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
Western Auto
Kansas City, MO Photo courtesy Doug Harvey
Here is the rooftop sign for the Western Auto building in Kansas City. Rising above downtown since 1952, it's one of the city's most recognizable landmarks and one of the great rooftop signs in America.
The twelve-story building was completed in 1915 as a regional headquarters for the Coca-Cola Company before becoming home to Western Auto in the late 1920s. When the company installed its towering neon arrow and rooftop sign in 1952, it created a skyline landmark that could be seen from miles away. Even after the building was converted into lofts in 2004, residents recognized the sign as an important part of Kansas City's identity and made preserving it a priority. 03-07
UPDATE: After spending years dark, the Western Auto sign was restored and relit in 2018. It briefly went dark again in 2025 for electrical repairs, but a city-supported restoration returned the historic neon to service in June 2026. Today, the glowing rooftop sign continues to welcome visitors and remains one of Kansas City's best-loved landmarks. 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.
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.
Sometimes it's the unexpected signs that become the most memorable. A modern business with a vintage-looking marquee like this shows that even newer roadside architecture can earn a place in history. 10-08
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
Mr Fix It
Detroit, MI Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Check out this building for Mr. Fix It in Detroit. With its bold Art Deco styling and eye-catching painted graphics, it's not your typical neighborhood repair shop.
Built during Detroit's automotive boom, the building was designed from the start for an auto-related business. Its streamlined architecture reflects an era when even service garages were built with style, using geometric lines and decorative details to stand out along busy commercial streets. The hand-painted lettering and lightning bolt graphics add even more personality to an already distinctive building.
In the Motor City, where the automobile shaped nearly every corner of daily life, buildings like this became part of the landscape. It's refreshing to find one that still looks much as it did decades ago. 03-07
UPDATE: The building continues to serve as an automotive repair shop, preserving its original purpose while retaining its distinctive Art Deco character. Its colorful façade remains one of the more unusual examples of roadside automotive architecture in the Detroit area. 06-26
Warshawsky Mufflers (Demolished)
Rockford, IL Photos courtesy Kelly Sullivan
Here are a couple of photos of Warshawsky Muffler in Rockford. The shop was hard to miss thanks to the friendly roadside muffler man greeting customers as they pulled in.
Colorful roadside figures like this became popular during the 1950s and 1960s, giving independent businesses a way to stand out in an increasingly competitive automotive market. Whether waving to passing motorists or pointing drivers toward the service bays, these oversized mascots added a little personality to what might otherwise have been an ordinary repair shop.
For decades, the smiling figure became a familiar sight for Rockford motorists and a favorite subject for roadside photographers. Sometimes it's not the business people remember most—it's the sign out front. 09-11
UPDATE: Warshawsky Mufflers has closed, and the longtime garage was demolished after the property was acquired for downtown redevelopment. The fate of the shop's friendly muffler man is uncertain, but the building itself is gone, leaving vintage photographs as a reminder of one of Rockford's more memorable roadside landmarks. 06-26
Washawsky Mufflers from across the street
Rockfield, IL Photo courtesy Kelly Sullivan
Blume's Garage (Closed)
Loves Park, IL Photo courtesy Kelly Sullivan
The faded sign at Blume's Garage has seen a lot of traffic pass by over the years. Opened in 1930, this family-owned business became the oldest continuously operating business in Loves Park, serving generations of local motorists.
The weathered 1940 sign stood as a familiar landmark along the main road through town, reminding drivers of a time when neighborhood garages knew both their customers and their cars. Independent repair shops like this helped keep America moving long before dealership service centers and national repair chains became commonplace. 07-11
UPDATE: After 87 years of family ownership, Blume's Garage closed in 2017. The building has since been repurposed, and the longtime roadside sign was removed before the business closed, bringing an end to one of Loves Park's oldest and most familiar automotive landmarks. 06-26
Rightway Service (Closed)
Western Auto
Carquest Auto Parts (Gone)
Mr Fix It
Blume's Garage (Closed)
