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| Bambi Cleaners Philadelphia, PA |
Termini Brothers Philadelphia, PA |
Etkin's Cleaners Philadelphia, PA |
The Hair Pair Philadelphia, PA |
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Bambi Cleaners started in 1955 but this is not their first location. It is estimated that this building and sign are from the late 1950s/early 1960s.
Termini Brothers, an Italian bakery, opened in 1921. This location opened in 1932 (another source says 1938). The 20' tall porcelain and neon sign is from 1940. The store has a stainless steel façade and a 1930s interior with wooden cases and tile floor. Termini Brothers now has four locations around Philadelphia. For more, see their website. Etkin's Cleaners uses the slogan "The Most in Dry Cleaning" on its storefront as well. The Dairy Maid next door lives on in signage only - it is now a nail salon. The Hair Pair opened in 1976. I assume the before/after signs are modern. |
| Fidelity Drive-in Cleaners Philadelphia, PA |
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| The Fidelity Drive-in Cleaners opened sometime in the 1950s and features a functioning car turntable. Customers drive in to drop-off/pick-up their laundry and the management pushes a button which rotates their car around. This nifty, space-saving feature was developed in the early 1950s (I believe) and is a real rarity these days. |
| Stein Florist Philadelphia, PA |
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| Stein Florist's original Philadelphia store opened in 1887. This location opened in 1948 (signage probably from then, too). In 2001, there was an extensive fire that gutted most of the interior. Thankfully, the owners decided to stay and rebuild. For more, see this website. |
| Chubby's Steaks [gone] Philadelphia, PA |
Chadmoore Formal Wear Philadelphia, PA |
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Chubby's Steaks is known for its cheese steaks. While the business is still there, this sign was replaced with a plastic one in 2007. For more, see this website.
Chadmoore Formal Wear opened here in 1963 and this sign looks to be from then as well. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| former Clearview Dry Cleaners Philadelphia, PA |
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| The former Clearview Dry Cleaners features a full wrap-around neon sign around their buildig. The signmaker's mark, Bilt-Rite, is still visible. There must have been a clock in the stainless steel portion under the "Fur" neon tubing. The property is now used by a church. Most likely, this sign (and the wonderful striped metal awnings and Spanish tile) won't survive much longer. |
| Sun Ray Drugs Philadelphia, PA |
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| The Sun Ray Drug Co. was once a 150-store national chain founded by Philadelphia's Harry Sylk, who became a millionaire with the company's success. I assume the few remaining stores are now independently run. The signage features huge channel lettering, two circular Coca-Cola add-ons and a glassy (vitrolite?) background. |
| Boot N Saddle Bar Philadelphia, PA |
Philip's Italian Restaurant Philadelphia, PA |
Tastykake Bakery Philadelphia, PA |
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The Boot N Saddle bar/night club is now closed and the sign's neon tubes are broken.
Philip's Italian Restaurant and sign were built around 1940. I'm not sure if the place is still open. The Tastykake Bakery sign is on top of their production building. The clock on the billboard is functioning. Tastykake was founded in Philadelphia in 1914 and I believe this building is from the same year. For more, see their website. |
| Center for Architecture Philadelphia, PA |
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| These are some of the signs on display at the Center for Architecture. They were restored by Len Davidson and are on loan from him. These signs have been here since 2008. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
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More Philadelphia Signs:
Pat's King of Steaks various neon signs |
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