Wadesboro Hardware
Wadesboro, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Need a can of paint or maybe a few nails? Check out the Wadesboro Hardware sign hanging over South Greene Street in downtown Wadesboro. The old Sherwin-Williams "Cover the Earth" logo sits right on top, making this one pretty easy to spot while cruising through town. 01-08

The hardware business here goes back to the days when just about every small downtown had a store where you could pick up everything from garden seeds to a new hammer. The shop has also been associated with H.W. Little & Co., another longtime Wadesboro name.

The sign is a great example of the old manufacturer signs that once hung outside independent hardware stores everywhere. Sherwin-Williams got the top billing, while Wadesboro Hardware made sure you knew exactly where to stop for the paint.

And just down the street you'll find Parsons Drugs with its old Rexall signage. Not a bad little stretch of downtown for old signs.

UPDATE: The longtime hardware business remains open in downtown Wadesboro, and the vintage Sherwin-Williams Wadesboro Hardware sign is gone. 08-26

Bost's Bakery (Gone)
Shelby, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

The billboard was over a Sunbeam outlet store that appeared to have been closed for quite some time with the property being used for storage of Sunbeam delivery trucks. There were no signs of any activity around the building in the middle of the day. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 02-08

Here's one sign that must have made a few passing motorists hungry. The Sunbeam Bread sign once stood high above the old Bost's Bakery in Shelby, with the familiar Sunbeam name big enough to catch your eye from well down the road.

Bost's was a longtime Shelby bakery known for its own Bost's Bread and the great slogan, "If it's Fresher'n Bost's, it's Still in the Oven." The plant also baked Sunbeam Bread, which explains the giant Sunbeam sign towering over the place.

At its peak, the bakery was a major operation and a familiar part of Shelby. The business was eventually sold to Continental Baking, makers of Wonder Bread and Hostess products, and the Shelby plant finally closed in 1992.

UPDATE: The old Shelby bakery is no longer operating, and the giant Sunbeam Bread sign has been removed. 08-26

Rowland Supply Co. (Gone)
Rowland, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Here is a Westinghouse sign at Rowland Supply Company n Roland, North Carolina. Believe it or not , it is home to a storefront church. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 02-08

Here's an old downtown name from the small railroad town of Rowland. Rowland Supply Co. was one of those general supply stores that once seemed to be part of just about every little North Carolina town, selling what the local community needed and serving as a familiar stop along Main Street.

The business dates back to 1917 and operated near the heart of downtown, not far from the railroad tracks that helped keep towns like Rowland moving. Over the years the supply company became more than just another store. By the late 1940s, the building was even being used as a local stop where residents could take care of county tax business.

There's not much left to tell the passing traveler today. The old Rowland Supply Company is gone, along with the storefront and sign that once marked the spot.

UPDATE: Rowland Supply Co. has long since closed, and the old building and sign no longer survive. 08-26

The Snack Shop (Gone)
Lexington, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Need some ice cream? This old Snack Shop sign in Lexington certainly knew how to point hungry travelers in the right direction. Perched above the sidewalk is a giant ice cream cone outlined in neon, although by the time this photo was taken the rusty old sign looked like it had seen better days. Whether the neon still worked is another question. 03-08

The Snack Shop was one of those old downtown lunch counter and ice cream stops that once seemed to turn up in every town. But it's the cone that makes this one worth pulling over for. With neon outlining the ice cream and waffle cone, it must have looked pretty good glowing over the street after dark.

By 2008, the weathered paint and rust were starting to take over, but the old cone was still hanging on and advertising ice cream the old-fashioned way.

UPDATE: The Snack Shop has closed, and the rusty neon ice cream cone sign has been removed. 08-26

Pan Fer' Gold Billboard
Cherokee, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Seeing an eye-catching highway billboard is a familiar part of any road trip. Here's a good example of such a billboard called Pan Fer' Gold, found in Cherokee, NC. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 04-08

The sign points the way to the Smoky Mountain Gold & Ruby Mine, one of those classic Cherokee tourist stops where you can grab a bucket, head for the water flumes and see what turns up. Gold, rubies, emeralds and other stones are all part of the hunt.

But the old prospector on the billboard is really the roadside attraction here. With his beard, hat and big "PAN FER' GOLD" lettering, he looks like he has been waving folks off the highway for quite a few years.

If you're cruising through Cherokee, signs like this are half the fun. Who knows, maybe there's gold in that next bucket.

UPDATE: The Smoky Mountain Gold & Ruby Mine remains open along Tsali Boulevard, and the familiar Pan Fer' Gold billboard still survives. 08-26

Grocery Store sign
Essex, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

The Grocery store sign points to another place, still in business but miles away in the village of Hollister. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 05-08

Out along the backroads around Essex sits this weathered old grocery store, looking like it has been here forever. Fleming Grocery is long closed, but the fading advertising along the side of the building still gives passing travelers something to look at.

The little country store once served this rural part of North Carolina, and its simple wood-frame building is the kind of place that was once common along Southern highways and farm roads. Most interesting today is the old Roper & Co. Grocer advertising still hanging on to the exterior. Roper & Co. was a Petersburg, Virginia wholesaler that supplied country stores throughout the region.

Another little piece of roadside history slowly fading away in the North Carolina countryside.