Bi-Rite Liquor
Berkeley, CA Photo courtesy Devil Doll
A rather bright sign announces Bi-Rite Liquor in Berkeley. This neighborhood store gives passing traffic something to notice, with lettering that makes its presence known before anyone reaches the front door. Guess a quiet introduction wasn't on the shopping list.
The Sacramento Street shop carries beer, wine, spirits, and convenience goods, keeping the everyday corner-store tradition going. A quick stop for one item could easily turn into remembering two or three other things needed back at home.
The sign adds some roadside character to a place nearby residents may recognize without reading the name. Familiar storefronts can become part of the daily scenery, but a bright old marquee still deserves a second glance.
UPDATE: Bi-Rite remains in business, with its exterior sign continuing to mark the neighborhood storefront. Another familiar liquor-store name keeping its place along Sacramento Street. 09-26
Lanai Liquors (Gone)
San Mateo, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
A palm tree and almost tiki-like lettering give the Lanai Liquors sign in San Mateo a tropical look. Quite a bit of island atmosphere for a stop along the Peninsula. Pick up a bottle and perhaps imagine somewhere with warmer water and fewer traffic lights.
The shop was associated with the Lanai restaurant and tiki bar at Villa Square, where the Polynesian theme extended beyond the sign. The liquor store carried some of that vacation mood into the everyday business of buying something to take home.
The palm tree helped turn an ordinary liquor-store announcement into something more memorable. Even without stepping inside, a passerby got a little taste of the tropical theme. No suitcase or airline ticket required for this particular stop.
UPDATE: The original Lanai complex was cleared in 1988, and the liquor business relocated nearby. The large tropical sign was saved and stored, later appearing for sale in 2023. 09-26
Pic n' Pac Liquors
Berkeley, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Colorful lettering makes Pic n Pac Liquors a noticeable stop along the old Highway 40 corridor. The sign has the sort of roadside presence that could catch a motorist's eye before the shopping plans were quite settled.
Located along San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley, the store sits on a route that carried travelers through the East Bay before Interstate 80 took over much of the through traffic. Markets and liquor shops like this served both the neighborhood and people continuing down the highway.
UPDATE: Pic n' Pac continues to operate along San Pablo Avenue, with its distinctive sign remaining outside. The old highway stop still adds some color to the commercial strip. 09-26
Carlson Liquor (Gone)
San Jose, CA Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo
The roadside sign out front remained at Carlson Liquor in San Jose, even after the lettering on the building's facade became history. One part of the old display stayed on duty while the other disappeared. At least there was still something out by the street to announce the place.
The store was remembered as a longtime local standby, with signs both at the roadside and on the storefront helping customers spot it. The two displays covered the approach and the arrival, catching attention from passing cars before confirming the destination above the door.
Carlson Liquor sign
San Jose, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Losing the facade sign changed the look of the building, leaving the freestanding sign to handle more of the introduction. For anyone familiar with the old storefront, the missing lettering would have been noticeable. Sometimes it's the small changes that give away how much time has passed since the last visit.
The remaining sign offered a little continuity, recalling the earlier arrangement even as the building's face changed. Another everyday roadside detail that might go unnoticed on a shopping trip but deserves a second look through the camera.
Carlson Liquor Store
San Jose, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Here the front look of this liquor store which I believe was on Stevens Creek Boulevard
UPDATE: Here are a couple of additional photos of this liquor store. It doesn't appear that this liquor store is around any more. 11-20
UPDATE: The original photo notes document the removal of the facade sign while the roadside sign remained standing. The photograph records a point in Carlson Liquor's history when part of its old display was already gone and part was still hanging on. 09-26
Montclair Liquors (Gone)
Stockton, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
At the edge of a Stockton strip center, Montclair Liquors puts on a nice display after dark. The illuminated sign gives the storefront a little extra presence, standing out when the evening turns the windows and parking lot into the background.
The Pacific Avenue shop occupies an end space, giving its marquee room to catch attention from passing traffic. A familiar shopping-center arrangement, with the liquor store helping announce one end of the row.
UPDATE: Montclair Liquors is no longer in business on Pacific Avenue. Its neon sign was stripped of the tubing and is a plain USA Liquor sign now. 09-26
Canada Dry Liquor Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
A glance at this Canada Dry Liquor sign might get a thirsty traveler thinking about something cold. Especially on a hot day, when even a familiar beverage name can start sounding like a good reason to stop.
The Canada Dry branding shares the job of advertising the liquor-store stop. Beverage names often found their way onto neighborhood shop signs, putting a familiar product in view alongside the promise of more choices inside.
UPDATE: This photograph records the old Canada Dry lettering as part of a roadside liquor-store advertisement. A little reminder of when the mixer could get as much billing as the bottles on the shelves. 09-26
Bi-Rite Liquor
Lanai Liquors (Gone)
Carlson Liquor (Gone)
Canada Dry Liquor
