Rightway Service (Closed)
Chicago, IL
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Here's Rightway Auto Service in Chicago. This neighborhood garage proudly advertised "complete" auto repairing. Thank goodness.

Corner garages like this were once a common sight throughout Chicago. Long before dealership service departments and national repair chains became the norm, neighborhood mechanics kept generations of cars on the road. Whether it was a tune-up, a brake job, or a complete engine overhaul, places like Rightway were where local residents turned when something wasn't running quite right.

The vintage sign is what really catches your eye. Straightforward and built to last, it represents a time when a simple roadside sign and a good reputation were often all a neighborhood business needed. 08-17

UPDATE: Rightway Auto Service is no longer in business. The current status of the building and sign has not been confirmed, but photographs like this preserve another example of the neighborhood garages that once lined Chicago's commercial streets. 06-26

Mr Fix It
Detroit, MI
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Mr. Fix It in Detroit has more style than the average repair shop. Art Deco lines, hand-painted lettering and lightning bolts give the building plenty of roadside personality.

Its streamlined design recalls the years when automotive businesses used architecture to catch motorists’ attention. Even a practical garage could dress up the street. 03-07

UPDATE: The building continues in automotive repair use, retaining its distinctive façade and a connection to its original purpose. 06-26

Western Auto
Kansas City, MO
Photo courtesy Doug Harvey

The Western Auto rooftop sign has been a Kansas City landmark since 1952. Its towering neon arrow made the twelve-story building recognizable from miles away.

Completed in 1915 for Coca-Cola, the building became Western Auto’s home in the late 1920s. A 2004 loft conversion changed its purpose, but residents kept the familiar advertisement overhead. 03-07

UPDATE: Restored and relit in 2018, the sign went dark for electrical repairs in 2025. City-supported work returned its glow in June 2026, keeping a familiar name above the skyline. 06-26

Carquest Auto Parts (Gone)
Wheaton, IL
Photo courtesy Kevin Heggi

Carquest may be a household name these days, but this sign is something you don't often see anymore. Instead of the typical backlit plastic box, this Wheaton location featured genuine neon, making it stand out from just about every other modern auto parts store. 10-08

By the time this sign was installed, most national retailers had abandoned neon in favor of less expensive illuminated panels. Seeing a corporate chain embrace classic neon craftsmanship was a pleasant surprise and proof that good sign design didn't completely disappear with the 1960s.

UPDATE: The Carquest Auto Parts location has permanently closed its doors along Roosevelt Road, and the building has been cleared out. Following corporate restructuring across the auto parts network, the retail storefront shut down, and the building was subsequently converted to house a different commercial business. Unfortunately, during the property transition, the fantastic neon marquee was completely dismantled and removed from the facade. 06-26

Blume's Garage (Closed)
Loves Park, IL
Photo courtesy Kelly Sullivan

The faded Blume’s Garage sign recalled generations of automotive service in Loves Park. Opened in 1930, the family business became the town’s oldest continuously operating establishment.

Its weathered 1940 sign was a familiar roadside marker, recalling when a neighborhood mechanic might know your car as well as your name. 07-11

UPDATE: Blume’s closed in 2017 after 87 years of family ownership. The sign had already been removed, and the building later found another use. 06-26