Last week, we told you about the ongoing renovation and expansion at the Hard Rock Cafe on Market Street, next to the Reading Reading Terminal Market. Directly across the street is a vacant commercial space that’s been empty now for a couple of years, since sports bar Champps closed a couple of years ago.

Former Champps

Now, we like a good photo of the Rocky statue as much as anyone, but is anyone else a little surprised that this space has sat vacant for so long? And isn’t it likewise strange that a sports bar couldn’t hold things down in a space connected to a Convention Center hotel? Any thoughts on a business that could succeed here?