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Michigan Signs (page 1)

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Ypsi-Arbor Lanes [gone]
Ypsilanti, MI		 Terry Bakery
Ypsilanti, MI		 Rapid Shoe Fix
Ypsilanti, MI
Ypsi-Arbor Lanes opened in 1964 and this sign is from then. The name came from its location between Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. The bowling alley closed in 2001. There are plans to demolish the building in order to construct a strip mall. The contents of the building and the sign were auctioned off. The sign was sold to a private collector for $3,250. It cost another $1,750 or so to move it. The sign was more than twenty feet tall and had been well-maintained over the years. In addition to the red, green, blue and white neon, the sign features more than 200 flashing bulbs. The yellow bulbs were lit sequentially from the tips of the sunburst towards the sign's center. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [night photo thanks Mark Comstock]

The Terry Bakery opened in 1951. I don't believe this sign is lit anymore.

The Rapid Shoe Fix sign is probably from the 1950s or earlier. The store is still in business. The elves on the sign look a bit like Palmer Cox's Brownies.

Trojan Laundry & Cleaners
Ypsilanti, MI		 Tap Room
Ypsilanti, MI
Trojan Laundry & Cleaners was originally located in Ann Arbor. By 1958, the company had moved to Ypsilanti. This rooftop sign is probably from the 1950s. It is hexagonal in shape with three identical large panels.

The Tap Room opened in 1941 and is still in operation. This sign is probably from then. For more, see this website.

Casler Hardware
Jackson, MI		 Miller Shoe Parlor
Jackson, MI		 Roxy Cafe
Jackson, MI
Casler Hardware was established in 1939 and this sign is probably from then. It is lit at night. For more, see this website.

The Miller Shoe Parlor opened in 1913. The sign is from the late 1930s. It is lit at night. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

The Roxy Cafe opened in 1926 and is still in operation. This sign appears to be from the 1930s or 1940s.

Reno Bar
Greenville, MI		 Brownie's Diner
Wayne, MI		 Fitness Things
Plymouth, MI		 Kaleva Hardware & Feed
Kaleva, MI
The Reno Bar sign is probably from the 1930s.

Brownie's Diner opened in 1937. The sign is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. I believe it is lit at night.

This Fitness Things sign appears to be modern. It doubles as a mailbox holder.

The Kaleva Hardware & Feed store is still in operation. These Hotpoint Appliances signs were mass-produced and there are still a dozen or so of them on display around the country.

State Lanes
Saginaw, MI		 Bean Bunny
Saginaw, MI
The State Lanes opened in 1959. Part of the sign was replaced between 2005 (first photo above) and 2011 (other two photos). I believe the neon AMF part of the sign is still lit at night.

The Bean Bunny neon sign was built in 1947. It is 35 feet tall, 50 feet wide, with 12 foot tall letters. The sign is mounted on the Klein-Berger grain elevator. The giant pink jackrabbit was the symbol of the Michigan Bean Company's Jack Rabbit Beans. The sign went dark since 1985 but was relit in 1997. In 2006, the building was sold but the new owner allowed the sign to stay. For more, see this website.

Stardust Lanes
Saginaw, MI		 Aubry Cleaners
Saginaw, MI		 Savoy Bar & Grill
Saginaw, MI		 parking garage
Saginaw, MI
The Stardust Lanes opened in 1964. The name and sign's lettering were inspired by the Stardust Hotel signs in Las Vegas. The Stardust Lanes sign is lit at night. For more, see this website.

Aubry Cleaners is gone but this sign remains. It is no longer lit at night.

The Savoy Bar & Grill has been around since at least the 1940s. The sign's neon was restored recently. For more, see this website.

This parking garage sign is probably from the 1950s or 1960s.

Ippel's
Department
Store
Saginaw, MI		 Perkins Drapery Laundry
Saginaw, MI		 Mooney's Ice Cream
Saginaw, MI
The Ippel Department Store was established in 1891 and closed in 1981. The building was destroyed in a fire in 2002 but the sign was saved. In 2006, it was restored and installed in a parking lot next to the new Ippel Building. The sign was built in 1935 and is 22 feet tall. In 2011, this sign was joined by the Brenske Plumbing sign. For more, see 1, 2, and 3.

The Perkins Drapery Laundry window sign was built in the 1960s. The store closed in 2008. The six foot wide sign now hangs inside the new Ippel Building. For more, see this website.

Mooney's Ice Cream was established in 1927 as a butter plant. The company went on to sell ice cream throughout northern and mid-Michigan. The ice cream store in Saginaw closed in 1996 and the building was demolished in 1997. This 33 foot long sign was saved. In 2009, it was restored and installed above a cafe at the new Ippel Building. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3.

Texan Family Restaurant
Bay City, MI		 Texan Family Restaurant
Saginaw, MI		 Texan Family Restaurant
Saginaw, MI
The Texan Family Restaurant chain was established in 1968. There are locations in Bay City, Midland and two in Saginaw. There were also locations in Essexville and a third location in Saginaw which have closed. The Texan in Bay City opened in 1968 and might have been the first one.

One Hour
Martinizing
Bay City, MI		 Bay Lanes
Bay City, MI		 Butternut Bread
Bay City, MI
This One Hour Martinizing store is now vacant. The sign has been stripped of neon and bulbs and the Martinizing name has been painted over. The sign would originally have looked like this one Milwaukee, WI. The Martinizing chain is still in business with more than 600 locations around the world.

Bay Lanes opened in 1964 and this sign appears to be from then.

Butternut Bread has been around since 1902. This sign which is installed above a Butternut Bread Bakery Thrift Store is probably from the 1960s. For more, see this website.

Duso's Bar
Bay City, MI		 Big House Sports Bar
Bay City, MI		 Putz Hardware
Bay City, MI
The Duso's Bar sign appears to be from the 1940s or 1950s. The bar closed around 1997. In 2009, it reopened with a new owner. The sign's neon was restored. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

The massive Big House Sports Bar sign originally advertised for Carrigan's Pharmacy. The pharmacy closed in the mid-1990s and this sign was reworked by the Pharmacy Bar. It was then reworked again for the Big House Sports Bar. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.

Putz Hardware opened in 1916. The exterior of the building as remodeled in 1947 and this sign is probably from then. For more, see this website.

More Bay City Signs:
Flamingo Motel

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