Bakersfield Electric
Bakersfield, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Here are a couple of old signs advertising Bakersfield
Electric Motor Repair. The projecting marquee features classic lettering and neon lightning bolts, just in case the word “electric” did not provide enough of a clue. From the looks of the glass tubing, the neon was still largely intact when these photos were taken.
Bakersfield Electric Motor Repair opened in 1949 near Golden State Avenue and the old Highway 99 corridor. The company has spent more than 75 years repairing and rebuilding electric motors, pumps, and other equipment used by Kern County's agricultural, petroleum, and water industries.
Bakersfield Electric
Bakersfield, CA Photo courtesy Devil Doll
The signs remain attached to the industrial shop where they have advertised the same business for generations. Unlike many old neon signs that outlasted their businesses, these still point toward a working repair shop. That is becoming a rare sight along the old highway districts.
UPDATE: Bakersfield Electric Motor Repair remains open and continues servicing industrial motors and pumps. Its vintage signs and lightning-bolt neon tubing still survive at the original shop, although it is unclear how often the neon is illuminated after dark. 09-26
Bakersfield
Hydraulic (Gone)
Bakersfield, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
The green roadside sign for Bakersfield Hydraulic Jack Company looks like it was quite a sight when all that neon was working. The industrial green color seemed right at home around Bakersfield, where signs for oilfield, agricultural, and heavy-equipment businesses were once common roadside scenery.
Ed Chandler and his brother-in-law Myron Hale started the company in 1950. The business began in a small shop on North Chester Avenue before Kern County's growing oil, trucking, and agricultural industries created a steady demand for hydraulic repair work.
Bakersfield
Hydraulic
Bakersfield, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
In 1958, the partners moved into a new shop built especially for the company. Bakersfield Hydraulic became known for rebuilding jacks and other high-pressure equipment, as well as training mechanics and machinists who later started businesses of their own. The big green sign helped make an industrial repair shop into a familiar downtown landmark.
UPDATE: Bakersfield Hydraulic Jack Company is closed, and its green neon sign has been removed. The 1958 shop building survived an extensive renovation and now houses Fur and Feathers Luxury Pet Resort. The old hydraulic shop even traded its industrial equipment for a swimming pool made just for dogs. 09-26
San Joaquin Tractor Co. (Rem.)
Bakersfield, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
This big old sign stood in the equipment lot for San Joaquin Tractor Co. along Union Avenue, the original Highway 99 through Bakersfield.
The family-owned business began as an Allis-Chalmers dealership in 1949. Its 40-foot-long sign weighed about 1,000 pounds and watched over the tractors for more than 70 years.
UPDATE: San Joaquin Tractor Co. remains open. The original sign was removed in 2022 and donated to the Kern County Museum's Mission Bank Neon Plaza. 09-26
Gene & Larry Medearis (Gone)
Bakersfield, CA Photo courtesy Devil Doll
Here's another colorful auto-electrician sign in Bakersfield, this time for Gene
& Larry Medearis. The old neon advertised auto and diesel electrical work, while a companion sign offered carburetor repairs. Plenty of help for a motor that was not behaving itself.
Gene and Larry Medearis opened the shop in 1953. For 66 years, the family business rebuilt starters and alternators and repaired electrical systems for cars, trucks, and even boats.
UPDATE: Gene & Larry Medearis closed in 2019. The family's vintage neon signs were donated to the Kern County Museum and restored for display in the Mission Bank Neon Plaza. So yes, the neon can light up once again. 09-26
Cay Health Foods (Gone)
Bakersfield, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
The old neon sign for Cay Health Foods hung above a downtown Bakersfield storefront for decades. Opened in 1948, it was the city's first health food store and sold vitamins, herbs, and specialty foods long before they became mainstream.
The shop remained something of a time capsule, complete with old flooring, wooden apothecary-style shelves, antique balance scales, and a resident dog named Max. Sometimes a good store greeter does not need a name tag.
UPDATE: Cay Health Foods closed in August 2013 after 65 years in business. The building survives, but the vintage sign has been removed. 09-26
Bakersfield
Veterinary Hospital
Bakersfield, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
The horse marks the spot for Bakersfield
Veterinary Hospital along Chester Avenue. Perched above the entrance, this life-size horse could be seen from blocks away and became something of a roadside icon around Bakersfield. No need to look for the street number. Just watch for the horse.
The veterinary hospital opened in 1923 and treated horses, livestock, and household pets for generations. As Bakersfield grew, the downtown location became less practical for trucks and horse trailers, eventually leading the large-animal practice to move to a roomier facility outside the city center.
UPDATE: Bakersfield Veterinary Hospital no longer operates from its original Chester Avenue building, which survives with other commercial tenants. The roadside marquee has been removed, while the familiar horse was moved to the Bakersfield Large Animal Hospital near Wible Road and Taft Highway. 09-26
Bakersfield
Hydraulic (Gone)
Bakersfield
Hydraulic
San Joaquin Tractor Co. (Rem.)
