Stephen's Meat Products

Firebaugh Hardware
Firebaugh, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Need a few supplies before getting back to work? Here's the old sign for Firebaugh Hardware in the Central Valley town of Firebaugh. The name sits above the storefront, giving customers something familiar to look for along the downtown block. 02-06

A hardware store sign doesn't have to be enormous to catch the eye. This one fits the shop below, the sort of place to stop for a needed part and leave with a couple of other things. The business has served the community since 1976. In a farming town, there's usually something waiting to be fixed, so a local hardware stop can save a longer drive.

UPDATE: Firebaugh Hardware is still open, and its storefront sign remains. 09-26

C and C Market (Gone)
Folsom, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Check out the old C and C Market sign in Folsom. The lettering looks like it has seen a few changes, but C and C wasn't a new name when this photo was taken. It had been advertising the market for decades. 02-06

The initials stood for Cash & Carry. George Chan Jr. and his wife Olivia opened that version of the grocery in 1965, carrying on a market tradition in the building that began with Chan's Market in 1937.

That's plenty of years of customers stopping along Sutter Street for something to take home. The old advertising gave the storefront a familiar face long after its earliest grocery days.

UPDATE: The grocery is gone, and the building has been reused. The original sign has been replaced with artwork recalling the market. 09-26

Dahl-Beck Electric Co. (Closed)
San Francisco, CA
Photo courtesy Susan Rambo

Here's an electrical company sign with its own reason to light up. The red neon blade for Dahl-Beck Electric Co. projects above Howard Street in San Francisco, giving the old brick building a name that's hard to miss. 12-06

The company moved here in 1952, repairing electrical equipment for Navy and merchant ships. Behind the marquee was a working warehouse, with considerably more going on than changing a light bulb.

Dahl-Beck moved its operations to Richmond in 1990. The Howard Street building later became lofts, but the old sign received a restoration instead of disappearing with the business.

UPDATE: The building houses lofts, and the restored Dahl-Beck neon sign still lights Howard Street. 09-26

Camera Center (Gone)
Modesto, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Check out the faded yellow and orange on the Camera Center sign in Modesto. The different sections give this marquee plenty to look at, even before noticing the name of the shop. 01-07

The warm colors have taken on a weathered look, the sort that might send a sign hunter back around the block. A camera store with a sign worth photographing seems like a pretty good arrangement.

For decades, the downtown shop offered equipment, processing, and darkroom classes. There were reasons to stop whether someone was buying a camera or waiting to see what came back on a roll of film.

The marquee advertised the place where pictures began, while becoming the subject of a few itself. Hopefully there was another frame left for the sign before heading on.

UPDATE: The Camera Center has closed, and the old marquee has been removed. 09-26

Radio Electronics (Rem.)
Modesto, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Take a look at this old Radio Electronics sign in Modesto. Before getting distracted by what might have been on the shelves inside, there's the roadside marquee to check out. 01-07

The name brings to mind radios, wiring, and little components that could turn a simple repair into a search for just the right part. A useful shop to know when something stopped making the sounds it was supposed to.

Radio Electronics became a longtime local stop for equipment and supplies. The business eventually moved to McHenry Avenue, leaving this older downtown sign behind.

UPDATE: Radio Electronics continues on McHenry Avenue, but the old downtown marquee has been removed. 09-26

Sheet Metal
Napa, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Look up at the Sheet Metal lettering above this Napa building. The rooftop sign puts the trade right against the sky, giving travelers something to notice before reaching the shop below. 01-07

The separate letters sit on an open framework rather than a solid signboard. It's a useful arrangement for a roof, where the name can stand out without covering the whole view behind it.

The letters look like they may once have lit up. Whether glowing after dark or just catching daylight, they give an ordinary metalworking business a little extra roadside appeal.

Quick Aid (Rem.)
Fireoak, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Here's an old sign advertising Quick Aid Fire Guards in Oakland. Take a closer look at the lettering, where the neon tubing follows the heavy letters around the marquee. 01-07

Quick Aid was a name associated with fire extinguishers and safety equipment. Not quite as obvious a roadside stop as a diner or motel, but the sign gave the business something worth slowing down for.

UPDATE: The Quick Aid sign has been removed. 09-26

Peters Markets (Gone)
French Camp, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Check out the diamond-backed letters at Peters Markets in French Camp, just south of Stockton. Each letter gets its own shape, making the name look like a whole row of little signs joined together. 01-07

It's a nice change from putting everything on one rectangular board. The contrasting diamonds give motorists several chances to notice the market while passing along the old Highway 99 corridor.

The Chinese deli lettering adds another thing to look at nearby, though the market name is the part that draws the eye first. Those diamonds make a grocery stop a little more interesting from the road.

UPDATE: Peters Markets is gone and is now Golden City Market. 09-26