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#abandoned #forgottenplaces #bando #lostplaces #forgotten #all_is_abandoned #sonorandesert #decay #justsigns #abandonedplaces #signage #motel #explorecalifornia #everything_signage #signporn #signgeeks #vintagesign #vintagesigns #foundtype #oldsign #oldsigns #ghostsign #ig_signage #signhunters #signsofinstagram #isawthesign #signspotting #retro #vintage #classic
Evergreen Park, Illinois. Same sign since 1939! #chicagoland #signsunited #everything_signage #igsignage #sign_collective #signcollective #gas_food_lodging #trb_ipoft_signs #ipulledoverforthis #rous_roadsigns #vintagesigns #signfixation #signgeeks #jj_texttypographical #signgeektrekking #royalsnappingartists #shutterbug_collective #broadmag #jj_creative #jj_forum #typecollector #typevstime #popyacolour #tpmsigns #thephotomotel #signjunkies
Lester Bammesberger has been gone a good 20 years now, but if he were still around, he’d probably be opening diners. This beauty you see here, in Bryan, Ohio, is a Lester original, opened in 1965. He named it Lester’s — new hands rechristened it the Four Seasons a few years back, long after he’d sold it. Back in the 1960s, Lester sought to expand his diner empire to the temperate climes of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Phoenix. He stuck to his winning formula: His name for the diners and the same design for the signs — the tilting coffee cup with an arrow with chasing light bulbs pouring out. Even though I grew up nowhere near a Lester’s, I “visited” one regularly for years, once a week at first, then later every day. And if you’re familiar with the phrase, “Kiss My Grits,” you probably did the same thing, too. For you see, the Phoenix location of Lester’s was transformed — well, at least the sign — into Mel’s Diner, the setting of the CBS sitcom “Alice,” which aired from 1976 until 1984, and continues to run on the network where I direct social media, @antennatv. The Phoenix location in the mid 2000s decided to embrace its “Alice” heritage, adopting the name Mel’s in real life and decorating the diner with cast photos and other memorabilia. When the “Alice” location scouts came along in the 1970s, Lester’s had already morphed into Chris’, and it was renamed Mel’s just long enough to shoot some film for the show’s opening credits.(Swipe to see images of the Phoenix diner from the “Alice” era and from my visit last spring. Scroll back on my feed for even more photos from my Mel’s visit.) Back in Ohio, some folks think it’s their local sign that appears in the opening credits of the sitcom, and it’s easy to see why. On my recent trip through Ohio, I stopped at the Four Seasons to have a look around. There were no discernible nods to the distant “Alice” heritage, and my waitress wasn’t aware of the connection. Next time I’m in south Florida, I need to visit the Lester’s there, the last one to retain Mr. Bammesberger’s name. And the old sign is still there, too. I’m sure plenty of people down there think their sign is the one in the sitcom, too. ☕️
Photo credit: BRV|VIP @mrdbiasi
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What a beautiful Art Deco building! And this gem’s sign had been hiding for years. You’re looking at the recently uncovered ghost sign for Starsiak Clothing, across from Chicago’s Polish Triangle. Starsiak was in business from 1916 to 1981, when the suit shop closed as the neighborhood changed. @bookclub_chicago dug up the story of Starsiak, which served a primarily Polish neighborhood. Starsiak was a popular place to find your dandy duds. But everything changes, and as new ethnic groups moved in, Starsiak closed. “It’s time for a change, to give the neighborhood to somebody else. We took it from somebody else, so give it to somebody else,” the clearly poetic owner Alexander Starsiak, who lived upstairs and died in 1994, was quoted as saying in 1981. All these years later, his name — and legacy — are back on display along the old Polish Broadway, at 1205 N. Milwaukee Ave. We can only hope Starsiak won’t disappear again under the next tenant’s signage. But since nothing is certain in life, let’s all enjoy this beauty while we can. #retrologist