Regal-Andre Company
Birmingham, AL
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

Some of the best ghost signs are the ones that make you stop and figure out exactly what they used to advertise. This faded Regal-Andre Company sign turns up on the side of an old brick building in Birmingham, with just enough lettering remaining to point toward beauty and barber supplies and equipment. 04-09

Regal-Andre was a Birmingham supplier serving the beauty shop and barber trade back when just about every downtown had its share of neighborhood barber shops and beauty parlors. By 1949, the company was advertising beauty and barber supplies and carrying familiar names such as Helene Curtis, Revlon and Nestle.

The Regal-Andre Company disappeared from Birmingham's business scene years ago, leaving its old painted advertisement behind. Today it's another one of those signs you might drive right past without noticing, but look up at the right wall and there's still a little piece of the old beauty and barber supply business hanging around.

UPDATE: The exact location and current status of the building have not been confirmed, so it's unknown whether the Regal-Andre ghost sign still survives today. 08-26

Storkland Baby Furniture
Birmingham, AL
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

Here's another old painted advertisement hiding among the brick walls of downtown Birmingham. The big vertical Storkland Baby Furniture sign stretches down the side of the building on Second Avenue North, still making its presence known long after the store moved away. 04-09

Storkland got its start in Birmingham in 1947, selling cribs, nursery furniture and just about everything else needed for a new arrival. The family-owned business spent many years downtown before moving out to Vestavia Hills.

Interestingly enough, Storkland returned to its old downtown location in 2014 and opened a showroom here once again. Not too many ghost signs get a chance to advertise the same business twice.

UPDATE: Storkland no longer operates its retail showroom here. The building has been repurposed, while the old Storkland lettering still survives on the brick wall. 08-26

Storkland Baby Furniture
Birmingham, AL
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

Look above the old Storkland Baby Furniture lettering and there's another familiar name fading into the Birmingham brick. This old Coca-Cola Sign still hangs above the Storkland ghost sign along Second Avenue North, giving this wall a nice double dose of old roadside advertising. 04-09

The Coke lettering has faded considerably over the years, but that familiar script is still easy to recognize. Below it, the much larger Storkland sign stretches down the wall, advertising the Birmingham baby furniture store that got its start in 1947.

There are actually several layers of old advertising scattered across this building, making it worth slowing down for another look. Sometimes one ghost sign just isn't enough.

UPDATE: The building at 2205 Second Avenue North still stands and has been repurposed. The old Coca-Cola and Storkland signs remain visible on the brick wall. 08-26

Dixie Cycle & Toy Co.
Birmingham, AL
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

There's quite a bit to read on this old brick wall in downtown Birmingham. The faded Dixie Cycle & Toy Co. sign advertises bicycles, toys and lawn mower supplies. Now there's a combination that probably covered just about everyone's Saturday afternoon. 04-09

Just below it is another old advertisement for Cook Furniture, promising fast friendly service and even a free TV. Look around the wall and still more old advertising can be found underneath, including traces of Bull Durham Tobacco, Uneeda Biscuit and Sloan's Liniment.

Dixie Cycle & Toy was a Birmingham wholesaler of bicycles, parts, toys and lawn mower supplies, operated for many years by the Caiola family. Interestingly, the business itself was listed elsewhere downtown, so this wall appears to have been advertising rather than the actual storefront.

Both businesses are long gone, but their signs remain layered across the brick at 1711 First Avenue North.

UPDATE: The building still stands and has been repurposed, with its collection of old painted advertisements still visible. 08-26

Coca-Cola
Birmingham, AL
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

Some old advertising slogans never really disappear from memory. This faded Coca-Cola sign in Birmingham still carries the familiar "Drink Coca-Cola" lettering across the wall, although years of sun and weather have taken their toll. 04-09

Signs like this once seemed to be everywhere, painted on the sides of stores, warehouses and buildings along busy streets and highways. Even with much of the paint gone, that familiar Coca-Cola script still jumps right out of the wall.

Not much is known about the building or the business that once occupied it, but the old Coke advertisement was still hanging around when this shot was taken. Sometimes the sign is really all you need.

UPDATE: The exact location has not been confirmed, so the current status of this Coca-Cola ghost sign is unknown. 08-26

Jefferson Home Furniture
Birmingham, AL
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

Here's one ghost sign that's doing a pretty good job of becoming a ghost. The old Jefferson Home Furniture lettering can still be picked out on the side of this Birmingham building, although much of the paint has already disappeared into the wall. 04-09

Jefferson Home Furniture moved into the building at 1716 Second Avenue North in 1964, taking over a property that had previously housed Duke Brothers Furniture. The furniture store eventually closed, leaving behind the faded lettering seen here.

During Birmingham's downtown loft boom, there were plans to give the old furniture building another life. A condo conversion was proposed in 2006, with 23 units planned for the property, but the project never made it off the ground. The building did eventually find a new use. After years of sitting vacant, it was purchased in 2016 and later converted into a multi-story storage facility.

UPDATE: The old Jefferson Home Furniture building still stands and has been repurposed as a Public Storage facility. The current status of the faded wall sign is unknown. 08-26

Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation
Birmingham, AL
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

Some old signs just refuse to completely fade away. Check out the Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation lettering still showing through on this brick wall in downtown Birmingham. The paint has seen better days, but those big letters still stand out nicely against the building. 04-09

Lawyers Title Insurance Corporation once operated at 2105 Third Avenue North, handling title searches and insurance for Birmingham property owners. The company was part of a much larger national title insurance operation headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.

The downtown office eventually closed as the business moved elsewhere, but its name stayed behind on the wall. It's another one of those old Birmingham advertisements that probably gets overlooked by plenty of people passing underneath it.

UPDATE: The historic building still stands, although the current condition of the Lawyers Title lettering is unclear. 08-26

Causeyville Store
Meridian, MS
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

Here's one old country store with plenty to look at. The Causeyville Store near Meridian still carries the E.W. Hagwood Company name painted across the side, along with old Coca-Cola and Texaco advertising. 11-10

The store itself dates back to around 1895 and has served the little Causeyville community in one form or another for generations. Inside were all the things you'd hope to find in an old general store, including hoop cheese, bottled Coke and an antique peanut roaster.

The place even comes with a few ghost stories, including mysterious sneezing, flickering lights and a piano that supposedly plays after hours. Might be worth stopping by before dark.

UPDATE: The historic store still stands and has reopened under new ownership, with its old roadside character intact. 08-26