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email: agilitynut@hotmail.com |
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| Michigan Signs (page 3) |
(hit "refresh" to get the most recent version of this page; click on photos for larger images)
| Big Ten Party Store Ann Arbor, MI |
Weber's Inn Ann Arbor, MI |
Seyfried Jewelers Ann Arbor, MI |
Westgate Shopping Plaza Ann Arbor, MI |
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The Big Ten Party Store sign is from 1940. The business behind it now is Morgan & York, an upscale wine and cheese shop. When Morgan & York installed their own sign on the building in 2005, the city wanted this one removed. Evidently, public outcry was enough to make an exception for this sign. For more, see this website.
Weber's Inn opened in 1937. This sign is lit at night. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. Seyfried Jewelers opened in 1911. The store moved to this location in 1931 which is probably when the vitrolite black tiles were installed. In 2009, the tiles were replaced with new ones. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. The Westgate Shopping Plaza sign is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. It combines plastic and neon and is lit at night. For more, see this website. |
| Ann Arbor Muffler Ann Arbor, MI |
Paul Bunyan Antiques Mall Baldwin, MI |
Edie's Log Bar Baldwin, MI |
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Ann Arbor Muffler opened in 1957 and this sign is probably from then. The blue and gold paint scheme of this sign and the Big Ten Party Store are a tribute to University of Michigan's sports teams. [night photo thanks Mark Comstock] The Paul Bunyan Antiques Mall building previously housed the Paul Bunyan Michigan Museum. The museum was there in the 1950s and this giant painted plywood sign might have been there then. The Edie's Log Bar sign is probably from the 1940s. It is lit at night. |
| Flowers by Lobb Lincoln Park, MI |
Chesterfield Motor Inn Chesterfield, MI |
Christmas Motel Christmas, MI |
Santa Claus & Mrs. Claus Christmas, MI |
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Flowers by Lobb was established in 1929. This sign might be from the 1930s or 1940s.
The Chesterfield Motor Inn sign is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. The "Motor Inn" part of the sign is lit at night. The Christmas Motel and sign are probably from the 1950s. This giant double-sided Santa sign is about 35 feet tall. It was built in the mid to late 1960s. It stands next to the Santa's Workshop Gift Shop. The Mrs. Claus sign still had a head on one side in 2008. I believe she was built slightly later. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Wilson & Meyer Hardware [gone] Dundee, MI |
Arms' Men's Wear Milford, MI |
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Wilson & Meyer Hardware opened in 1927 and this sign appears to be from then. In 2011, the store closed and the contents which include this sign will be sold at auction. The "Hardware" letters on the sign are in high relief but do not appear to be opal glass.
The Arms' Men's Wear sign was produced by Federal Sign. These bulb signs were built with modular letters. This sign is probably from the 1910s or 1920s. Unfortunately, the porcelain enamel Men's Wear portion of the sign has been covered over by the store's current tenant, Bling Boutique. For more examples of these Federal signs, see this page. The Arms Brothers Store for Men was established in 1836. I don't know when the store closed but it was still open in 2007. |
| McNally's Shoes Allen Park, MI |
One Hour Martinizing Allen Park, MI |
Gibraltar Trade Center Taylor, MI |
Gibraltar Trade Center Mt. Clemens, MI |
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McNally's Shoes opened in 1945 and is still in business.
One Hour Martinizing is part of a nationwide chain of dry cleaners. These "skeleton" neon window signs were mass-produced. The Gibraltar Trade Center has identical signs at both of their locations. Both signs are installed next to an interstate. They are 94 feet tall and about 32 feet wide. The Taylor location opened in 1980 while the one in Mt. Clemens opened in 1990. I believe both signs were installed in 1990. For more, see their website. |
| Zorn's Service Ida, MI |
Rolison Hardware Brighton, MI |
Clore's Florist Brighton, MI |
Smith's Motel Briggs Lake [gone] Brighton, MI |
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Zorn's Service features a Bear Manufacturing sign. Car repair shops would hang these up to indicate that they were trained by Bear and used Bear wheel alignment tools. For more info and examples of these signs, see this page.
Rolison Hardware has been around since 1914. The store was moved to this location in 1924. This sign appears to be from the late 1940s. It is lit at night. For more, see this website. Clore's Florist opened in 1949. This sign appears to be from then. The neon appears to be in good shape. Smith's Motel Briggs Lake is still there but this sign was replaced with a plastic one. This photo is from 2005. By 2011, the neon sign was gone. |
| Wooden Shoe Antique Mall Holland, MI |
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| The Wooden Shoe Antique Mall opened here in 2004. The Wooden Shoe Factory operated here from 1957-2000. The signs were adapted for the antique mall. These photos are from 2006. By 2010, the windmill was gone. The men had been removed from the one sign and the other had been repainted more plainly with the neon removed. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. |
| Harbortown Cafe Benton Harbor, MI |
former Schmidt's Grocery Okemos, MI |
Stevens Grayling, MI |
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The Harbortown Cafe looks like a new restaurant. From the size of the letters and the vertical format, it looks like this "Food" sign probably came from a truck stop.
The former Schmidt's Grocery is now Playmakers, an athletic shoe store. When the supermarket closed in the late 1980s, a Barnes & Noble bookstore moved in. Barnes & Noble replaced the groceries in the sign's shopping cart with books. The neon sign is still animated. The woman's legs move and the cart's wheels spin. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. Stevens was originally a pharmacy with a soda fountain. It is now Dawson-Stevens Ice Cream Parlor with a deli and Coca-Cola memorabilia. |
| Michigan News Agency Kalamazoo, MI |
Holiday Motel [gone] Kalamazoo, MI |
Great Wall of China Restaurant Kalamazoo, MI |
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The Michigan News Agency opened in 1947 and this sign is probably from then. The top panel appears to be a replacement since it is pristine and the red is not a match for the sides and bottom half of the sign. The message board must have been added at some point. This sign is lit at night. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2.
This Holiday Motel sign was built sometime after 1959. There was a different one here before that. The sign shown here was destroyed shortly after this photo was taken in 2006. It was replaced with a more modern sign. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. The Great Wall of China Restaurant opened in 1978. This revolving sign is lit at night. For more, see this website. |
| Hi-Lo Convenience Store Kalamazoo, MI |
Sackett Brick, Fireplace & Patio Kalamazoo, MI |
Corkscrew Party Store Kalamazoo, MI |
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The Hi-Lo Convenience Store opened in 1965 as the Hi-Lo Inn, a bar and restaurant. In 2000, it became a liquor store. The store closed after a fire in 2011. This photo was taken just a few months later. For more, see this website.
The Sackett Brick, Fireplace & Patio sign originally advertised for a restaurant. I'm told the name was something like the Swedenborg Restaurant. Sackett adapted the sign sometime in the late 1990s or early 2000s. The store is closed now but the landlord will probably keep the sign where it is since it's too expensive to remove. The Corkscrew Party Store sign appears to be from the 1950s. It is lit at night. For more, see this website. |
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