This very well preserved advertisement is for an old fashioned five and dime type store that was opened in Woodbury in 1936 and became Fuston's when it was purchased by Roy & Modena Fuston in 1952. They ran the store until it closed in 1990. I would have loved to have visited the store just because of the tag line "Enough Said"! You can see this piece of roadside advertising history on Auburntown Road, north of Woodbury, TN

I thought this was somehow associated to Dinty Moore canned stew, but learned that it was a man's name and he opened this restaurant around the 1930's. He ran it for around 30 years and it was run by others until some time in the 1980's. I am not sure if it was always in this location, but this building was built in 1955. The Coca-Cola sign on the front of the building says Regal Begal Restaurant. I thought this was a funny coincidence, or perhaps not, as both Dinty Moore and

These homeowners decided to preserve this piece of history by displaying it prominently in their front yard. I am particularly fond of the placement of the vintage Texaco signage on the front door beneath the classic crescent moon ventilation. And of course, the porch goose. Typically a sign of welcome, but in this case I got the impression that he was standing sentry duty. Be sure to watch for this outhouse south of town on Cosby Highway in Newport, TN

This pawn business was established in 1989 in a building that appears to be perhaps the office of an old motel. The building is surrounded by a U-shaped row of small cottage type dwellings that were a popular design of 1940's and 1950's motels. Sadly, I was unable to find any solid historical information about the building. It's a very cool design with rounded corners and artistic brick work around the roof line. You'll see it on West Broadway Street in Newport, TN

This is one of those places that you might see in a Hallmark movie. It is the oldest continually operating business in the county. It began in 1911 in this great red brick building with the fancy roofline brickwork and yellow diamond design. Founded by Dr. Tinsley and his pharmacist nephew, then joined in 1933 by pharmacist Lloyd Bible hitching the two names together as they still are today. In 1942 the store expanded and added the historic lunch counter and soda fountain whe

I have so much appreciation for businesses who honor the history of their building or location with vintage neon signage. The Smoke and Barrel opened in 2015 in a building that was built in 1905. The space was most notably occupied by Oliver's ladies clothing store from 1946-1992. When the restaurant opened, their renovations also preserved some of the space's original character. Bravo! You can visit them on South Steele Street in Sanford, NC

On the abandoned Miller's Creek property, is this vintage 1920's Dodge open-cab fire truck. It sits under an old fashioned rustic lean-to structure that is accompanied by a vintage porcelain Pure Oil Company sign. This and other vintage memorabilia have been left at the location of a carefully planned out rustic experience that never opened. You'll find it on Milldale Road in Dandridge, TN

I happened to spot this interesting looking building while making a gas stop. The Big Chief neon sign mounted on the building is in great shape but it appeared that whatever the building had been, it had been closed for some time. As it turns out, it actually never opened. The property has been carefully adorned with vintage memorabilia and was one man's vision that was never fulfilled. The neon sign was originally used at the Big Chief Motel in Bean Station, TN. The building

Since 2011, this towering pale green saguaro cactus, rising out of the asphalt, has been the mascot for Cinco Amigos Mexican Restaurant. The building behind the sign perfectly matches the signs energy and color. It's not hard to spot this giant cactus on North Willow Avenue in Cookeville, TN

Named in honor of the nearby Sawtooth Mountains, this club is one of the few historic storefronts along Arco's main streets that remains active. The date of it's opening or years in operation are a bit of a mystery, but the sign probably dates to the 1950's or 1960's. You can stop by for yourself on West Grand Avenue in Arco, ID

This unique looking building was historically known as the Arco Recreation Hall. It was constructed in 1937 and 1938 as a gymnasium using local basalt (lava rock). The nature of the rocks required them to be used in their randomly shaped and sized form which, along with the barrel-vaulted roof, give the building it's distinctive look. The sign was added around 1955 when the city earned the honor of being the first city on Earth to be lit entirely by atomic power. For a little

The club was opened in 1953 as a bar and dance hall. At some point the steak house restaurant was added. It was purchased by Harvey and Betty Helderman in 1955. They, and later their son, ran it for over 60 years. Great word play on Melody for the name. You can still see this great neon sign on Sunset Drive in Arco, ID

The Eagle's Store opened in 1908 as a general store by former Yellowstone Park employee, Samuel Eagle, and his wife Ida. In 1910 they added the Historic Soda Fountain that is still there today. The Eagle family operated the store for 113 years until it was sold in 2021. The current owners have maintained the nostalgic look and feel of the soda fountain with the same old swiveling stools that have decades of stories worn into the leather. You can take a step back in time and v

I love to find these old barn signs. During the peak of this advertising campaign, there were around 400 of these rooftop signs along highways in 14 states. There are less than 50 of them left today. This one is in great shape. You can see it for yourself on US 50 in Beaufort, MO

This store had it's beginnings during the scandalous reign of Governor Ray Blanton. The Oak Liquor store was tied to a retail liquor license application by R.B. Sowell in 1977. The Blanton administration was infamous for corruption in regards to the illegal sale of these licenses. Blanton was eventually convicted of conspiracy, mail fraud and extortion for controlling who received highly sought-after retail liquor store licenses. This could, of course, have no connection to t

Alex Madonna opened the inn in 1958 with 12 rooms that quickly expanded to 110 themed rooms, a bakery, restaurant, wine cellar, coffee shop, cocktail lounge, spa, gift shop and much more. All with a lot of pink. It looks like it was designed by a Barbie dreamhouse enthusiast. I'm not a big pink fan, but I have to say that I totally didn't hate it. This place is great! Definitely worth a visit. Stop by and embrace the pink on Madonna Road in San Luis Obispo, CA

The pub began in 2008. The building that it is located in was built in 1920. I couldn't find what the origins of the building were but it may have always been some kind of eating establishment as I found an application for a liquor license by the Tamo Brothers in 1933. They were an early Swiss-Italian immigrant family of the time. You can see the retro neon sign on historic Higuera Street in San Luis Obispo, CA

Mrs. Chapman's Angel Food Donut Shop opened in the 1950's. At one time there was a chain of 20 of them which began in 1941 but this one is the last to remain that still bears the original name. The name comes from the founder, Jack Chapman's, mother. Locals say, "meet me at the giant donut" is better directions than google maps as it is used by most for navigation. You can see this iconic donut for yourself on Santa Fe Avenue in Long Beach, CA

This isn’t your average theater. There’s no overpriced tickets or popcorn. Instead, you get a glorious collection of wheel-less, rusted, sun-bleached classic cars parked in perfect formation, all staring reverently at a retired semi-trailer truck serving as the world’s most improvised movie screen. This outdoor art installation gives off a post-apocalyptic wasteland vibe, where the loyal patrons showed up in 1975 and never left. Stop by and walk among the vintage cars on Aven

This historic neon sign has been standing at the Rancho Super Car Wash since 1966. Adding to 5 car washes in Washington state, this sign was originally created for an additional car wash in Portland but was packed into a moving truck with the families other belongings, rebuilt and installed at this location where it has become a treasured landmark. Locals have so much pride in the sign that in 2023 it was awarded a full historic designation to ensure it will remain as a perma