in the children's area there's no place for the grownups to sit. Also, those onesies are cute and a missed opportunity for toddler and youth gear, even some adult gear of the same style and feel. If your kid's out of onesies but REALLY WANTS that Pigeon Drives the Bus onesie, you've got an unhappy toddler. This is not a place that wants you to stick around. As I struggled with how to describe it, I would say that it's most like a bookstore you'd find in an airport or a train station. A well stocked shop to spend maybe 15-20 mins in finding an acceptable title and then go on your way. This is not *bad*, it's probably a great business model for a customer looking for a book that an author just talked about on The Daily Show or just got a review in the WSJ. The quandary for me is simply that I'm not that customer, which means I may stop back in, but I wouldn't make a special trip. I want to say "Yay I'm a fan" because for whatever reason 3 stars is perceived as 'bad' but truly, it's A-OK. Not my kind of place, but a great place for a different kind of customer than I. I wish them great success as they court that customer, truly.

I enjoy taking my kids there. Knowledgeable and friendly staff. Would recommend to everyone.read more

Not my favorite B&N. Vibe can feel pretentious & unwelcoming. Asked if they had a magazine in-stock…read more& was given a mix of insults & excuses. "Are you sure this title is in print?" ME: Yes, for sure. "Because..." ME: Because lots of magazines have gone digital, I'm aware, this is for sure in print. "This could be a magazine that only grocery stores carry." ME: Well I've purchased it here before, not specifically this store, but Wyomissing location. "Oh, well, we clean up our magazines, they don't do their job there." A simple, "Iooks like we don't have it" will suffice. I kinda wanna say (but don't) you have a lot of attitude for a store that has a broke-azz escalator & none of the magazines I want. It's unnecessary to run down another location & the point is wasted, cause if Wyo "not doing their job" means a broader selection of magazines to choose from, guess where I'm heading next time! At the register I'm asked if I want to use my rewards which are greater than the purchase I'm making. I reply sorta rhetorically, sure so long as I won't lose the difference. Said to me sarcastically, "Yeah, we're just gonna throw them all away!" WTF. Glad I was having a chill day & didn't respond w/ equal sarcasm, "right, cause rewards, points, coupons, these things never expire or have rules." No seating. Tight cafe area. Right-Fighter employees. Disappointing magazine selection.

Phoenixville has some great food, parks, playgrounds, and people. I've had many experiences there…read moreshopping, dining, and playing with my kid. However this review is specifically about the borough's annual Firebird Festival, which has been on my radar for years (tickets sold out too quickly), and I finally made it this year, which luckily was the first year it was open to all / free to all! If you want to do the Firebird Festival, here are some tips from my experience. When they say they light the bird at 8pm, YES IT WILL BE LIT AT 8pm, AND IT WILL HAVE BURNED DOWN TO ITS FEET BY 8:15pm!!!! My last photo was taken at 8:13pm, as I walked away, and the structure had burned, collapsed, and was just a big bonfire + phoenix claws. And SO MANY PEOPLE were still descending on the park, thinking "it's only 8:15, I've got plenty of time" ummm, no. I passed at least 300 people wondering if any of them understood that all that was left was good live music and some drunk hook-up options. But the party continues until 11pm, so for the childless crowd, there you go. If you do care to see the bird, be there at least a half hour before 8pm. The drum procession into the field happens at 7:30, and is very cool to see, plus is a part of the ceremony and theatrics of it all. Then, dancing, chant music, fire dancers, etc. all circle 'round the bird. You can really see all they've developed over the years in the choreography, creativity, and attention to details. There were a lot of kids there, babies to teens, all ages. I was worried about my preschooler being afraid of the fire, or the idea of burning an animal figure. I made sure to show some kid-friendly YouTube videos ahead of time, and educate about this mythological creature, and it's meaning. I stressed that a new young bird rises from the ashes, according to legend, and that this bird was pretend, made of wood by volunteers. They ask for people to bring lunches to the volunteers in the months (yes, building starts in SEPTEMBER) leading up to the festival, and if I'd had time I would have done that and taken my kid to see that process. It's my plan for next year. Anyway, it went over pretty well. No kids were crying. Mine was a little sad at first, but then pretty fascinated by the fire. I don't recommend positioning yourself close to the fire with kids; it's scary and overwhelming for them. My preschooler was a little nervous when we were somewhat close, but did better from afar, where we saw a lot more kids as we walked out. The show really is something worth checking out at least once. They make a different style of bird each year (always a phoenix, but in different poses and styles). The bird is always about 25' high, made of wood. This year the bird had rainbow lights as eyes, and a mechanical beak that opened and closed. It also had a plume of branches sticking out its head. It looked partridge-y, but still I could distinctly see a phoenix. It was beautiful! As you can see in my photos, they projected a colorful light show into the body of the bird, which was equally beautiful. In addition to the phoenix, there are vendors, food options, and live music. A Boy Scout troop was selling hot chocolate ($3/cup) and offering apple bread and brownies but asking for donations on those. Sadly, a lot of people just took the baked goods and gave nothing, which was totally despicable. Those kids were working so hard, and giving up their own leisure time to enjoy the festival so these greedy drunk-high jerks could rob their baked goods. Ew! The live music was really very quiet. I had a hard time hearing it 50' away. There are residences all around Veterans Memorial Park, where it's held, so I guess noise had to be kept down. Stinks. Speaking of, there were a row of port-a-potties available, and the scent of weed every 3 square feet, with a cop every 10 square feet. Multiple fire engines were right nearby and ready. Everything was extremely well organized. There were police officers controlling traffic, guarding blocked off roads, and there to assist in the crowds. Shuttle busses ran from three different municipal lots (all full very early), and walking was possible from the downtown area, if you were up for a 1.5mi journey. We had best luck parking by a church in a nearby residential neighborhood, and walking from there with a stroller. I definitely recommend the Firebird Festival! But make it your focus of the evening. Everyone who thought they'd have a nice dinner downtown and then catch the shuttle or walk over to the festival was sorely disappointed to arrive when there was nothing left to see.

They have public parking lots with signs saying if you are a veteran you can park in that specific…read morespot and the sign says thank you for your service as long as you have a PA DMV veteran plate but it's a joke. My assumption was you will get complimentary parking but you won't. They will ticket you. Just another slap in the face from some borough that pretends to honor veterans but is only paying lip service. It is becoming all to common in this day and age. There are plenty of other places to go and have a nice dinner without parking fees and a fake thank you.

Integrity and sales are not always in concert. HOWEVER, the folks at audiolab were exceedingly…read morehelpful, communicating extensively, after hours and weekends. They gave insightful answers to my questions. Their integrity is exceptional. They put service above sales. This creates trust, thereby increasing sales. Great job, Greg hall

George took great care of my concerns as Cambridge took a while to ship an urgently needed…read morecomponent. The service has been outstanding and very communicative.

The staff was friendly and the collection of books was extensive. The store itself was clean and…read moreorganized. I loved the children's area.

Wonderful little gem. They have great taste and staff. I love their welcoming signs making everyone…read morefeel safe. Way to go Towne Book Center!! Can't wait to visit again soon. Thanks again

I am very pleased of the servicing of my 45 year old Nikko receiver and Phillips turntable. Bryan…read moreand Rebecca kept me updated on the various phases of the inspection, quotation and when the units were ready to be picked up. The entire process was comfortable and professional. I am happy to have located their services and would recommend others to consider Lang Design to service your audio equipment.

Found out about Bryan & Rebecca on a vintage gear site, and took my Kenwood KR-10000iii to them…read more Their process is well thought out-keeping the customer updated as to every phase of the repair. Prices are very reasonable and I am MORE than satisfied with their work. Will be using them again!

I had problems with our complex audio-visual system in our home. I was not able to watch TV in our…read morefamily room. I called several local audio-visual companies and got no response! I tried Surrounds Sounds and John called me back right away. We spoke over the phone and he asked intelligent questions because he is a subject matter expert. After some button pressing and equipment resets, we have our system working again. John was super professional and pleasant to deal with and I highly recommend them for all your home or business audio-visual needs. Mark G.

Smooth service. Each person we encountered had great expertise about the equipment in store…read more Installation was seamless, and best of all, they continue to support us when we encounter a challenge with technology.