Del Mar Mobile Home Park
Grants Pass, OR
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

The Del Mar Mobile Home Park sign is one of those roadside signs that makes you take a second look. At first glance, the little figures on top look like a pair of playful doggies keeping watch over the entrance. 03-06

Located along old Highway 99, the park has greeted travelers and residents for decades with its distinctive entrance sign. Whether they were meant to be doggies or not, those little characters gave the sign a personality all its own and made it much more memorable than the average trailer park entrance.

UPDATE: Del Mar Mobile Home Park remains open today, and much of the original roadside sign still survives. The distinctive character figures that once topped the sign, however, have since disappeared, giving the landmark a much simpler appearance. Word is the custom hand-painted wooden silhouette cutouts of cartoon seahorses were a visual nod to the park's coastal-themed name. 07-26

Hillman Minx (Closed)
Cottage Grove, OR
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

The Hillman Minx sign is an unusual find above a downtown Cottage Grove sidewalk. Its weathered lettering recalls the days when a British automobile could share showroom space with more familiar American makes. Even with its neon missing, this one deserves a closer look. 03-06

A Packard sign on the same building makes the stop even more interesting. The pairing brings together two very different motoring traditions, British economy cars and American luxury, in a storefront far smaller than today’s sprawling dealerships. That’s quite a bit of automotive history hanging on one building.

UPDATE: The Hillman and Packard signs were photographed together in 2020, long after their dealership days ended. Their latest condition remains unconfirmed, but those later photographs document that both survived well beyond this original visit. Hopefully this unusual roadside pair keeps hanging around. 07-26

Prints Charming
Roseburg, OR
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

The Prints Charming sign offers a little wordplay before you even reach the door. No fairy tale prince here, just a Roseburg business with a memorable name and a sign worth noticing while wandering downtown. 03-06

Established in the mid 1970s, the business built its trade around screen printing, embroidery, and promotional products. Shirts, hats, and custom designs gave it a practical role in local events and business advertising, while its own storefront added character to Southeast Main Street.

UPDATE: Prints Charming continues to be listed at 429 Southeast Main Street. After roughly fifty years in business, the name still earns a second look. Sometimes a clever shop name makes just as lasting an impression as an elaborate neon display. 07-26

Buy Here (Gone)
Roseburg, OR
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

The Buy Here sign didn't waste any words. Along Roseburg's Stephens Street, it got right to the point with a simple message: "Buy Here... Pay Here." 03-06

Signs like this were once a familiar sight along old Highway 99, where independent used car lots lined the roadside. There wasn't much mystery about what was being offered. If you needed a car and financing, this sign let you know you'd find both in the same place.

It may not have been the flashiest sign in town, but its bold lettering and straightforward message made it memorable. Sometimes the simplest signs are the ones that stick with you the longest, especially when they become part of a highway lined with service stations, motels, drive-ins, and used car lots.

UPDATE: The original used car lot has since disappeared, and the familiar "Buy Here, Pay Here" sign has been removed as Stephens Street has gradually changed over the years. 07-26

Apex Ace Home Center
Roseburg, OR
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

The oversized “A” at Apex Ace Home Center does a good job of catching your attention along Roseburg’s Stephens Street. You don’t need to be shopping for hardware to appreciate a business that gives one letter this much roadside presence. 03-06

Apex serves the neighborhood with tools, plumbing supplies, hardware, and lawn equipment. City business records include an Apex registration dating to 1990, documenting a long connection to its location at 1494 Northeast Stephens Street.

UPDATE: Apex remains listed as an operating Ace Hardware store at the same address. The giant letter gives the property a recognizable identity beyond the merchandise inside, making it another worthwhile stop for the roadside camera. 07-26

Boans
Tacoma, WA
Photo courtesy Jim Zahniser

At a quick glance, the Boans sign in Tacoma might have you thinking you’ve found somewhere to borrow money. Look again and that first letter changes the whole message. It’s the sort of roadside double take that makes an otherwise ordinary drive a little more entertaining. 11-08

The lettering is the attraction here, giving the sign an identity without needing an elaborate mascot or towering arrow. Sometimes the detail that makes you stop is simply wondering whether you read the name correctly.

UPDATE: The business behind the Boans name and the sign’s current status remain unconfirmed. If you recognize the location or remember what was sold here, please let me know. This one could use a little local history to go with the photograph. 07-26

Harkness Furniture (Closed)
Tacoma, WA
Photo courtesy Jim Zahniser

The looping arrows at Harkness Furniture give this South Tacoma Way sign plenty of roadside personality. They look ready to send your eyes around the display, although the arrows themselves were always stationary. It’s quite an introduction to a furniture showroom. 11-08

Harkness began in 1920 and expanded its store in 1946. The sign is believed to date from that expansion, standing roughly twenty five feet tall with its largest arrow stretching about twenty feet. A 2015 restoration repainted it to match the company’s newer branding.

UPDATE: Harkness continues to advertise its showroom at 6612 South Tacoma Way. The earlier claim that it closed permanently in 2024 is unsupported by the company’s current website. The business remains part of this longtime commercial strip, with a sign history nearly as interesting as the furniture inside. 07-26

Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle, WA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer globe was newspaper advertising on a grand scale. With an eagle perched above and “It’s in the P-I” circling the globe, it gave Seattle visitors something worth looking up for. You didn’t need to buy a newspaper to appreciate this much neon.

First installed on November 9, 1948, the globe crowned the newspaper’s headquarters at Sixth Avenue and Wall Street. It moved with the paper to Elliott Avenue in 1986, becoming a familiar sight above the waterfront. Apparently, this was one piece of office equipment nobody wanted to leave behind.

UPDATE: According to the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer globe, or "P-I" globe tops the statewide list of endangered properties. The P-I globe originally began rotating on November 9, 1948, then moved to its present location in 1986. The globe still spins today although P-I owner Hearst Corporation stopped the printing presses in March 2009 and remade the P-I into an online news company only. More information can be found in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer May 26 article. 05-09

UPDATE: The P-I ended its print edition in March 2009, but the globe survived. Landmark designation began in 2012, with a preservation ordinance following in 2015. Donated to MOHAI, it remains above the former headquarters as a reminder of Seattle’s newspaper days. 07-26