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Inside the Crystal Restaurant – 1960s

Image & caption from “Berks Countians; The Wonderful Way We Live”

The Crystal Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge, well known on Penn Square, offers an excellent cuisine, fine service and delightful dining to hundreds of daily customers. Owned and founded by the Mantis Family, the restaurant recently celebrated it’s 50th anniversary with the opening of the elegant Anniversary Room. This beautiful dining room, with its fine appointments of silver linens and china, is available or banquets and social and civic affairs. It’s spacious area seats approximately 400 guests. Pictured in the Anniversary Room are: Mr. and Mrs. Mantis and Mr. and Mrs. Clifford W. Brooks.

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Reading Public Museum – 1950s

Image & caption from “Berks Countians; The Wonderful Way We Live”

Mrs. James Woodward enjoys an informal afternoon reading to a group of children on the spacious front lawn of the Reading Public Museum and Art Gallery. The Museum and Gallery house an important collection of art masterpieces, as well as an impressive scientific and historic collection. A particularly appealing feature is the garden surrounding the handsome building that borders the Wyomissing Creek. Here young children delight in feeding the ducks and swans that inhabit the area,.

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Kaleidoscope at the Berkshire Mall – 1970s

The Kaleidoscope was a store in the Berkshire Mall in the 70s. It sold jewelry, black lights and other psychedelic things. You could also get your ears pierced there. Do you remember this store?

circa 1973

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DeLuca’s Camera Center

Photo Courtesy of Ron Shurr

Deluca’s Camera Center was originally located at 617 Penn Street in Reading. It was founded in 1947 by Louis and Antoinette DeLuca.

The article above from June 1990 mentions that the store moved to 518 Penn Street from 520 Penn Street. However it mentions nothing about it’s original location on the 600 block. In the late 80s/early 90s they had multiple locations around the county.

DeLuca’s filed for bankruptcy in early 1993, and subsequently liquidated and closed by the end of the same year.