Coin-Op Laundry
Bellflower, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Imagine sleepily heading out to do the wash and finding these enormous clothespins attached to the building. The Coin-Op Laundry in Bellflower gives an ordinary chore a little roadside entertainment, with oversized pins appearing to hold the advertising against its walls.
Located on Artesia Boulevard, the laundromat pairs its giant wooden clothespins with a blue-and-white striped exterior. Painted messages reading “Fast Dry” and “Coin-Op” complete the arrangement. Apparently, even the building has something hanging out to dry.
Front View
Bellflower, CA Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo
The decorations make a familiar household object worth a second look simply by changing its size. No giant mascot needed here, though finding a clothesline to match might take some searching.
UPDATE: The clothespin-covered laundry is documented at 8702 Artesia Boulevard, including a July 2019 visitor photograph. The pins are clothespins, rather than the bowling pins described in the supplied research. 10-26
Hammerford Construction (Closed)
Whittier, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Check out the oversized tool advertising Hammerford Construction in Whittier. The giant hammer rises above Washington Boulevard, leaving passing motorists with a fairly good idea of the work once offered below. Definitely a sign of the “can’t miss” variety.
Hammerford occupied the property beginning in 1960, and the hammer sign is believed to date from around that time. A construction business could have settled for its name in large letters, but adding the tool gave this location something people could remember.
The hammer also proved useful after the original business departed. New lettering could advertise other tenants while the familiar shape continued marking the property. Quite a long working life for a tool that never actually had to strike a nail.
UPDATE: The hammer sign still stands on Washington Boulevard though Hammerford Construction is longer here. Multiple businesses now occupy the site. 11-20
UPDATE: By 2010, the sign had been adapted for other businesses. The hammer still remains as other tenants occupied the former Hammerford property. 10-26
Los Angeles Coin (Rem.)
Studio City, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The sign for Los Angeles Coin Company looks a little like a giant key. Located along Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, the yellow marquee combines a wide, swept top with a narrow upright spelling out “RARE COINS.” Quite a way to point collectors toward the merchandise inside.
The steep blue roof and matching awnings give the little building a personality of its own. Paired with the sign, it makes a memorable stop along a boulevard filled with competing storefronts. Someone arriving to look at small coins certainly had a large marker to watch for.
Associated with dealers Steve Teitelbaum and Paul Wojdak, Los Angeles Coin Company handled rare coins, currency, and precious metals. The coin imagery and lettering explain the business, though the sign’s unusual outline still invites that second look.
UPDATE: Coin Connection now operates at 12301 Ventura Boulevard, continuing the location’s coin and precious-metals trade. This view preserves the earlier Los Angeles Coin Company name and its distinctive roadside marquee. 10-26
Stan's Light (Gone)
Los Angeles, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Now this was one large bulb. Outside Stan’s Lighting on Pico Boulevard, the oversized display made the shop’s specialty rather easy to identify. No need to wait for a bright idea about where to buy a lamp.
Located at 5925 West Pico, just west of Fairfax Avenue, Stan’s turned an everyday household object into a roadside attraction. The bulb supplied the introduction, while the showroom handled lighting on a scale more suitable for taking home. Imagine finding a lampshade for the one outside.
The familiar incandescent shape did much of the advertising without requiring passing motorists to read the lettering. A lighting store with a giant bulb out front seemed perfectly reasonable along a boulevard where businesses found all sorts of ways to attract attention.
For roadside enthusiasts, it also made an ordinary shopping destination worth a photo stop. These oversized objects gave commercial streets a little personality, turning a storefront into a place remembered long after the original business moved on.
Stan's Light (Gone)
Los Angeles, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
UPDATE: Stan's Lighting closed down a long time ago. The bulb has been gone for many years as well. The site is now home to Lock Box Fitness and Performance. 11-20
UPDATE: Stan’s closed and the bulb was removed many years ago. The property later housed Lock Box Fitness and Performance, as recorded in the November 2020 update. This view recalls the days when a giant light bulb helped brighten the drive along Pico Boulevard. 10-26
Krazy Kone (Gone)
Montebello, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
On a hot day, the Krazy Kone sign in Montebello looked like a promising invitation to stop. Unfortunately, anyone arriving during its later silk-screening days would have found a different sort of order being filled.
The location previously operated as Curries Ice Cream, remembered for cones and hand-packed ice cream during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Curries advertised its “mile-high” cones, and an oversized cone outside certainly helped make the point.
The ice cream identity lingered after the merchandise changed. By 1995, a newspaper account noted that the former ice cream shop still used the Krazy Kone name. Quite a bit of dessert history to carry into the printing business.
UPDATE: In the late 40's and early 50's this sign marked the
Curries Ice Cream shop, always a welcome destination. It was a great place
to get "hand packed" ice cream to go, as well as cones. Many thanks to Tom Cockle for historical info posted above. 01-02
UPDATE: The giant cone is gone. 10-26
Shasta Beverages
La Mirada, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Imagine driving along on a hot day and spotting this enormous can of Shasta Beverages soda. Stop for a drink? How about a photo first. This oversized refreshment stands outside the beverage facility on Artesia Boulevard in La Mirada.
The can gets repainted with different flavor labels, giving repeat visitors something new to watch for. Earlier looksincluded Pineapple Orange and Tiki Punch. Same roadside can, different refreshments. Finding a cup to match might be another matter.
UPDATE: The giant Shasta can continues to mark the facility at 14405 Artesia Boulevard. Its changing labels make a return trip worth another look, especially for anyone collecting the different flavors by photograph. 10-26
Coin-Op Laundry
Front View
Hammerford Construction (Closed)
Los Angeles Coin (Rem.)
Stan's Light (Gone)
Krazy Kone (Gone)
Shasta Beverages
