Westinghouse Appliances (Closed)
Rowland, NC
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

The Westinghouse sign is from Rowland Supply Co. in Rowland, NC. The store no longer sells appliances, it's now a church, but at least the parishioners left the sign. Many thanks to Paul Bauke for info.

The building was once home to Rowland Supply Company, which got its start in 1917 selling hardware, farm supplies and other goods. As electricity reached more homes after World War II, stores like this became the place to shop for those newfangled electric appliances.

Today the storefront is closed and looking pretty rough around the edges. But the rusty old Westinghouse sign is still hanging above Main Street, which is reason enough to slow down for another look.

UPDATE: The old Rowland storefront remains vacant and weathered, with the Westinghouse Appliances sign status now unknown. 08-26

John's Florist
Louisville, KY
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Here's another little neighborhood sign worth a second look. Stuck to the side of John's Florist in Louisville is this old neon wall sign, the kind of simple storefront advertising that once seemed to hang outside just about every small business in town.

Not much seems to be known about John's Florist, including how long the shop was here or when it closed. But sometimes the sign is really all you need. A neighborhood florist, an old wall, and a little neon to catch your eye as you pass by.

The current whereabouts of John's Florist and its old sign are unknown.

Bob Collett Auto Wreckers (Gone)
Louisville, KY
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Now here's a slogan that's hard to forget. Bob Collett Auto Wreckers stood along Frankfort Avenue in Louisville with a roadside sign proclaiming "Don't be robbed... see Bob." Not exactly subtle, but you have to admit it gets the point across.

The business was run by the Collett family and dates back to 1944. For generations, Louisville motorists looking for used parts or something to keep an old car going knew the place, and apparently plenty of people still remember that slogan. Bob Collett Wreckers managed to hang around much longer than many of the old neighborhood wrecking yards, reaching its 80th year before finally closing in July 2024.

UPDATE: Bob Collett Wreckers closed for good in July 2024 after 80 years in business. The old Frankfort Avenue roadside sign photographed here has also been removed. 08-26

Cinderella Slipper Shop (Gone)
Meridian, MS
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

Here's a little bit of Cinderella tucked into downtown Meridian. Cinderella Slipper Shop sat along 5th Street next to the old Kress store, with its Cinderella name still calling out from the storefront.

The shop was once a local shoe store during the days when downtown Meridian was the place to go shopping. Like many downtown businesses, things changed as shoppers headed toward the newer malls and shopping centers. In later years, the old storefront even became Cinderella's Spatique.

By the time this photo was taken, the surrounding downtown blocks had already seen better days, but the Cinderella storefront was still hanging on next to the empty Kress building.

UPDATE: The Cinderella building was later demolished and the old signage removed. The former storefront site is now part of an open downtown courtyard area. 08-26

OK Storage (Gone)
Louisville, KY
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Now here's a building that made sure you knew what was inside. O.K. Storage & Transfer Co. in Louisville had a huge rooftop sign announcing OK STORAGE, along with painted advertisements covering the brick walls below.

The big warehouse went up in 1927 along East Broadway and handled storage, moving, packing and shipping. The wall signs even advertised a "Fireproof Warehouse," which probably sounded pretty reassuring if you were leaving your belongings here.

The storage company is gone, but the old brick warehouse found another use. The rooftop sign photographed here wasn't so lucky and was eventually removed. Some of those great painted OK Storage advertisements, however, are still hanging around on the walls.

UPDATE: The building remains in use as Louisville Office Furniture. The rooftop OK Storage sign is gone, but portions of the old painted wall advertising still survive. 08-26

Speier Hardware (Closed)
Louisville, KY
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Here's the kind of hardware store sign you don't see much anymore. Standing tall above Barret Avenue is the old neon Speier Hardware rooftop sign, letting everyone passing by know exactly where to stop for that box of nails or whatever else needed fixing around the house.

Speier Hardware opened in 1944 and became a neighborhood fixture for the next 70 years. Inside were three narrow aisles packed with just about everything you'd expect from an old-fashioned hardware store.

The hardware business closed in early 2015, and several different businesses have occupied the old storefront since. Somehow that big rooftop sign stayed right where it was.

UPDATE: The former Speier Hardware building is now home to Fat Rabbit Thrift & Vintage. The old Speier Hardware rooftop sign still stands above Barret Avenue. 08-26

Jubilee Casino (Gone)
Waveland, MS
Photo courtesy Bob Jagendorf

A big friendly alligator once welcomed travelers heading toward Bayou Caddy's Jubilee Casino along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. With a grin like that, you almost had to wonder whether he was welcoming you in or getting ready to take your money.

The Jubilee was part of Mississippi's early 1990s casino boom, operating near Waveland in the Bayou Caddy area. The colorful alligator sign became quite a roadside sight before the casino closed here in the late 1990s. The Jubilee name later turned up at a casino in Greenville, but this old Gulf Coast location was finished.

For a while the alligator marquee was about all that remained, standing beside the road after the casino disappeared.

UPDATE: The old Jubilee alligator sign has since been removed. The former casino site was eventually redeveloped and is now home to the Silver Slipper Casino, which opened in 2006. 08-26