Dandy Bread
Lodi, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

This painted loaf of Dandy Bread in Lodi looks, well, just dandy. Yep, that was an original thought. The faded wall advertisement still puts in a word for a local loaf, long after the bakery stopped turning them out.

Dandy Bread came from the Lodi Home Bakery, founded in 1901. By the 1920s, the bakery could produce some 2,000 loaves a day, supplying Lodi and nearby communities. Plenty of bread to go around, with a painted reminder for anyone who forgot to pick some up.

UPDATE: Lodi Home Bakery closed in the early 1960s. Its weathered Dandy Bread advertisement survives on the Main Hotel building at Main and Pine streets, keeping the old loaf in view. 09-26

Globe Mills
Sacramento, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

An old globe emblem marks one of the towering silos at Globe Mills in Sacramento. The weathered image has an eerie look, a fitting advertisement for a mill that spent decades standing quiet after the machinery stopped. Up there on the concrete, the old name was still doing its job even when there wasn't much happening below.

The concrete mill and silos date to 1914, when the complex turned grain into flour and other products. Globe A-1 Flour was once a familiar name, with the globe appearing on its packaging as well as high above the street. Quite a bit of work once went on beneath that painted emblem.

Production ended in 1968, leaving the massive mill idle for nearly four decades. The silos continued to loom over the neighborhood, giving the place the look of an industrial landmark waiting for its next assignment. Fortunately, another chapter came along before the wrecking ball did.

UPDATE: A major rehabilitation completed in the late 2000s converted Globe Mills into apartments and senior housing. The historic concrete structures were preserved, with the silos and old Globe Mills markings keeping the property's milling days in view. 09-26

Van Hotel
Willits, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Old lettering peeks through the worn paint on this wall in Willits, apparently spelling out Van Hotel. The faded yellow background and pale letters have taken quite a beating over the years. There's still a little of the old sales pitch left, provided the passerby takes a closer look.

The Van Hotel was built in 1924 by Gustav Van Cleemput as an addition to the nearby Hotel Willits. Concerned about fire in his older wooden hotel, he chose brick for the new building. Many years later, the weathered wall makes an interesting roadside find of its own.

UPDATE: The lettering appears to match the historic Van Hotel at Main and Commercial streets. Local architectural records confirm the hotel's 1924 construction, although the photo's exact location still needs confirmation. 09-26

Hastings
Sacramento, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

A familiar-looking doggy keeps watch on this old Hastings sign in Sacramento. With that bull terrier face, it could pass for an ancestor of Spuds MacKenzie. This one was helping sell clothing rather than beer, though.

Hastings traced its roots to San Francisco in 1854 and became a longtime Northern California name for men's suits and furnishings. Its Sacramento stores brought the old haberdashery tradition to shoppers at Arden Fair and Downtown Plaza, with the terrier adding a little personality to the sales pitch.

UPDATE: The Hastings clothing chain closed in 1986, ending more than a century in business. The dog in this photo recalls the retailer's earlier days; the fate of this particular sign has not been confirmed.

Brown Mahin
Stockton, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

“Serving the Valley” reads the old Brown-Mahin wall advertisement in downtown Stockton. The lettering still looks pretty sharp in this photo, keeping the department store's sales pitch in view long after its shopping days were over. Quite a bit of advertising mileage out of a coat of paint.

Brown-Mahin was one of the independent department stores that once drew shoppers downtown for clothing and other everyday purchases. Before the shopping centers pulled business toward the outskirts, stores like this gave valley residents a reason to head into town and spend some time looking around.

Below the Brown-Mahin name, another advertisement points the way to Campora Appliance Sales on North California Street. Clothing and household appliances get their turn on the same brick wall.

UPDATE: The sign's host building dates to 1912, when it opened as the Hotel Rex, later becoming the Hotel Terry. The building has been reused for housing and commercial space, with the Brown-Mahin and Campora lettering remaining visible on its side. 09-26

Malt O Meal Co.
Stockton, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

How about some Malt-O-Meal? This old Stockton facility carries the familiar name on its exterior, recalling the days when cereal and snack production kept the place busy. A little breakfast advertising on an industrial scale.

Malt-O-Meal established its Stockton operation in 1970 when it acquired Pophitt Cereal Co. Along with cereal products, the local plant was remembered for popcorn balls and seasonal popcorn treats. Apparently there was more going on here than a bowl of hot cereal.

The company sold its popcorn operations in 1982 as it shifted its attention toward ready-to-eat breakfast cereals. The old Stockton lettering remained a reminder of the site's place in that earlier business.

UPDATE: Manufacturing at the former facility has ended, and portions of the property have been reused. 09-26

A-1 Wheat
Sacramento, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

It takes a little looking to make out this old A-1 Wheat ghost sign in Sacramento. Some of the writing is barely discernible, with the faded paint leaving just enough of the sales pitch to puzzle over. Guess this advertisement has spent quite a few years out in the weather.

The remaining lettering recalls the days when flour and wheat products were advertised right on building walls. A large painted name could catch the attention of passing shoppers and put a particular brand in mind before they reached the grocery counter.

Sacramento's Globe Mills sold a well-known A-1 line of flour and wheat products. The worn wording here makes it difficult to identify exactly what was being promoted, though. What once could have been read at a glance now takes a closer look, and perhaps a little patience.

UPDATE: The full wording and exact location of this photographed sign remain unconfirmed. The photo preserves the faint lettering as it appeared when the van Hulsteyns stopped to capture another piece of Sacramento's painted advertising past. 09-26

MJB
San Francisco, CA
Photo courtesy Gorb70

The familiar “Why?” question hangs on with this old MJB Coffee ghost sign in San Francisco. Coffee drinkers may remember the slogan, while everyone else gets a little something to ponder on the way past. Quite a short sales pitch for such a large wall. 02-07

Founded in San Francisco in 1881, MJB became one of the Bay Area's well-known coffee names. Its “Why?” advertisements gave people a reason to stop and wonder, with the company supplying the answer: “Because it's in the cup!” Apparently a taste test was part of the explanation.

UPDATE: Several MJB “Why?” ghost signs survive around San Francisco and the Bay Area, recalling the brand's widespread painted advertising campaign. The exact location of the sign in this photo has not been confirmed. 09-26