Custom Bandag Pile of Tires (Gone)
Monmouth Junction, NJ
Photo courtesy Bob Jagendorf

Now here's a tire shop you couldn't miss. This Pile of Tires stood alongside Route 1 at Custom Bandag in Monmouth Junction, looking something like a giant rubber snake wound around a utility pole.

The unusual roadside display was made from graduated truck and heavy-equipment tires stacked high into the air, with black-and-white patterns painted across the treads. It was simple, strange and probably did a pretty good job of getting the attention of motorists heading down Route 1.

Custom Bandag operated its commercial tire retreading and service center here for years. With this towering pile out front, there wasn't much need for directions. Just watch for the giant stack of tires.

UPDATE: The giant tire stack is gone, dismantled during roadside and utility clearance work along the Route 1 corridor back in the mid to late 2000s. Another eye-catching roadside attraction is now left for just memory. 08-26

Firestone Complete Auto Care (Rem.)
Red Bank NJ
Photo courtesy Moon Mullins OX-76

Here's an old Firestone Complete Auto Care shop in Red Bank that looks like a throwback to the days when tire stores had a little more style. The long brick building, service bays and big rooftop Firestone letters made sure anyone passing along Maple Avenue knew where to stop for a new set of tires.

Built in the 1940s, this was the kind of neighborhood auto center once found all over the country. Firestone, Goodyear and other tire shops filled the roadside, usually with plenty of neon and big signs competing for attention. Remember Mark C. Bloome?

Best of all, this old Firestone is still doing what it was built to do.

UPDATE: Firestone Complete Auto Care remains open in Red Bank. The building still stands, although the old rooftop Firestone letters and vintage roadside sign have been removed. 08-26

Firestone Complete Auto Care (Rem.)
Hamden, CT
Photo courtesy Rick Ibsen

Firestone Complete Auto Care in Hamden is one of those old tire shops where the sign was almost as memorable as the building. Sitting along busy Dixwell Avenue, the big Firestone letters glowed in neon after dark, a sight that was already getting pretty rare around the Northeast when this shot was taken. 03-07

These old Firestone stores were once a familiar part of the roadside. Pull in for a set of tires, a battery or some service, and there was usually a big sign out front making sure you couldn't miss the place. This Hamden location kept some of that old look well into the 2000s, especially when the neon was turned on at night. The shop itself is still in the tire business today, which is nice to see. Unfortunately, the vintage neon didn't make the trip.

UPDATE: Firestone Complete Auto Care remains open on Dixwell Avenue. The old neon Firestone lettering seen here has since been removed and replaced by modern corporate signage. 08-26

Nickwackett Garage
Pittsford, VT
Photo courtesy Rick Ibsen

The Nickwackett Garage is located on US 7 in Pittsford VT and featured Gulf products when it was open. Check out the faded letters and Gulf logo on the top facade of the building. Many thanks to Rick Ibsen for info. 04-09

There’s something about an old garage along Route 7 that makes you want to slow down. The weathered Nickwackett Garage lettering across the front still looks right at home on this old Vermont roadside stop.

The building started out as a two-room schoolhouse in Florence. After the great Vermont flood of 1927, it was taken apart, hauled across the Hammond Covered Bridge and rebuilt here in Pittsford. It later sold Graham and Willys automobiles before motorcycles took over.

UPDATE: The Nickwackett Garage is still open, specializing in vintage motorcycle repair and restoration. That great old sign still hangs out front. 08-26