The Cherokee Trader
Cherokee, NC
Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack

Shoot an arrow in any direction in Cherokee, NC and it will probably hit an Indian gift shop. The Cherokee Trader stands out above others in its tribe with a beautifully lit dancing warrior. If you concentrate hard enough, you can almost hear the distant sound of pounding drums between its neon blinks. Many thanks to Steve/Back on Tack for info.

The Cherokee Trader has been selling gifts, crafts and souvenirs to travelers for decades. The shop was started by Lois Queen Farthing, and that great roadside sign went up in 1964. More than 60 years later, the business is still operated by her family.

Inside you'll find everything from pottery and jewelry to Native American crafts and plenty of vacation souvenirs. But for roadside fans, the old neon out front might be reason enough to pull over.

UPDATE: The Cherokee Trader remains open at 1136 Tsali Boulevard, and its vintage 1964 roadside sign still survives. 08-26

Carter Drugs
Barnesville, GA
Photo courtesy Kevin Powers

The big Carter Drugs lettering high on the building made this Barnesville storefront easy to recognize. Set among downtown's historic commercial buildings, it advertised a familiar combination of neighborhood pharmacy and soda fountain. The architectural lettering gave the store a presence that lasted well beyond its working years.

Opened in 1948, Carter's served the community through three generations of family ownership. Prescriptions brought customers inside, while the fountain supplied another reason to linger. Later storefront coverings obscured portions of the older facade, but its original details eventually returned to view, restoring some of the building's earlier appearance.

UPDATE: Carter Drugs closed on December 30, 2011, after 63 years in business. The building survives, and the large DRUGS lettering remains above the street, preserving a recognizable piece of downtown Barnesville's pharmacy history. 11-26

The Stage
Nashville, TN
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

You can't miss this one while wandering down Broadway. The neon lettering and giant guitar make The Stage on Broadway a real head turner among all the lights competing for attention in downtown Nashville.

Located at 412 Broadway, The Stage sits right in the middle of Nashville's Honky Tonk Highway. The big vertical sign spells out THE STAGE in glowing neon, but it's that oversized guitar perched on top, complete with its cowboy hat, that really makes the sign.

Inside you'll find plenty of live country music, dancing, and walls covered with country music memorabilia and murals. There's even a rooftop bar overlooking Broadway. But from the sidewalk, it's still that guitar glowing over the street that makes this place worth another look.

UPDATE: The Stage remains open and the neon sign and guitar are still lighting up Broadway. 08-26

Jim Reed Chevrolet (Gone)
Nashville, TN
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

Now here's a roadside character that's hard to forget. The marquee for Jim Reed's Truck Center in Nashville featured "Ol' Jim," a smiling neon cowboy who looked ready to wave passing motorists right into the lot.

Jim Reed Chevrolet was a longtime fixture along Nashville's Broadway auto row, selling cars and trucks from its sprawling dealership complex. During the 1960s and 1970s, this stretch of Broadway was filled with automobile dealers, and Ol' Jim gave the Reed operation a little extra personality.

With his cowboy hat, big grin, and animated neon, Ol' Jim was the kind of character sign that once seemed perfectly at home above a car lot. You certainly knew where to stop if you needed a truck.

UPDATE: The old Jim Reed dealership operation is gone from Broadway and the Ol' Jim neon sign has been removed. The former dealership property has been altered and redeveloped over the years. 08-26

Monteleone Hotel
New Orleans, LA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Even directions to the garage came with neon style at Hotel Monteleone. Glowing arrows and colorful lettering guided motorists toward the entrance and lobby, adding another distinctive advertisement to the French Quarter. It's the sort of practical sign that becomes worth admiring simply because someone took the trouble to make it memorable.

Antonio Monteleone established the hotel in 1886, beginning a family-owned business that grew into a Royal Street landmark. Writers including William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, and Truman Capote became associated with the property. Its Carousel Bar, introduced in 1949, adds another unusual feature: the circular seating area completes one revolution every fifteen minutes.

UPDATE: Hotel Monteleone remains open and celebrated its 140th anniversary in 2026. Its familiar neon and revolving bar continue supplying two different kinds of movement in the French Quarter. 11-26

Ernest Tubb Record Shop
Nashville, TN
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

This neon guitar leads you to the Ernest Tubb Record Shop in Nashville, TN. This shop has been selling records on Broadway
for over 50 years. Many thanks to Paul Bauke for info.

Tubb established the business in 1947, and the shop moved to its familiar Broadway location in 1951. His Midnite Jamboree broadcasts strengthened the connection between record sales and live performances, drawing musicians and listeners into the store's history. The business closed in 2022, beginning several years of restoration and operational changes.

UPDATE: The restored guitar sign returned in July 2025, followed by a reopening that November. Another temporary closure came in January 2026; subsequent redevelopment has continued under the Ernest Tubb name, with the historic sign preserved above Broadway. 11-26

Berry's Loan (Gone)
Nashville, TN
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

The tall red neon at Berry's Loan made the downtown Nashville pawn shop difficult to overlook. Large LOANS lettering stretched above the storefront, delivering a straightforward message to anyone passing along Fourth Avenue. After dark, the sign gave an everyday financial service the visual presence of a much larger attraction.

Berry's traces its history to 1941, buying, selling, and lending against goods ranging from jewelry to musical instruments. That assortment suited a city where performers and working musicians were part of the surrounding commercial life. The neon supplied the landmark, while the changing merchandise gave customers another reason to look inside.

UPDATE: The Fourth Avenue storefront has closed, and its neon sign has been removed. Berry's Pawn continues elsewhere in Nashville, carrying the business name forward after the loss of its familiar downtown advertisement. 11-26