The giant “Peanuts” sign on the front of the building that houses The Peanut Shoppe is still for sale.
As far as he knows, the sign will not move when The Peanut Shoppe moves early next year from 24 South Main Street to its new location at 121 South Main Street, says co-owner Rida AbuZaineh. His last day at the old location will be December 24th. He hopes to be in the new shop in January.
He’s had offers for the sign, but, AbuZaineh says, “I don’t think anybody is serious about it.”
They’re curious, he says, and they will ask, “How much do you want for it?”
But, AbuZaineh says, “They did not get back. I never gave them a price. I said I’ll work with them.”
He doesn’t want the iconic sign to end up in a scrapyard.
The sign, which spans two stories on the front of the building, is “really valuable. It used to belong to a Planters factory. I believe so. Somewhere in Michigan. They had branches in different areas of the country.”
They originally got two signs, had them restored, and combined them into one sign in the ’90s, AbuZaineh says.
The sign is made of thin metal with plastic trimming and colorful lights. The letters are in blue and the background is white. The major frame is yellow with yellow flickering lights, which go in sequence. The sign is not neon; the letters are lit underneath.
The Peanut Shoppe opened in 1948. AbuZaineh heard it originally opened on Madison before moving to Main Street in 1951, but he’s not sure. The AbuZaineh and Lauck families became owners and partners of the establishment on January 8th, 1993.
AbuZaineh says they weren’t told until a few months before the sale that the building where his shop is now located was going to be sold. It will be turned into apartments and condos, he says.
“We shall be operating and serving you through Christmas Eve,” AbuZaineh says. “Come on down and walk through memory lane. It is an end of an era for this historical location.”
And, he says, “I have never missed a Christmas Eve in the 29 years I have been here. That is the truth. God is my witness.”
