Brown Garden Supply (Gone)
Gary, IN
Photo courtesy Kevin Heggi

The Brown Garden Supply sign in Gary, Indiana, certainly dressed up the business. Two decorative crowns topped the bright red marquee, giving an ordinary garden-supply stop a rather royal appearance. Hopefully, the “Brown” referred to the family name rather than the plants. 10-08

Located near the Gary–Merrillville boundary, the shop offered gardening supplies alongside pet food and animal feed. Its unusual sign did more than announce the business—it gave customers a landmark to remember. Crowns weren't the obvious choice for selling seeds and fertilizer, which made the design all the more interesting.

UPDATE: Brown Garden Supply and its crown-topped marquee are gone, and the property has been cleared. The business's operating dates and the sign's eventual fate remain unconfirmed. Unfortunately, this little piece of roadside royalty no longer overlooks the neighborhood. 07-26

Griffith Furniture (Closed)
Griffith, IN
Photo courtesy Kevin Heggi

The Griffith Furniture sign is a great example of a roadside survivor finding a second life. Its classic blade design stood outside the furniture store for decades, and even after the business closed, the sign was simply too nice to throw away. 10-08

Griffith Furniture opened here in 1963, although the sign itself may actually date to the 1950s and have been reused from an earlier business. Either way, it fit the building perfectly and became a familiar sight along the street.

After the furniture store closed, the building was converted into Griffith Billiards in 2013. Rather than replacing the old sign, the new owners updated it with modern faces while preserving much of the original framework and decorative top section. It's always nice to see an old sign adapted instead of being hauled off to the scrapyard.

UPDATE: The furniture store is gone, but the vintage blade sign lives on with a new identity, continuing to brighten the streetscape in Griffith. 07-26

Homewood Glass & Mirror (Gone)
Homewood, IL
Photo courtesy Kevin Heggi

Here's the neon at Homewood Glass & Mirror in Homewood, Illinois. Straightforward lettering gave the shop a recognizable face along 183rd Street, proving that a sign didn't need an enormous arrow or animated character to catch your attention. 10-08

Business records place the shop at 2429 183rd Street. Its work included glass and mirrors, making the illuminated storefront lettering a fitting advertisement for a business built around carefully handled materials. Signs like this became familiar neighborhood markers through years of ordinary errands and repeat customers.

UPDATE: The original neon sign has been removed. The reported removal by 2012 and the business's closing date haven't been independently confirmed, although older listings still carry the company name. The familiar illuminated lettering is no longer part of the storefront's appearance. 07-26

Muffoletto's Bakery (Gone)
Lake Station, IN
Photo courtesy Kevin Heggi

The colorful Muffoletto's Bakery sign was hard to miss along Central Avenue in Lake Station. Even with some of its neon missing, the bright colors and classic styling still made it stand out and hinted at just how impressive it must have looked when every tube was glowing. 10-08

Muffoletto's opened in 1966 and became a neighborhood favorite for Italian bread, pastries, cannoli, and pizza. The family-run bakery served the community for more than three decades before closing in 1999, ending a memorable chapter in downtown Lake Station.

Like so many neighborhood bakeries, the business is gone today, and the vintage sign has disappeared as well. Thankfully, photographs like this preserve the look of another classic roadside marquee from Northwest Indiana.

UPDATE: Muffoletto's Bakery has long since closed, and its colorful roadside sign has been removed. 07-26

Mills Electric Co. (Gone)
Hammond, IN
Photo courtesy Kevin Heggi

At first glance, Mills Electric Co. looks like just another old industrial building, but a closer look reveals a business that's been part of Hammond for generations. The vintage sign out front fits the building perfectly and serves as a reminder of an era when companies invested in signs that were built to last. 10-08

Founded in 1936, Mills Electric remains a family-owned business specializing in electric motors, generators, and industrial electrical equipment. While many longtime industrial shops have disappeared over the years, Mills Electric has continued operating from its Calumet Avenue location for nearly 90 years.

UPDATE: Mills Electric Co. is closed and the sign disappeared around 2023 and is no longer a familiar landmark on Calumet Avenue. 07-26

Sam Newmark Clothing
Attica, IN
Photo courtesy Kevin Heggi

Sam Newmark Clothing may be long gone, but its old porcelain sign still catches your eye in downtown Attica. With "Clothing" and "Shoes" still proudly displayed, it's a great reminder of the days when every small town had its own family clothing store. 10-08

Sam Newmark opened the business in the 1920s, and the family operated it for nearly 80 years before closing in 2005. The historic building is still standing and has been repurposed, but thankfully the vintage projecting sign remains right where it has for decades.

UPDATE: The building is now home to other businesses, and the old Sam Newmark sign is still hanging out front. Not sure if the neon still works, but it's nice to see this downtown survivor still greeting people passing by. 07-26

Sams Market
Gary, IN
Photo courtesy Kevin Heggi

Sam's Market has one of those signs that seems to belong exactly where it is. The tall green marquee stands high above the street in Gary, making it easy to spot from a distance and giving the neighborhood a familiar landmark. It's a simple sign, but one that's probably helped generations of shoppers find their way here. 10-08

Sam's Market continues to serve the community with groceries, deli items, hot food, and other everyday necessities. While businesses come and go, it's always nice to see a neighborhood market that has managed to stick around. The sign may be what first catches your attention, but it's the kind of place that's been part of daily life for countless local residents.

UPDATE: Sam's Market is still open, however the tall green marquee was taken down sometime around 2013. 07-26

Parking Sign
East Chicago, IN
Photo courtesy Kevin Heggi

This old parking sign on Lincoln in East Chicago has seen better days. Most of the paint has faded away, the lettering is barely readable, and whatever business it once belonged to has been lost to time. Even so, the weathered arrow still manages to catch your eye. 10-08

There's not much known about the sign itself, but that's part of what makes finds like this so interesting. It's one of those forgotten roadside survivors that has quietly outlasted whatever originally stood behind it.

UPDATE: Not sure if this old sign is still standing today, but it was a fun roadside find back in 2008. Sometimes the signs with the fewest answers are the ones that make you wonder the most. 07-26