Saturday December 23, 2017 11:13 PM

Many stores in the once-thriving complex are closing today.

Wyomissing, PA —

The final shopping days before Christmas were bittersweet for some bargain hunters at the VF Outlet Center in Wyomissing.

Stores in some of the buildings are slated to close today.

"We've been here more than 30 years," said an employee of the Samsonite outlet, who declined to be identified. "Longtime customers have been coming in and asking, 'What are we going to do?' "

The luggage store will close today at 5 p.m. Any remaining stock will be transferred to Samsonite stores in Lancaster, King of Prussia or elsewhere, she said.

Francine Preston of Wernersville browsed carry-ons, looking for a bargain among items marked down 60 percent.

"I am shopping both for myself and Christmas gifts," she said. "I am specifically looking for good deals."

Preston said she is updating her luggage and bought some things at the outlet last week. She returned to pick out a few more items.

At the Rawlings Sporting Goods Factory Store shopping traffic was steady all morning, said supervisor Al Oldham.

Oldham, 28, of Reading has worked at Rawlings for two years.

"The Christmas season is always good for us," he said. "People come in to buy baseball gloves and other supplies for their children for Christmas."

Oldham credited a surge in December shoppers to the holiday season and the store's liquidation sale. After closing at 5 p.m. today, Rawlings will move to the Rockvale Outlet Center along Route 30 in Lancaster County.

The many empty parking spaces Saturday stood in stark contrast to the jammed lot of the outlet center's heyday in the 1980s and '90s when thousands arrived from New York, Philadelphia and other cities.

But some still drove a distance Saturday in the quest for reduced prices.

Dr. Michele Jones, 56, an Allentown physician, said she has been shopping at VF for years. She took a rare day off to hunt for bargains and visit area family.

"Merry Christmas to me," she said, browsing a rack of blouses.

Jazmin Cedillo, 11, of Coatesville pushed a cart full of goods for her father's girlfriend, Rosa Idrovo, 49, also of Coatesville.

The pair were doing some last minute Christmas shopping for friends and family in the Big Blue building. Jazmin also picked out a soft fleece Christmas blanket for herself.

They plan a return trip to the outlets in spring after the stores in the VF Corp.'s family move to VF's Designer Place.

"The prices of some things are good," Idrovo said.

Contact Michelle N. Lynch: 610-371-5084 or mlynch@readingeagle.com.