Rock City
Chattanooga, TN Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
You know you're getting close to Chattanooga when the See Rock City signs start popping up along the old highways. This one features the familiar Rock City birdhouse and bluebird, pointing travelers toward Lookout Mountain. Check out Rock City and maybe this little fellow will sing you a tune. 06-06
The roadside advertising for Rock City is almost as famous as the attraction itself. Beginning in 1935, sign painter Clark Byers traveled the highways painting "SEE ROCK CITY" on barns, eventually covering more than 900 barns in 19 states. Those little red and black Rock City birdhouses became another familiar sight along the road.
Rock City Gardens is actually just across the Tennessee line in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, though generations of travelers have associated it with nearby Chattanooga. The attraction is still open today and the See Rock City tradition continues.
UPDATE: Rock City Gardens remains open, but the fate of this particular bluebird roadside sign photographed along an old business route is unknown. 08-26
Central Jewelry
Tifton, GA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Need to know what time it is while cruising down Main Street in Tifton? Just look up at the old Central Jewelry sign. The big projecting marquee has its own clock along with the store name and, just in case you're wondering how to pay for that diamond, CASH and CREDIT spelled out right on the sign. 06-06
Central Jewelry has been a downtown Tifton fixture since 1953, when Tony Falotico opened the business. More than 70 years later, the Falotico family is still behind the counter, with the jewelry store now into its third generation.
But it's the sign hanging over the sidewalk that makes this place worth another look. The old clock, metal lettering and those CASH and CREDIT panels give it that unmistakable Main Street look from another time. You can almost picture shoppers checking the clock before stepping inside to pick out a watch or ring.
The business has changed with the times and the store itself received a major renovation in the 2020s, but fortunately they didn't modernize everything. That great old Central Jewelry sign still hangs out front, clock and all.
UPDATE: Central Jewelers remains open at its longtime Main Street location, and the vintage Central Jewelry clock sign still hangs above the sidewalk. 08-26
Raines Shoe Hospital (Gone)
Owensboro, KY Photo courtesy Sol Bermann
Need a little work done on your shoes? Just pull right in. Raines Shoe Hospital in downtown Owensboro wasn't just a shoe repair shop, it was a drive-in shoe repair shop. Yes, indeed, a shoe hospital and a drive-in type to boot! 05-06
The shop opened in 1939 and stayed in the Raines family for generations. Longtime owner Don Raines started working there when he was only 13. The drive-through was the real attraction, complete with a window and bell to announce when another customer had pulled up.
And then there's that great old sign out front, RAINES SHOE HOSPITAL with DRIVE-IN underneath. You didn't even have to get out of the car to save your soles.
UPDATE: The old Shoe Hospital was demolished in 2020 to make way for parking, and the drive-in sign was removed. 08-26
Skateland
Memphis, TN Photo courtesy Sherry McGee
Here is the Skateland sign over the entrance of a skating rink. Sadly, the building caught fire and burned a few months ago and the owner didn't carry insurance so it's not certain if the rink will reopen. The sign however still remains at this time. Many thanks to Sherry McGee for info. 07-06
Now here's a sign that's hard to roll past. The huge Skateland sign in Memphis features a winged roller skate perched high above the old rink, complete with neon wheels that once appeared to spin at night.
Skateland got its start in 1955 along Summer Avenue. When the rink moved across the street to Old Summer Road in 1963, the big Skateland sign came along for the ride. There's even a slight curve to the old framework, left over from the rounded roof of the original rink.
For years this was a familiar Memphis skating spot, with another sign reminding passing motorists to "Roller Skate for Your Health." Sounds like pretty good advice, especially with a sign like this waiting outside.
Skateland closed in 2006 after a fire damaged the building. The old rink was later repurposed, but fortunately that giant winged skate and Skateland sign are still hanging around.
UPDATE: It appears that the Skateland sign is for sale. Please contact me if interested. Many thanks to Todd Sanders for tip. 02-07
UPDATE: The former rink is now home to County Glass & Mirror Co., while the great old Skateland sign still survives above the building. 08-26
Maddux Hardware was a longtime fixture in downtown Cookeville TN. The old neon sign is all that remains but probably not for much longer, the old store is being converted to office space. Many thanks to Doug Harveyfor info. 08-06
Here's another great old hardware store sign, this one overlooking the courthouse square in Cookeville. Maddux Hardware had just about everything spelled out on its roadside sign, including HARDWARE and FURNITURE beneath that big Maddux name.
Maddux Hardware
Cookeville, TN Photo courtesy Bruce R. Cassi / 2005
The store opened in 1940 and became a familiar fixture around the square for the next 65 years. There was even a little broadcasting history upstairs. In 1942, local radio station WHUB moved its studios into the building above the hardware store.
Maddux Hardware finally closed in 2005. The old building was renovated a couple of years later and found new uses, but it still looks right at home on the corner.
UPDATE: Maddux Hardware was slated for auction July 30, 2005 a few days after I passed through town. Their neon sign was in immaculate condition too. Many thanks to Bruce R. Cassi for info. 06-07
UPDATE: The Maddux building remains standing and repurposed. The old roadside sign structure also survives, although the original Hardware Furniture panels have been replaced with lettering identifying the Maddux Building and its 1928 date. 08-26
Spring St. Super Market (Closed)
Cookeville, TN Photo courtesy Doug Harvey
An older Independent super market is a rare find these days, Cookeville, TN still has one, along with it unique street sign. Unfortunately, the old neon doesn't work anymore on this sign for the Spring St. Super Market. Many thanks to Doug Harveyfor info. 08-06
Here's one old supermarket sign that could easily make you forget about the groceries. The big Spring St. Super Market sign in Cookeville features plenty of neon and a large arrow pointing the way into the parking lot. At night, the neon once lit in sequence before finishing with that big arrow.
The market opened at this location on West Spring Street in 1960 and became a Cookeville fixture for more than 60 years. But it's that great old neon sign that makes this stop, with SPRING ST. SUPER MARKET stacked across the face and that big arrow pointing motorists into the lot.
UPDATE: I remember also taking a shot of this sign right after a snowstorm, with snow covering the parking lot and the old supermarket sign standing above it all. Getting the photos was half the fun. The car kept slipping around the icy parking lot while circling around for different shots of the sign. Sometimes the roadside hunt gets a little more interesting than planned. 04-16
UPDATE: Spring St. Super Market closed in August 2021. The building remains standing behind a fence, and the old neon supermarket sign still stands out front. 08-26
Viking Distillery Inc. (Closed)
Albany, GA Photo courtesy Lisa Pike
Check out this roadside sign out front of the Viking Distillery Inc. building in Albany, GA. Viking Distillery is called out as "Georgia's first legal distillery." Many thanks to Lisa Pike for info. 09-06
Here's something you don't see along the roadside every day, an old distillery. Viking Distillery Inc. once operated out of this industrial complex along East Broad Avenue in Albany, with the old Viking name still hanging around long after the whiskey stopped flowing.
The plant got its start in 1939 as Paramount Distillers and was reportedly the first legal distillery established in Georgia following Prohibition. The name changed to Viking Distillery in 1957, and the Albany plant turned out everything from gin and vodka to brandy and cordials. Those days are gone, but the old industrial buildings remain. Best of all is the weathered Viking Distillery signage, still calling out the name from another era. No tasting room or fancy craft cocktails here, just an old Georgia distillery and a sign that's seen better days.
UPDATE: Viking Distillery no longer operates at the East Broad Avenue plant. The old industrial property has been repurposed over the years, while remnants of the Viking Distillery signage survive. 08-26
Rock City
Central Jewelry
Raines Shoe Hospital (Gone)
Skateland
Maddux Hardware (Closed)
Maddux Hardware
Spring St. Super Market (Closed)
Viking Distillery Inc. (Closed)
