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Summer 2015
at 123 W. main st., sits a Kutztown landmark,
marks. since 1966 students have been lining up
for their legendary cheesesteaks and alumni
often stop in to see if they’re still as good as
they used to be.
darrah Hall schlegel ’78 m’82, retired director
of federal programs for the reading school
district, was a fan of marks as a student and still
comes back for those tantalizing cheesesteaks.
“marks sandwich shop was the unofficial
annex to the cafeteria. I remember my senior
year, when I was living off campus, I was
student teaching and we had 13 days off for
inclement weather. as soon as the roads were
passable, whoever had a car made the trip to
marks so that we all had something to eat,” she
said. “during my years as a graduate student
I would frequently plan enough time to go to
marks before class. now I go with my family
every time we pass near Kutztown!”
Basin Street
Where Everyone Knows
Your Name
Students from the 1980s and later often found
themselves on the east side of Kutztown, at the
Basin Street hotel. David “chino” huang, Basin’s
owner of 21 years, says the establishment’s social
aspect is what distinguishes it from other “like”
businesses in the downtown.
eric Veronikis ’01, now a reporter for the patriot-
news/pennlive.com, remembers, “the music didn’t
drown out conversation; you could actually hear the
other people you were with in Basin Street. they
had good bands, food and atmosphere, too. i liked
that it was dimly lit and the old wooden touches
inside were cool.”
that might be music to huang’s ears, as he has
a great appreciation for preserving what Basin has
always been, honoring the establishment’s history.
after all, the building dates back to 1875, and in its
“pre-Basin” form was more of a “biker bar” called
the tender trap.
Making Its Mark
Top: Basin Street
Bottom: Ritter
& Fisher Furniture,
currently Marks.
Right: Young Ones
Record Shop, formerly
Feed & Read.