Crenshaw's General MDSE
IL
Photo courtesy Don Gardner

Looks like Pepsi won this wall at Crenshaw's General Merchandise somewhere in Illinois. Coca-Cola didn't entirely surrender, though. Traces of an older advertisement show through beneath the later paint, giving this storefront a little soft-drink rivalry of its own. 03-01

Layered advertisements like this developed when wall space was reused instead of stripped clean. As the newer paint weathered, earlier lettering began appearing through it. The result can be more interesting than either advertisement alone, with overlapping brands revealing different chapters of the building's commercial life.

UPDATE: The exact location and present condition of this Crenshaw's ghost sign remain unconfirmed. No reliable business dates have surfaced, but the layered wall remains an intriguing clue. A town name or street address could help put more history behind this Illinois roadside find. 07-26

Goodrich Service Station (Demolished)
Detroit, MI
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Here's the faded Goodrich Service Station advertisement near Detroit's Renaissance Center. Even after years of weather, “Goodrich DeLuxe Truck Tires” and “Best in the Long Run” remained readable on the old brick wall. That's a slogan this painted sign took rather seriously. 03-07

The advertisement recalled the tire dealers and automotive-service businesses that once occupied much of downtown Detroit. Painted walls offered a large advertising surface without requiring a separate sign structure. When the paint outlasted the original business, it became an accidental record of the neighborhood's working past.

UPDATE: The building has been demolished, taking the Goodrich advertisement with it. The precise demolition date hasn't been confirmed. Unfortunately, this wall's long run eventually ended, removing another visible reminder of Detroit's automotive trade. 07-26

Willy's Overland Service Building
Detroit, MI
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Located in Detroit is this ghost sign for theWillys-Overland Service Building. This building and the sign were restored last year as the building was being converted to condo's. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 06-07

City historical documentation dates the building at 444 West Willis Avenue to 1916. Originally associated with the Overland Storage Company, it later served Willys automobile repair, service, and storage operations. The wall lettering advertises “Overland Willys Knight Service Station,” preserving names from an earlier chapter of Detroit's automobile industry.

UPDATE: The building continues as Willys Overland Lofts, with its historic advertising retained as part of the exterior. The residential conversion gave the structure another useful role while leaving an unmistakable clue about what once happened behind those brick walls. 07-26

Millers Market (Closed)
Whitehouse, OH
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Here's the faded wall lettering at Miller's Market in Whitehouse, Ohio. It's the sort of detail that's easy to miss while driving through town, but well worth a closer look once you spot it. Old advertisements can make an otherwise ordinary brick wall surprisingly interesting. 03-07

The building is remembered as Townsend's Family Store before its later years as Miller's Market. Like many small-town shops, it served changing generations while the painted wall gradually weathered. The fading letters offer a reminder of the building's retail past without the benefit of a display window or an open front door.

UPDATE: Miller's Market has closed, while the old wall advertisement has been reported as surviving. Its latest condition and the store's operating dates remain unconfirmed. Hopefully, the lettering can hang on long enough for more of its story to be documented. 07-26

Klef Bros Drugs
Kansas City, MO
Photo courtesy Rod Holcomb

Look closely at the brickwork for Klef Bros. Drugs in Kansas City, Missouri. The faint lettering recalls an earlier business in a building later associated with Club Mardi Gras. That's quite a change of pace for one old commercial wall. 11-07

The former Mardi Gras Club at 1600 East 19th Street belongs to the history of the 18th and Vine jazz district. Preservation accounts connect the venue with Charlie Parker and other performers. The surviving drugstore lettering adds another layer, recalling neighborhood commerce before the building became known for music.

UPDATE: The building has faced serious structural problems, including a partial collapse followed by stabilization work. Its latest occupancy and the ghost sign's current condition haven't been confirmed. Both the painted advertisement and the jazz-club history make this a building worth keeping an eye on. 07-26

Henry George Cigars
Rochester, IN
Photo courtesy Doug Harvey

Here's a wall that takes a little reading. The Henry George Cigars advertisement in Rochester, Indiana, shares its brickwork with a later Mail Pouch Tobacco sign. As the layers weathered, the overlapping words produced the amusing “I Chew Men” combination. 04-08

Located along Main Street just north of Fifth Street, the building once housed a feed, saddle, and tack business. The older advertisement promoted Henry George five-cent cigars before Mail Pouch claimed the wall. Neither painter likely expected the two messages to become a single roadside puzzle decades later.

UPDATE: The layered advertisement remains a recognized Rochester ghost sign, although its latest condition hasn't been independently confirmed. Its appeal comes from the surviving fragments: spend a little time studying the wall, and two advertisements begin telling their stories at once. 07-26