The bad news keeps coming.
The Lear Company was a major employer in Carlisle for decades. It was formerly Masland, which made carpeting. A few years ago, it employed 1,200 people. Now, it was announced that the last 150 jobs will be eliminated.
http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/122352811580000.xml&coll=1A couple months ago, it was announced that Mack Truck's large headquarters would be shut down in Allentown. They are merging administrative operations with their parent company in North Carolina.
Many car dealerships have shut down and many more soon will. They can survive one or two bad years, but not 3 in a row.
Many businesses can't get financing for their own inventory or for their customers to buy their products. Existing lines of credit that businesses relied upon are being cancelled, even for businesses with excellent credit.
In my area, we are also seeing many churches close. Many were struggling, but now heating bills are putting them over the edge. My local charity thrift shop even had to shut down.