Posted: 3:49 pm EST November 23, 2010Updated: 10:11 am EST November 24, 2010
READING, Pa. -- Anyone who has ever stepped foot inside The Peanut Bar in downtown Reading may very well have met the man behind much of the establishment's success. Harold Leifer represented the second generation of the family that has owned the bar and restaurant in the 300 block of Penn Street since 1933. Leifer passed away Monday. He was 85. In a 2004 interview with 69 News, Leifer talked a little bit about The Peanut Bar's success over the decades. ?Everybody seems to like peanuts," he said. "So the peanuts, and the beverages, and the food seem to go hand in hand. And besides, the government says peanuts are healthy for you.? 2004 Interview: Harold Leifer Talks About Peanuts But even the peanuts don't go all the way back to the bar's beginnings. Jimmie Kramer opened the location as The Old Central Cafe in 1933. The peanuts followed two years later, with Kramer insisting his customers toss the cracked shells on the floor. Leifer took over leadership of the bar after marying one of Kramer's daughters, Beatie. He would later turn management over to his son, Michael, representing the third generation. But Harold Leifer always remained a familiar face at The Peanut Bar, right up until his recent illness. And his commitment to the community spread beyond the front doors on Penn Street. He was also a major advocate for development in and around downtown Reading. Many of those whose lives he touched over the years will gather at the Peanut Bar at 6:00 this evening "to toast Harold's wonderful life and share happy memories of the grand gentleman of Penn Street," said Councilwoman Donna Reed, (D) Reading. Services will be held at 1:00 Wednesday afternoon at the Kesher Zion Synagogue in Reading. Copyright 2010 WFMZ. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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