View allAll Photos Tagged SignGeeks,
Petersburg, VA
Looks like there are a few ghost signs going on here -- the Nash is the most obvious, but I also see 5¢ on the left, which I believe was part of the Coca-Cola signage. There are other words along the top, too. And who knows what the bright yellow street art covered up?
mamiya 6MF 50mm f/4 + kodak portra 160NC, 10sec exposure on tripod. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: filmtagger.
Everett. MA
It's a good thing there's a small hill across the street, otherwise I don't think I'd have been able to get the whole sign in the photo! This wonderful old neon scaffold sign was a bucket list must-shoot for me and it was great to finally see it in person. The neon doesn't work now but I didn't care.
Teddie Peanut Butter was introduced during the Great Depression by the Leavitt Corporation and it's still being produced. I bought a jar of it at a local grocery store while in Massachusetts but unfortunately something happened to the bag it was in and when home, we discovered the top had cracked and leaked. Sigh. The perils of travelling.
Columbus, OH
Buckeye Donuts refers to itself as a "Columbus Classic" and indeed, it's been serving the locals since 1969. Located right in the heart of the Ohio State campus area, this fun sign caught my eye as we explored this extremely busy and bustling area.
Columbus, OH
From the Cinema Treasures web site:
"The Livingston Theatre was a neighborhood theatre that opened in 1946 on the east side of Columbus. The marquee still has “Livingston” in stainless steel letters across the front of the building.
From 1967 it was renamed Gayety-Livingstone Theatre, playing gay adult movies. By 1976 it became the Club Columbus Baths, a gay bathhouse, which later was renamed The Flex Club, still a gay bath house, which occupied the theatre until late-2011. In late-2012 proposals were made to renovate the theatre. In early-2019 the auditorium was demolished and senior housing will be built on the site. The façade has been saved."
Orlando, FL
This wonderful store has been in business in Orlando since 1954, and moved into this location -- which once was a Publix supermarket -- in 1973. They have a great exterior, with all those glass blocks, the neon signage, plus the old clock. Inside, it's a photographer's paradise ... and if you're a model train aficionado, you'll be in heaven here.
El Monte, CA
Yes, I shot into the sun. A no-no, I know. But after editing the RAW file, I liked the results. Kinda groovy :-)
Wildwood, NJ
I LOVE old, rusty, grungy signs. Despite that love, I know they aren't attractive to potential customers. I love the look of this sign but I probably wouldn't have stayed there, given the condition of the sign. I checked on google streetview and the Beach Holiday Motel must have realized their sign wasn't good for business, as they spiffied it up some time after I took this photo.
Honestly.....I wish their business well but I am glad I got a photo of it before the change.
a decaying and forgotten 1970s-era billboard along old route 66 in california's mojave desert.
mamiya 6MF 75mm f/3.5 + ilford delta 100 @64. lab: processed as a sepia-toned BW transparency by the dr5 film lab in stuart, iowa. scan: epson V750. exif tags: lenstagger.
Route/US 301
Ocala, FL
There's an old neon vacancy sign...an old, yellowed, plastic information sign...an old, bright yellow, bulb arrow missing the bulbs...and a fairly new, blue, Dixie Motel sign, although the metal casing looks rusty. A lot going on here!
Vero Beach, FL
From Wikipedia:
"The Vero Theatre (also known as the Florida Theatre or Theatre Plaza) is a historic theater in Vero Beach, Florida. Located at 2036 14th Avenue, the Vero Theatre was designed in the Mediterranean Revival style by architect F.H. Trimble. It opened on October 14, 1924 as the city's first motion picture theater with its first feature film being the Hunchback of Notre Dame. The theatre became the center of the fight to remove Indian River from St. Lucie County as a result of local blue laws prohibiting Sunday film viewing. Governor John W. Martin created Indian River County in the theatre in May 1925. On April 28, 1992, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The Theatre closed in 1985 when other multiplex theatres opened nearby. The last film shown was Desperately Seeking Susan.
The building is one of the few remaining structures of the original downtown. It is currently vacant, though there have been numerous attempts made to renovate the structure. The last attempt at renovation was done by developer Robert L. Brackett. His attempts were halted by the storms of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season.["
on the carnival midway at the 71st annual carrot festival in california's imperial valley. mamiya 6MF 50mm f/4 + kodak portra 400. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: lenstagger.
Los Angeles, CA
This ornate neon sign is full of great details, like the chicken in a basket, and the lovely flower at the top. I didn't get a photograph of it at night but I bet it's stunning when all lit up.
North Wildwood, NJ
I wish there were more signs like this terrific neon beauty at the Matador Oceanfront Resort.
Los Angeles, CA
After being open for nearly 100 years, this eastside landmark in the Boyle Heights neighbourhood of LA closed its doors for good earlier this year (2021). I'm so glad I was able to photograph it on our first visit to Los Angeles back in 2014.
The LAist web site reported on this closure back in May:
"At one time, the massive, 2-million-square-foot retail complex at Olympic Boulevard and Soto Street was one of several large Sears distribution centers located around the country. It first opened its doors in 1927.
For the generations of Angelenos whose families shopped there — climbing that long flight of stairs at the entrance, inhaling the smell of popcorn, gazing up at the tower’s green neon glow — the Boyle Heights Sears is more than a piece of history. It's inextricably tied to the experience of growing up on the Eastside. And the memories go back many decades.
It’s still not clear exactly what will replace the old Sears. A developer bought the complex in 2013, and possibilities for the site’s future — as housing, retail and more — have been discussed back and forth for many years."
And The Eastsider had this to say: "The building opened in 1927 as a mail order warehouse for the department store chain, with employees on roller skates racing around the structure to fill orders."
How cool is that?! Sad to see this iconic location close; I sure hope it's preserved somehow.
On US 1
North Attleboro, MA
Okay...this one requires an explanation. The reason behind "never any vacancies"? It's because there is no actual motel there! Not any more.
This is the site of the former Arns Park Motel, which opened in 1923. The word MOTEL and the wonderful red pointer/arrow are not new, but the rest of the sign was, as you can see, painted over by the new owners of the property (Boch Toyota South) about ten years ago, who tore down the motel (and had an on-site farmhouse moved to Virginia) to make room for automobile storage. Have a look through the slideshow at this site and you'll be able to see the sign before its, um, transformation.
www.thesunchronicle.com/vip/features/nostalgia/our-abando...
Los Angeles, CA
This was taken on a wonderful bus tour highlighting all the terrific "neon at night" to be found in DTLA. In my California album, you'll find my photo of the rooftop neon scaffold sign for the Rosslyn, but here's one of the sign down the side of this old former hotel.
(The tour was held by MONA, the Museum of Neon Art, headquartered in Glendale. If you have a chance, do visit if you're in the area -- and if you get the chance to do one of their bus tours, don't miss it!)
On US 30 (Lincoln Hwy); Irwin, PA
Berk's offers both clothing and dry-cleaning -- I love their sign with its huge, colourful, diamond-shaped letters.
From their website:
"Since 1917, Berk's Menswear and Tuxedo Shop has been outfitting men for work lives, casual lives, special events, and every occasion in-between. We offer a premier selection of fine clothing and accessories for casual, business, big and tall, and formal wear - from the quality designers you prefer at a price you'll appreciate.
With expert on-site tailoring and a professional dry-cleaning service, Berk's is your one and only stop for value, selection and style.
Fashions change, but our commitment to award-winning customer service does not. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review readers have voted us their favorite men's clothing and tuxedo shop for 10 years running. Stop in and see why Berk's should be your outfitter for life."
San Diego, California
I've only been to San Diego once and the time there was extremely limited, but this was on my list of signs to hunt down during my brief visit there.
The sign says since 1950, but online, the original owner's son, who currently owns and runs Wonder Weavers, says the business was established in 1946. It's still in business but no longer at the location of this sign, which stands at the original location on El Cajon Blvd. There are holes in the sign which, I assume, indicates the long-ago presence of neon.
The world famous Blue Swallow Motel. I have had a thing for this place for over two decades now. November 30, 2018: The day had been totally socked in by ugly leaden clouds. Then, just as the sun began to set the wind picked up and this began to happen. In full afterburner mode I shot the hell out of Tucumcari 66 with everything in my collection, favoring the Sony A7R-iii and the Velvia 50 packing Fuji GW690.
This is the Velvia 50 film shot, camera scanned with the aforementioned Sony. With my new 90mm Sony macro lens, I am resolving grain even in medium format film. So I'd say I am probably getting 95 percent of what is on this film. And that last five percent would probably demand something like a Hasselblad Flextight. At a cool $26,000, that is not going to happen. Good enough for a 24x36 print is good enough for me.
mamiya 6MF 50mm f/4 + kodak portra 160. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: filmtagger.
Columbus, OH
Plastic-fantastic, neon, and bulbs (well, missing bulbs) along with a nifty red arrow -- all in all, a very cool sign.
Niagara Falls, NY
Elsewhere in my Flickr photos I have a closeup shot of this sign, taken at night. The very night this shot was taken, to be exact. I had to return that night after taking day shots, hoping it would be lit up. I was so glad it was.
The motel is neat and appears well-kept, and the sign is in great shape too, at least at the top. If you look close though, you'll see the rust.