Stephen's Meat Products

Callan Realty
San Francisco, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Check out the mix of shapes on the Callan Realty sign in Daly City, just south of San Francisco. Why settle for a plain rectangle when a sign can look like several pieces fitted together?

The old marquee advertised more than real estate. Insurance, home building, and apartment rentals all had a place beneath the Callan name. Plenty of business to squeeze onto one roadside sign.

Thomas Callan started the company in 1945, and the sign is thought to have followed in the 1950s or early 1960s. Its neon lettering gave motorists something extra to look at after dark.

UPDATE: Callan is still operating. The sign remains, but its old neon has been removed and the panels changed. 09-26

Bras Mattos Monuments
Hayward, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Look up above the storefront at Bras & Mattos Monuments in Hayward. The tall blade sign puts the name above the roofline, where it can catch the attention of motorists along Mission Boulevard. There's quite a bit of lettering to fit onto that narrow marquee.

Rather than spreading the name across the front of the shop, the sign sends it upward. Get a little farther back and there's a good view of the storefront with the blade rising above it.

A monument shop might not be the first place to look for an old roadside marquee, but this one makes a good excuse to slow down. Keep an eye above the smaller businesses along the drive, and a few more signs like this might come into view.

The company's roots reach back to 1897, with generations of work carving headstones and memorials. The sign came later, giving customers a familiar name to look for while passing through Hayward.

UPDATE: The business continues as Mattos Monuments, and the old blade sign remains. 09-26

Bubbles Bottle Shop (Closed)
Clear Lake, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Here's another sign to check out around Clear Lake. Bubbles Bottle Shop has a name that sounds ready for a weekend by the water, with an old-style marquee to catch the passing traffic.

The name alone might get a second look. Bubbles sounds a little more cheerful than the usual “Liquor” lettering, and gives the shop something to be remembered by after driving past.

This was a liquor and beverage shop, a place to pick up a few drinks before heading back to the lake. A useful stop for locals and visitors, especially if something had been left off the shopping list before the trip.

For anyone out looking for signs, the marquee supplied its own reason to pull over. Take a quick photo before continuing around Clear Lake. No need to be thirsty to appreciate a roadside name like Bubbles.

UPDATE: Bubbles Bottle Shop has closed. 09-26

Kay Upholstery (Closed)
Oakland, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Here's a furniture shop that took its advertising up to the roof. The illuminated lettering for Kay Upholstery stood above this Oakland storefront, giving passing motorists a reason to look up.

The open framework behind the letters lets the sky show through. After dark, the lighted name could do the work without needing a big solid signboard around it.

Inside was the more practical business of upholstery, tending to furniture and auto interiors that needed another round of service. Outside, the rooftop lettering made a useful shop worth a photo stop.

UPDATE: Kay Upholstery has closed. 09-26

Al's Glass (Gone)
Sacramento, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

What did Al's Glass sell? The sign wasn't leaving much room for doubt. Here's an old business marquee in West Sacramento that got straight to the point.

The shop handled auto glass and building windows, useful if a windshield picked up a crack on the road or a window at home needed replacing. Not quite the reason most sign hunters would pull over, but handy all the same.

UPDATE: Al's Glass has closed, and the building and sign are gone. 09-26

Dairy Mart (Gone)
Oakland, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Take a look at this weathered sign for Dairy Mart in Oakland. It still points the way into the business in this view, though the finish looks like it has spent plenty of years out in the elements.

The name brings to mind a quick stop for milk and a few things for home. The sort of errand that could be worked into the drive without wandering through a whole supermarket.

By the time of this photo, the old sign had picked up enough wear to make it worth a closer look. Might have been easy to overlook on a daily trip, but harder to pass with a camera along.

UPDATE: Dairy Mart has closed, and the old sign has been removed. 09-26

Sewing Machine Center (Gone)
Sacramento, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Check out the old Sewing Machine Center sign in downtown Sacramento. The red blade marquee projects over the sidewalk, with bold white lettering making the business easy to spot along J Street. No need to have a sewing project underway to stop for a look.

The shop moved into this storefront in the early 1950s after operating across the street. For more than four decades, customers came here for machines, parts, and repairs. Vacuum cleaners got attention, too, though sewing machines had top billing outside.

UPDATE: The shop closed in the late 1990s. The building remains, but the old red sign was removed around 2020. 09-26

Powder Box (Gone)
Albany, CA
Photo and info courtesy Devil Doll

Need a little freshening up? The old sign for Powder Box Beauty Salon in Albany had already received some attention when this photo was taken. A repaint made the marquee look almost new, even though its shape and lettering belonged to an earlier time.

Thought to date from the 1940s or 1950s, the sign projected over the Solano Avenue sidewalk. A good spot to catch customers before they walked past the salon.

UPDATE: Mane Alley took over the salon space, and the Powder Box lettering has been replaced. 09-26