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Arkansas Signs (page 2)

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Holiday
Island [gone]
Garfield, AR
Gentry Motel
Gentry, AR
Backer's Variety
Gentry, AR
Holiday Island is a resort and retirement community. It was established in 1970 and this sign was probably from around then. This photo is from 2010. By 2016, only the top part of the golfer was still there. By 2017, the golfer was gone and the text part of the sign had been redone.

The Gentry Motel sign is probably from the 1960s. One of the plastic panels had been broken since at least 2016. It was replaced by 2022. [map]

The Backer's Variety store was located downtown. The sign is now displayed inside the Gentry Public Library's History Room. The sign is displayed with a couple of fake or stuffed pigeons for a humorous touch. The sign was donated to the collection around 2015. It might be from the 1940s or 1950s.

McKee Sewing Center
Green Forest, AR
2010: 2019:
I think the McKee Sewing Center was established in the mid-1980s. However, these signs appear much older than that. The man may have had a moving arm or leg originally. By 2013, the one-legged man was still there but the sewing machine sign was gone. By 2017, the man was gone. He was apparently removed, refurbished, and reinstalled. [map]

Downtown
Inn [gone]
Helena, AR
Hendrix Shoes
Helena, AR
The Downtown Inn sign probably had neon and different text (Motel?) where the plastic box is. This motel was closed when this photo was taken in 2010. By 2013, the top part of the sign was gone and only the post and a shell of the marquee was left. [map]

Hendrix Shoes was established in 1939. The store is gone but this Buster Brown Shoes sign remains. Once common, there are very few of these left now on public display. They were mass-produced by Kirn Signs in St. Louis, MO. [map]

Stubby's Hik-ry Pit Bar-B-Q
Hot Springs, AR
Dame Fortune's Cottage Court
Hot Springs, AR
The Stubby's Hik-ry Pit Bar-B-Q opened at a different location in 1952. The business moved to its current location in the late 1970s. This sign is probably from then. Around 2018, the sign was repainted and the logs were made more realistic. They had been painted black before that for many years. [map]

Dame Fortune's Cottage Court was built around 1950 as the Cottage Courts. It was later known as the Cottage Motel. The motel was renovated from 2016-2017 and was renamed Dame Fortune's Cottage Court. This 1930s-inspired sign was built in 2017. In 2018, the same sign shop, Meeks Neon, built a similar sign for the Best Motel. [map]

hammer sign
Hot Springs, AR
Magic Hills Public Golf [gone]
Hot Springs, AR
Bohemia Restaurant [gone]
Hot Springs, AR
2008: 2019: 2008: 2019: 2010: 2019:
This giant hammer sign stood in front of a closed hardware store since at least 2007. In 2016, Q's Cool Tools & More moved into the building and new panels were installed on the hammer. [map]

The Magic Hills Public Golf opened in 1955 and this sign might be from then. The business had been closed since around 2013. The sign was removed in 2021 and is now in a private collection.

The Bohemia Restaurant had been closed since at least 2006 but part of the sign remained. By 2019, the "Restaurant" panel was gone. In 2023, the building was being remodeled and the sign was gone.

Liquor Mart
Hot Springs, AR
El Rancho Motel [gone]
Hot Springs, AR
Arkansas
Tower Motel
Hot Springs, AR
Grady's Grill [gone]
Hot Springs, AR
The Liquor Mart text panel might be from the 1950s. The patched neon tubing holes make me believe that the sign might have had different letters originally. The neon pinwheel sign and bulb arrow are probably from the 1960s. [map]

The El Rancho Motel sign featured a saguaro cactus although the motel is nowhere near the desert. The sign was probably from the 1960s. This photo is from 2008. By 2013, this sign was replaced with a plastic box sign.

The Arkansas Tower Motel sign might be from the 1950s or 1960s. The sign's shape mimics the motel's office turret. This photo is from 2008. By 2013, the sign was repainted and the neon removed. The word "motel" is now composed of backlit plastic letters. For more, see this website. [map]

Grady's Grill was located on the ground floor of the Majestic Hotel. The sign appeared to be from the 1950s This photo is from 2010. The building was demolished in 2014 and the sign was gone.

Capri Motel
Hot Springs, AR
Park Avenue Motel
Hot Springs, AR
2008: 2019: 2008: 2019:
The Capri Motel sign might be from the 1950s. The sign was repainted in 2017. For more, see this website. [map]

The Park Avenue Motel sign is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. Around 2013, the sign was repainted entirely red with no white letters or stripes. [map]

More Hot Springs:
Best Motel
Central Bowling Lanes
Perry Plaza Motel [gone]
The Pancake Shop

Faubus Motel
(now Madison Motel)
Huntsville, AR
Elephant Car Wash [gone]
Jonesboro, AR
2010: 2019: 2010: 2019:
The Faubus Motel sign appears to be from the 1950s. It was originally named the Elms Motel. I don't know when the sign was adapted to read Faubus. In 2013, the business became the Madison Motel. The old name was covered up on the sign but otherwise it is the same. [map]

The Elephant Car Wash chain was founded in 1951 in Seattle, WA. There are now about ten locations in the Seattle area and another one in Rancho Mirage, CA. All of the signs have variations of this pink elephant sign. This photo was taken in 2010. The car wash closed in 2018 and the sign was being swallowed up by foliage. The sign was removed in 2020. For more, see this website.

Judsonia:
Action Truck & Trailer

Leachville:
Southern Pharmacy of Leachville

Lead Hill:
Cedar Court

Flying Fish
Little Rock, AR
First Baptist Church
Little Rock, AR
Ritz Motel [gone]
Little Rock, AR
Capitol Glass
Company
Little Rock, AR
Little Rock Paint
& Wallpaper
Little Rock, AR
The Flying Fish sign is modern. This restaurant is part of a chain with six locations in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas. For more, see this website. [map]

This First Baptist Church sign appears to be vintage. Neon church signs are rare. The pastor's name on the bottom of this sign was covered up with a small panel and replaced with another name. That name has also now been painted over. [map]

The Ritz Motel sign was probably built in the 1950s. This photo is from 2010. In 2016, the sign was replaced. The top feature is gone and the letters are backlit plastic. For more, see this website.

The Capitol Glass Company was established in 1950 and moved to this location in 1953. This sign is most likely from then. For more, see this website. [map]

Little Rock Paint & Wallpaper was established in 1880. The company moved to this location in 1969 and brought along the sign. The store closed in the mid-2000s. This photo is from 2010. In 2011, the sign was adapted (covered up with other panels) for Spokes Little Rock. In 2017, Meteor Bikes opened and had the sign restored, neon and all. In 2019, the store closed. The sign remains in 2021. [map]

Mt. Zion Baptist Church
Little Rock, AR
The Mt. Zion Baptist Church features three neon signs. It's hard to guess the age of them. The one on the left might be a replica or an older sign. The other two appear to be later and/or repainted. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

More Little Rock:
Buice Drug Store
King Motel [gone]
Tedford Drugs

Godsey Cleaners
Main St. [gone]
North Little Rock, AR
Godsey Cleaners
E. Washington Ave. [gone]
North Little Rock, AR
Godsey Cleaners opened in 1943. The signs at these two locations appear to be from the 1950s. The neon sign at the Main St. location was removed around 2020. For more, see this website.

The E. Washington pole sign was removed around 2022 but the neon sign on the building remained. That was gone in 2023.

There was another location in Sherwood, AR which had closed by 2021 and the signs were removed. There was another location North Little Rock which has also closed. There may have been other locations.

BPOE
North Little Rock, AR
This BPOE, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, sign appears to be from the 1940s or 1950s. [map]

More North Little Rock:
Argenta Drug Co.
Rhodes Motel [vintage; gone]
Shipley Do-Nuts
Texas Court: 1, 2 [vintage; gone]

Morrilton:
Rialto Theatre

Arkansas
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