Stephen's Meat Products

Harris Funeral Home
Berkeley, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Check out the neon lettering at Harris Funeral Home in Berkeley, including the offer of “Funeral Insurance.” Not the sort of wording that turns up on every roadside marquee, but it certainly gives this one something to photograph.

Neon signs for funeral homes were once a more familiar sight. Here, the lettering puts the business name right on the building along San Pablo Avenue, much like the shops and theaters farther down the road.

Elihu and Frances Harris opened the funeral home in 1953. The old neon gives the place a look that fits those years, when even a funeral parlor could have a sign worth stopping to see.

UPDATE: Harris Funeral Home is still operating, and the neon lettering remains. 09-26

Orchard Supply (Gone)
San Jose, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

Need a few things for that project back home? The big arrow at Orchard Supply Hardware in San Jose looks ready to send motorists straight into the store. No need to wonder which driveway to take.

The neon sign stood along West San Carlos Street for decades, pointing the way to tools, hardware, and probably a few things that weren't on the shopping list. A hardware run could take a little longer with this out front to photograph.

Orchard Supply began in San Jose in 1931 as a farmers' cooperative. It grew into a familiar chain, but this old arrow gave the hometown store a roadside presence all its own.

UPDATE: Orchard Supply closed its stores in 2018. The old arrow sign has been removed from the site. 09-26

Walnut Trailer Villa (Rem.)
West Sacramento, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Take a look at the boomerang-shaped sign for Walnut Trailer Villa in West Sacramento. Calling the place a villa adds a little flair, and the marquee seems happy to go along with it.

The angled outline gives the entrance something more interesting than a plain rectangular board. It's the sort of sign that catches your eye along West Capitol Avenue, even when there's no trailer following behind.

The place looked a little down on its luck in this view, but the old boomerang still made a good subject for the camera. Might have been worth pulling over before continuing down the road.

UPDATE: Walnut Trailer Villa is still operating, but the boomerang sign has been removed. 09-26

Sacramento Rug Works
Sacramento, CA
Photo courtesy Dave van Hulsteyn

'Rug Cleaning by Rug Men'? What an odd slogan. Oh well, it has worked for 97 years, so what do I know? I'm picturing the Rug Men as this sort of cartoonish rolled up carpet with hands and feet. I'm sure the actual Rug Men would be disappointing in comparison. This sign is at Sacramento Rug Works. Many thanks to Dave van Hulsteyn for info.

The actual Rug Men probably weren't quite that unusual, but the wording gives passing motorists something to think about. Certainly more memorable than a plain “Rug Cleaning” sign.

The business started in 1905, so there was plenty of experience behind the promise. At the time of the original write-up, the shop had already been going for 97 years. Apparently the Rug Men were doing something right.

UPDATE: Sacramento Rug Works is still cleaning rugs, and the business sign remains. 09-26

Greyhound Bus (Gone)
Redding, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Here's a greyhound that never quite leaves the station. The running dog above the Greyhound Bus marquee in Redding gives this old terminal a familiar finishing touch.

With the dog stretched out across the top, the sign looks ready to send travelers down the highway. The depot below has that old bus-station look, from the days when arriving in town might mean stepping off a coach with a suitcase in hand.

For anyone passing through with a camera, the marquee makes a good reason to pause before moving on. The buses could come and go, but that greyhound had its own spot above the entrance.

UPDATE: The old depot is no longer serving as Redding's Greyhound terminal. 09-26

Shoe Repair
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Need those heels fixed? Here's an old Shoe Repair sign with the kind of lettering that once turned up along Main Streets all over the place. No elaborate sales pitch, just a quick announcement of what could be done inside.

The heavy letters and neon give a routine business a little extra sidewalk appeal. A worn pair of shoes might get someone through the door, while the sign could stop someone else with a camera.

There's no shop name here to distract from the message. If the soles were wearing thin after a day of walking around town, this was the sort of sign to look for.

Children's Hospital (Rem.)
Oakland, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Here's an old neon sign pointing the way to Children's Hospital in Oakland. A hospital entrance might not be the usual stop on a sign-hunting drive, but this one was worth a look.

The lettering had a practical job, helping visitors find their way while giving the street a bit of neon after dark. Not every old sign advertised dinner, a room, or a night at the movies.

The hospital began in 1912 as the Baby Hospital and grew into a much larger medical center. This photographed sign belongs to an earlier stretch of that story, when directions could come outlined in neon.

UPDATE: The hospital remains open as UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland. The old neon sign has been replaced. 09-26

W.F. Gromley & Sons (Gone)
Sacramento, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Check out the old sign for W.F. Gormley & Sons in Sacramento. Funeral chapel signs don't turn up at every roadside stop, and this scroll-shaped marquee was too good to pass by.

“Parking Area” takes up a prominent spot on the sign, answering the question of where to pull in. The curved outline and neon made even directions to the parking lot worth a photo.

The sign went up in 1931, a few years after the family funeral home moved into its Capitol Avenue location. The business itself started in 1897, so both the name and the marquee had been around for quite a while.

UPDATE: Gormley moved to Riverside Boulevard in August 2026. The old sign came down for restoration and a move to the new location. 09-26