Ellis Bros. (Closed)
Binghamton, NY
Photo courtesy Jay Lin

Check out the matching Check out the matching vertical signs for Ellis Bros. Furniture and Phil’s Gift Shop in downtown Binghamton. The bold block letters on the Ellis sign and sweeping script on Phil’s make a fine old neon pair overlooking the Washington Street pedestrian mall.

Ellis Brothers opened its Washington Street store in 1936 and remained there for 82 years. Phil’s Gift Shop opened nearby in 1939 and later became part of the same storefront. Even after Phil’s moved to Hillcrest in 2007, its old sign stayed behind.

Ellis Brothers moved into the former JCPenney building on Court Street in 2018. Phil’s lasted a little longer at its Hillcrest location before closing for good in 2020.

UPDATE: Both old sign structures remain mounted on the Washington Street building, though their neon no longer appears to light. Ellis Brothers is still in business. 08-26

Mahaiwe Jewelers (Gone)
Canaan, CT
Photo courtesy Jay Lin

A beautiful jewelry shop sign sits outside the Mahaiwe Jewelers. Note the intricate tube work in the diamond on top. A true art form that is becoming more rare as the decades go by. Many thanks to Jay Lin for info.

Check out the old projecting sign for Mahaiwe Jewelers in downtown Canaan. The open framework, script lettering and exposed neon tubing give this one the delicate look of a sign that must have been quite a sight after dark.

Bill and Wendy Biasin purchased the longtime jewelry shop in 2001 after Wendy had worked there for 14 years. Along with jewelry, the store carried clocks, collectible dolls, figurines and Lenox china.

The name Mahaiwe is said to mean “the place downstream,” a fitting old New England name also used just across the state line in Great Barrington.

UPDATE: Mahaiwe Jewelers is permanently closed. The present whereabouts of its vintage neon sign are unknown. 08-26

Webb's Clothing (Gone)
Walton, NY
Photo courtesy Jay Lin

Check out the old blade sign for Webb’s Clothing in Walton. The tall channel letters and exposed neon tubing gave the storefront the sort of dignified roadside look that suited a shop selling formalwear since the days of top hats and coattails. It is easy to picture the red WEBB’S letters glowing above Delaware Street after dark.

Webb’s was a third-generation family clothing store, operated during much of its later history by Virginia “Betsy” Webb Munn. The store carried everyday clothing as well as suits and formalwear, the kind of small-town shop where several generations might have bought their Sunday best. The neon sign was still hanging there in 2014, but the business and sign were both gone by 2018.

UPDATE: The Webb’s blade sign has been removed. The old clothing store was purchased in 2021 and reopened as the Doog Goods creative studio and community space. 08-26

Phil's Gift Shop (Closed)
Binghamton, NY
Photo courtesy Jay Lin

Here’s a closer look at the glowing sign for Phil’s Gift Shop in downtown Binghamton. The sweeping script, stacked GIFT SHOP letters and working neon make this a true flashback to the days when downtown storefronts lit up the evening streets. Add the matching Ellis Bros. sign next door and this was quite a neon pair.

Phil’s opened in 1939 under Phillip Ellis and operated alongside the family’s Ellis Brothers Furniture store. The signs later overlooked the Washington Street Pedestrian Mall, where the old automobile shopping district became a brick courtyard.

The gift shop moved to Hillcrest in 2007, but its sign stayed behind on Washington Street. Phil’s continued at the suburban location until its final closing in February 2020.

UPDATE: The Phil’s sign remains mounted on the old Ellis Brothers building, though its neon no longer lights. The downtown building has been converted for residential use. 08-26

Warwick's Gowns (Gone)
Binghamton, NY
Photo courtesy Jay Lin

Cruising through the Binghamton area can sometimes feel like slipping back a few decades. One nice example was the projecting neon sign for Warwick’s Gowns, with its elegant script lettering fitting right in with a shop selling dresses and formalwear.

Warwick’s stood somewhere along the Main Street commercial corridor linking Binghamton with neighboring Johnson City. The two communities run together so closely that old photographs and business listings sometimes disagree about which side of the boundary a storefront occupied.

This part of New York’s Triple Cities boomed during the early and middle years of the 20th century, helped along by the huge Endicott Johnson shoe works. Plenty of old storefronts and signs remained after the factories faded, giving the area that “frozen in time” roadside look.

UPDATE: Warwick’s Gowns has been closed for many years and the storefront is gone. Its old neon sign has also been removed. 08-26

Elgins Rugs (Gone)
Binghamton, NY
Photo courtesy Jay Lin

Here’s one sign that could make even a floor-covering store look exotic. The marquee for Elgin’s Oriental Rugs featured neon lettering surrounded by horseshoe arches, scalloped edges and other shapes inspired by Islamic and Moorish design. Stop in, pick out a rug and give the living room a whole new personality.

Elgin’s was a longtime family rug and floor-covering store at 59 Main Street. The shop sold imported rugs to generations of Binghamton customers before liquidating its inventory and closing in 1984.

The sign stayed behind after the store closed and became part of the fading Main Street scene. Photographer Bruce Wrighton captured it in a memorable 1987 photograph with a 1957 Pontiac Star Chief parked out front. An old Pontiac, an elaborate neon rug sign and a Binghamton street corner made quite a combination.

UPDATE: The Elgin’s marquee has been removed and its whereabouts are unknown. The storefront has since housed several businesses, including the Taj Tandoor restaurant. 08-26