After 'Long Road,' Perfecto's Developers Tear Down Main Street Building

It’s been a long time coming. But there’s finally progress on one Reading development project.

Approved in 2009 to build at the lot of the former tuxedo shop at 285 Main Street, Perfecto’s Caffe developers finally knocked down the old building last week.

According to staff planner Jessie Wilson, the site came with a variety of environmental concerns that needed to be addressed before work could be completed. Those plans are now in the past, and a workers were putting the finishing touches on the demolition Friday afternoon.

“We are happy to see them be able to at least pull that building down,” said Wilson. “It’s a small site, but very challenging.”

There are currently Perfecto Caffe locations in Andover, North Andover, Peabody, Tewksbury and Kennebunk, Maine. The restaurant serves bagels,

Developers for the newest location had to get a special permit to construct and go through a site plan in addition to meeting with Conservation Commission.

Though the building is down, there is still some work to be done before construction can begin. Wilson said the business still needs to apply for the rest of its building permits, and she is not aware of a timeline for when that may happen.

Still, the demolition of the original building was a major milestone.

“It was very exciting for us,” said Wilson. “It’s been a long road to get to this point, so a lot of people are excited to see that building come down.”