Poultry Fish
San Francisco, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Here’s a Chinatown sign that gets right to the shopping list: Poultry Fish. No fancy slogan needed, just two words telling passersby what could be found inside. A practical market advertisement with enough roadside character to deserve a photograph.

The wording almost reads like two signs squeezed into one. Chicken for dinner? Fish instead? Apparently, the shop wanted to cover both possibilities before customers reached the display window. The sign did the announcing while the merchandise below could finish the sales pitch.

This was part of Chinatown’s everyday shopping scenery, where food markets shared the sidewalk with restaurants and other neighborhood businesses. Shoppers might have been watching what was on sale, but a glance overhead offered something for the roadside collection.

UPDATE: The original market behind this sign hasn’t been firmly identified. This old grocery advertisement has left a few questions hanging alongside its lettering. 10-26

Weird Chicken
San Francisco, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Hmm, does this sign look like a chicken? The roadside nickname Weird Chicken seems fitting enough, although the bird might have something to say about that. Take another look at the shape and see what turns up.

Was this meant to send hungry shoppers toward a poultry counter, or is the chicken resemblance just part of the guessing game? Without a clear business name, the unusual outline gets most of the attention. Apparently, this sign can still make someone stop and stare without explaining itself.

Chinatown offers plenty to look at above the storefront windows, and this little curiosity adds another reason to keep checking overhead. Not every roadside find arrives with a neatly spelled-out identity. Sometimes the shape is what sticks in the memory.

UPDATE: “Weird Chicken” remains a nickname for the photograph rather than an identified business. The original shop and the meaning behind the sign haven’t been pinned down. One of life’s greatest mysteries? Perhaps just one of Chinatown’s smaller roadside puzzles. 10-26

Red Sign
San Francisco, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Check out the unusual shape and bold color of this Red Sign in San Francisco’s Chinatown. The lettering isn’t the only thing doing the advertising here. The casing itself catches the eye among the surrounding storefronts, giving the sign a presence before its message is even figured out.

There’s quite a bit of competition for attention along these streets. Shop windows, hanging advertisements, and the upper floors of buildings all crowd into the view. A distinctive shape and a strong splash of red give this one a way to stand out.

Here’s a roadside sight that rewards looking up while walking through the neighborhood. It might be easy to pass beneath it while watching the sidewalk, then spot it from across the street and wonder how it was missed. Sometimes a second pass turns up the best sign of the block.

UPDATE: For now, the red casing and unusual outline are the details that set it apart. A memorable Chinatown advertisement still waiting for its name to catch up with the photograph. 10-26

Eastern Bakery
San Francisco, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Take a look at the weathered lettering on Eastern Bakery in Chinatown. The old sign shows plenty of years outdoors, while the Coca-Cola button below looks ready to keep making its pitch. Apparently, selling pastries and advertising a cold drink could share the same bit of sidewalk space.

The bakery opened in 1924 and became known for its mooncakes and coffee crunch cake. That gives visitors two attractions to consider: something sweet inside and an old roadside marquee outside. A pretty good combination for a stop along Grant Avenue.

The sign has gone through changes of its own. Around 2016, it was repainted and its neon replaced with illuminated plastic lettering. Neon returned in 2017, bringing some glass-tube glow back to the familiar advertisement.

UPDATE: Eastern Bakery remains open more than a century after its founding. Its sign survives with neon restored, while mooncakes and coffee crunch cake continue drawing customers through the door. Good to see this Chinatown bakery keeping both traditions in view. 10-26

Art Clothing Co.
San Francisco, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Here’s the old projecting sign for Art Clothing Co. With the lettering hanging out above the sidewalk, this Chinatown business gave shoppers another reason to look up.

And what’s that behind the sign? The original view raises the possibility of laundry hanging nearby, adding a little everyday neighborhood scenery to the advertisement. Shop signs and the upper floors of buildings often share the same photograph around here.

The marquee is thought to date from the 1940s or 1950s. Its older metal-and-lettering construction fits right into a streetscape where several generations of storefront advertising remain overhead.

UPDATE: Word is Art's is still in business. The vintage sign also remains above the storefront. 10-26

Republic Hotel (Closed)
San Francisco, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

San Francisco has plenty of hotels with grand entrances and grander room prices. Here’s a different sort of lodging advertisement at the Republic Hotel, where the projecting sign supplies much of the roadside introduction.

The tall lettering and Chinese characters give the marquee a familiar Chinatown appearance. It’s the sort of hotel sign that could be spotted while walking past the shops below, without a sweeping driveway or elaborate entrance to announce the place.

The sign is thought to date from the 1950s. Whatever accommodations were once offered behind it, the old lettering has become a little landmark of its own.

UPDATE: The Republic Hotel is no longer operating under that name, according to recent roadside sign documentation, but its projecting marquee remains. An old hotel advertisement carrying on above a changed streetscape. 10-26

Golden Star Radio
San Francisco, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Look up at this treasure of an old marquee for Golden Star Radio in San Francisco’s Chinatown. The bilingual lettering and star give the sign plenty of personality, even in its weathered condition. Here’s a piece of broadcasting history hanging well above the sidewalk. 09-08

Tommy and May Chin Tong began their Cantonese-language broadcasts in 1939, serving the Chinese American community for the next 40 years. The sign dates to around 1940, giving their work a visible landmark alongside the voices listeners heard at home.

UPDATE: Golden Star Radio’s sign glowed again on June 2, 2026, following a California Historical Radio Society restoration supported by an anonymous $60,000 donation. The team repaired the metal, restored its red, yellow, and white colors, and renewed the electrical system. Some original neon tubes, more than 80 years old, were saved and reused. A public celebration followed on July 10. Quite a comeback for this Chinatown star. 10-26

Gin Wall
San Francisco, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

The name Gin Wall might leave a passing sign hunter wondering what was sold inside. Despite how it sounds, this was a hardware and kitchenware business, with woks, cleavers, skimmers, and other cooking supplies among its wares.

The company appears in a San Francisco directory as early as 1930. That puts its history well before the photographed sign became another stop in the Chinatown roadside collection.

There’s a culinary connection, too. A 2000 Saveur article followed pioneering restaurateur Cecilia Chiang into Gin Wall, where she helped the writer choose a Chinese cleaver. Quite a recommendation for a neighborhood kitchenware shop.

UPDATE: Gin Wall’s hardware-store identity is confirmed, clearing up the question in the original caption. Its history includes both early city-directory listings and a documented visit with Cecilia Chiang, although a final closing date hasn’t been established. 10-26