DeSoto's Salon (Closed)
Ash Fork, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

You know you have found DeSoto’s Salon when a full-sized automobile appears on the roof. This former Ash Fork beauty and barber shop came with a finned DeSoto and an Elvis figure behind the wheel. That should get a little more attention than a striped barber pole. 03-19

Joe and Edie DeSoto converted the former Texaco station into their salon in 2001. Despite the perfect match, the business was named for the couple rather than the automobile. The 1960 DeSoto had been sitting behind the building before a forklift helped move it to its elevated parking space in 2003.

UPDATE: The salon closed around 2011, but the rooftop car remains one of Ash Fork’s familiar Route 66 sights. The property has since had private uses, and the salon signage is gone. Elvis still appears to be waiting for someone to explain how he is supposed to get back down. 11-26

Creative Awards
Tucson, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Here’s Creative Awards, a longtime Tucson business tucked into an older commercial storefront. The building has the straightforward look of a place where the merchandise does most of the talking. In this case, that means plenty of trophies, plaques, and other shiny things waiting for someone’s name. 06-23

The business began in 1974, supplying awards to local teams, schools, and companies. At the time of this visit, the owners were approaching retirement and had offered the operation for sale. After decades of recognizing everyone else’s achievements, they had certainly put in a respectable run themselves.

UPDATE: Creative Awards continues operating, offering trophies, engraving, promotional products, and other personalized items. The outcome of the earlier sale plans remains unclear, but the business has kept going. Another familiar Tucson shop is still helping people bring home something for the mantel. 11-26

Economy Restaurant Supply
Tucson, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Check out the broad storefront and big lettering at Economy Restaurant Supply in Tucson. Nothing fancy here, just a building that tells passing motorists what waits inside. The old commercial frontage has considerably more character than another warehouse hidden behind a parking lot. 06-23

Economy has supplied restaurants and home cooks since 1974, carrying commercial kitchen equipment, cookware, dinnerware, and bar supplies. Its wonderfully direct website name, potspans.com, fits the business nicely. A restaurant owner might arrive looking for refrigeration while someone else leaves with a frying pan large enough to feed the neighborhood.

UPDATE: Economy Bar & Restaurant Supply remains in business. Its longtime storefront and prominent facade lettering continue to provide a familiar roadside presence. Nice to find an old Tucson shop where the sign still gets straight to the point. 11-26

Miracle Breeze
Tucson, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The tall green-and-pink sign at Miracle Breeze is hard to overlook along Tucson’s Oracle Road. It advertises the “World’s Best Cooler Pads,” which is quite a claim in a city that knows something about staying cool. Apparently, even swamp-cooler supplies deserve a good piece of neon. 06-23

The business has operated from the same location since 1942, originally under the Arizona Maintenance name. Locally made aspen cooler pads remain a specialty, joined by replacement parts and sheet-metal work. That skinny neon tower gives an otherwise practical business a wonderfully unusual roadside landmark.

UPDATE: Miracle Breeze remains open, continuing its long connection with Tucson’s evaporative coolers. The distinctive sign and old shop survive, still offering a place to find those aspen pads when the desert starts heating up. More than eight decades in business is a pretty good recommendation all by itself. 11-26

A Bloom’n Florist (Closed)
Yuma, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Here’s A Bloom’n Florist tucked inside one of Yuma’s old A-frame buildings. The big “FLORIST” letters stood out nicely against the steep roof, while the flagcrete along the front added another layer of mid-century texture. It is a building that was clearly designed to catch the eye from the road. 06-23

The A-frame was originally built in 1966 as a Village Inn Pizza Parlor. That chain used dramatic rooflines to make its restaurants easy for hungry motorists to recognize. After the pizza years, A Bloom’n Florist moved in and cleverly turned the broad roof into a giant signboard.

The building later returned to the food business as Steiner’s European Deli and Market, which operated here from around 2011 to 2015. Steiner’s became known for pastrami, German sausages and other imported treats.

UPDATE: The former florist now houses J.T. Bros, a neighborhood restaurant serving deli sandwiches and a dinner menu. The large florist lettering has been removed, but the 1966 A-frame and its flagcrete exterior remain. 09-26

Girl Scouts (Moved)
Tucson, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Here’s the former Girl Scouts building along Tucson’s Sunshine Mile. Broad windows, a low roof, and long horizontal lines give the place a familiar mid-century appearance. It is the sort of building that rewards a closer look while cruising along Broadway. 06-23

The Girl Scouts used the property for local offices and programs before moving to a larger leadership campus. Its modest scale and open frontage fit the postwar commercial buildings that once made this stretch such an interesting drive. Thankfully, the structure found another purpose.

UPDATE: The former offices have been identified as the Connie Hillman Family Foundation Resource Center. The building’s recognizable mid-century shape survives, carrying another community use beneath the same low roof. Nice to see an older Broadway building kept in service. 11-26

Globe Medical Center (Demolished)
Globe, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Globe Medical Center was a reminder that even a small medical office could have some style. Its low roof, covered arrival area, and open courtyard gave the complex a clean mid-century look along Highway 60. A little architectural interest while waiting for a prescription certainly could not hurt. 06-23

Commissioned by Dr. Rabogliotti in 1959, the six-unit complex accommodated medical and dental offices with an attached pharmacy. The arrangement brought several services together in one convenient stop, reflecting the automobile-oriented design appearing throughout Arizona during those years.

UPDATE: The old medical center property was acquired for Globe’s planned replacement fire station, with demolition included in the redevelopment program. The city was still reviewing the new station’s feasibility in 2026. The familiar medical complex is giving way to another public-service chapter along the highway. 11-26

Johnny's Carpeting (Rem.)
Yuma, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Check out the rounded storefront at Johnny’s Carpeting in Yuma. Curved corners and horizontal lines give the building a touch of Streamline styling, while the sweeping carpet lettering added another era of roadside design. It was a nice combination on an otherwise ordinary commercial corner. 06-23

The family carpet business began in 1976 and moved into this location in 1993. Over time, laminate and waterproof vinyl joined the traditional carpeting, keeping the merchandise current inside the older building. The shared frontage and neighboring signs made for a busy little roadside scene.

UPDATE: Johnny’s continues to be listed as a flooring business, but the storefront signage has changed. The earlier lettering has lost some of its flair, and the nearby motel-style sign and arrow now advertise Cricket. The rounded building survives, although the view is no longer quite the same. 11-26