Vintage neon signs

[Frunobulax]

This one is different:

View attachment 116005 View attachment 116006

and very Fedora Lounge-y

That's great. What is the business?


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Turned into lofts a few yrs ago.

 

[3fingers]

Western Auto was a staple in my grandparents lives. Appliances, housewares, farm supplies, tools, auto parts whatever. Other than groceries, if you needed it, Western Auto probably had it.

 

[BobHufford]

This was our Western Auto (circa 1973).

 

[Hurricane Jack]

In the small town where I grew up we had a Firestone Tire Store on the square. At Christmas time they would sell toys like train sets & pressed tin cars, gas stations, etc. My grandma would always take me in there during the holiday season. To this day the smell of new tires reminds me of those days.

 

[Fading Fast]

That's great. What is the business?


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

Just a pic I found on line, but the caption said "Ballroom Dancing," so, my guess, either a dance studio advertising lessons or a dinner and ballroom dancing type of venue.

 

[LizzieMaine]

We sold Firestone tires, so we could order anything we needed thru the Firestone catalog -- my grandparents had an impressive Firestone Air Chief radio-phonograph in the living room, we rode Firestone bicycles, had a Firestone lawn mower, and at Christmas time always listened to Firestone holiday record albums.

There are a lot of auto-parts chains in the US today, but none of them seem to handle the range of full-service merchandise the Firestone, Western Auto, and B. F. Goodrich stores once did. Canada still has Canadian "Crappy" Tire, which is I guess the last surviving example of this type of chain.

 

[Fading Fast]

We sold Firestone tires, so we could order anything we needed thru the Firestone catalog -- my grandparents had an impressive Firestone Air Chief radio-phonograph in the living room, we rode Firestone bicycles, had a Firestone lawn mower, and at Christmas time always listened to Firestone holiday record albums.

There are a lot of auto-parts chains in the US today, but none of them seem to handle the range of full-service merchandise the Firestone, Western Auto, and B. F. Goodrich stores once did. Canada still has Canadian "Crappy" Tire, which is I guess the last surviving example of this type of chain.

Were those items from a for-the-general-public catalog or a dealer-only catalog?

...and at Christmas time always listened to Firestone holiday record albums.....

How crazy is that. Were they all in-the-public-domain recordings or did they actually go through the process and pay up for licensing fees?

 

[Frunobulax]

We sold Firestone tires, so we could order anything we needed thru the Firestone catalog -- my grandparents had an impressive Firestone Air Chief radio-phonograph in the living room, we rode Firestone bicycles, had a Firestone lawn mower, and at Christmas time always listened to Firestone holiday record albums.

There are a lot of auto-parts chains in the US today, but none of them seem to handle the range of full-service merchandise the Firestone, Western Auto, and B. F. Goodrich stores once did. Canada still has Canadian "Crappy" Tire, which is I guess the last surviving example of this type of chain.

I seem to remember Mom and Dad having one of those albums, mixed in with Ray Coniff.

Western Auto was the go-to place for Flexible Flyers.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The Firestone albums were an outgrowth of the "Voice of Firestone" radio/TV program, and they ponied up for some pretty decent original recordings featuring Broadway/concert/semiclassical/opera talent, in line with the format of the Firestone broadcasts. Goodrich put out their own competing line of records, which were reissues of existing material licensed from the big labels, but most of the Firestone material was specially recorded just for them. You still find these albums at any well-stocked flea market or yard sale.

As for the rest of the merchandise Firestone put out a pretty decent retail catalog -- you'd order your stuff like you would from Sears or Wards, and you had the choice of mail or express delivery, or you could pick it up at your local Firestone dealer.

Dealers, of course, had the advantage of ordering stuff for themselves at wholesale rates, and if the contents of my grandparents' house is any indication, they took frequent advantage of this privilege. For a long time I thought tires were just a secondary line for Firestone based on all the other stuff we had around with their logo on it. Even now I've got a Firestone TV set in my office.

 

[Fading Fast]

⇧ Great stuff Lizzie - thank you. That Firestone and Goodrich had such extensive catalogs had completely passed me by, not only growing up, but up until today (and despite all my "vintage / old stuff" interests).

We were regular Sears customers and occasion Montgomery Ward and S&H Green Stamp ones, but I don't ever remember a catalog or stuff from tire companies in ours or friends' houses.

Oh, and the perfect dad in the perfect 1954 family is holding a vista-dome train car in his hand (scale seems off to the other train cars though).

 

[2jakes]

"Gone But Not Forgotten”

Christmas catalog.
Like Ralphie I made sure my folks got the message on what was needed
and expounded on how practical it would be doing errands and so on.

My first bicycle and is just as good as the day I got it many many moons ago.

Western Flyer Deluxe X-53
I found out later my mom had put it on layaway for Christmas.
($59.99) That was a lot of moola back then.
Bless her heart!

 

[Fading Fast]

Another version of our old friend the palm tree with climbing monkeys, plus "Panel Ray Heat" (and if you stay here, you're not far from the local ice-cream place):

And our rule: make your sign a giant version of what you sell. Plus, cool heat waves in neon and some solid Art Deco neon design.

 

[2jakes]

Before McDonalds or Taco Bell roamed the country there was...

 

[LizzieMaine]

"Cocanut" Grove? I've heard of the "Cocoanut Grove" and the "Coconut Grove," but never the "Cocanut" Grove. Unless a "cocanut" is a guy in an aqua sport coat sniffing white powder up a rolled up dollar bill. That I've had experience with.

 

[2jakes]

Nothing was as terrifying as this :

when I went "live" and my studio
Cameras were not set at the start
of the 6 0'clock newscast!

 

[Fading Fast]

Before McDonalds or Taco Bell roamed the country there was...
View attachment 116094

Really good dippity-do swirl at the top of the cone. Kudos to the neon artist on that one.

 

[2jakes]

Really good dippity-do swirl
at the top of the cone. Kudos to the neon artist on that one.

The sign was the best thing about DQ.
The swirly cone ice cream had a chalky
flat flavor. But for a nickel a cone, it was
ok for a kid.
IMO, the most delicious flavors were the malted ice cream concoctions from
Walgreens or Sommers Rexall Pharmacies.
There you could always find the soda fountains in the rear or side of the store.

Entering these places the odor of medicine or vitamin
pills was the first thing that hit your senses.

Proceeding to the soda fountains the greasy aroma of French fries and burgers took over.
The sound of Little Richard or Chuck Beery on the jukebox completed the picture of a day after school.
On fridays I would take my school books home for the weekend, which remained
unopened until Monday morning and my priority was thinking of an excuse for
why I did not do my homework.

 

[BobHufford]

The sound of Little Richard or Chuck Beery on the jukebox completed the picture of a day after school.

Any relation to Wallace Beery?

 

[2jakes]

Any relation to Wallace Beery?

They both love hats and a good drink!