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Fresno Signs (page 2)

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Lum's Chop Suey
Fresno, CA
Lum's Chop Suey was established in 1961 and this sign appears to be from then. The restaurant is still open. [map]

Chase Flower Shop
Fresno, CA		 Sands Motel
Fresno, CA
The Chase Flower Shop sign appears to be from the 1950s or earlier. For more, see this website. [map]

The Sands Motel signs appear to be from the 1950s. They have been repainted and the neon removed. I believe this property is on the route of a new high speed rail project. These signs will probably not be around much longer. By 2018, the sign on the right was gone. The sign on the left was still there in 2022. For more, see this website. [map]

7 Up
Olive Ave.
Fresno, CA		 7 Up
Fulton St.
Fresno, CA
Fresno has two old 7 Up neon billboard signs. They were produced by the Hamlin Neon Sign Co. in the 1940s. There were four other 7 Up signs in town which were demolished. The first sign shown above was completely restored in the mid-1990s. The neon bubbles were lit sequentially. It had fallen into disrepair again by the first photo taken in 2008. The neon no longer worked. Sometime after 2011, the sign was repainted and the neon was broken off. The second photo above is from 2013. The second sign shown above is similar to the one in Merced, CA. [Olive map]; [Fulton map]

There are other vintage 7 Up signs in Bakersfield, CA and Portland, OR.

Maxwell Studio [gone]
Fresno, CA		 Refrigeration Supplies Distributor
Fresno, CA
Maxwell Studio was founded in 1890 and is one of the oldest businesses in Fresno. The business had moved but this sign remained at the former location when this photo was taken in 2013. By 2014, the sign was gone. The stick figure photographer held a birdie. For more, see this website.

Refrigeration Supplies Distributor is a chain with 60 locations in nine western states. I don't know if this Fresno sign ever had neon. The first photo above was taken in 2008. The company had updated the sign with a new logo by the time of this second photo from 2013. [map]

The Brig
Fresno, CA
2008: 2013:
The Brig sign is probably from the 1960s. It was restored sometime after 2010. [map]

DiCicco's
144 N. Blackstone Ave.
Fresno, CA		 DiCicco's
5251 N. Blackstone Ave.
(now Big Fresno Fair)
Fresno, CA		 Me-n-Ed's Pizzeria
Fresno, CA
DiCicco's has several locations with most of them in the Fresno area. The sign on the left is at the restaurant's original location. It opened in 1956 and this sign appears to be from then. [map]

The second sign shown above was at a shopping center location. It was in bad shape in 2008. The sign was repainted by the time of the 2013 photo above. This location closed in 2018 and the sign is now displayed at the Big Fresno Fair. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3.

The Me-n-Ed's Pizzeria chain was founded in Sacramento in 1958. The company quickly expanded to the Bay Area and Fresno. This sign appears to be from the 1950s or 1960s. There are a couple of other vintage Me-n-Ed's signs in Canada and one at CNI Signs in Fresno. [map]

F Street Plaza Mini Mall
Fresno, CA		 Electric Motor Shop
Fresno, CA
This leaf-shaped sign has been reworked for the F Street Plaza Mini Mall. In the early 2000s, this sign was painted red. It has been painted green since around 2008. These photos are from 2013. Does anyone know what business this sign advertised for originally? [map]

The Electric Motor Shop was founded in 1913. This sign appears to be a replica of an older sign. This business may have been related to the Selma Electric Motor Shop. For more, see this website. [map]

Arrow Electric Motor Service
Fresno, CA
Arrow Electric Motor Service was established in 1949. This sign may be from then. [map]

Baskin's Auto Supply
Fresno, CA		 Chicken Pie Shop
Fresno, CA
Baskin's Auto Supply installed this sign in 1956. It was refurbished in 2002. The sign was added to Fresno's Local Register of Historic Resources in 2008. [map]

The Chicken Pie Shop opened in 1956 and closed in 2019. This sign may be from the 1960s. The building remains vacant and the signs remain. [map]

Bekins Moving and Storage
Fresno, CA
Bekins Moving and Storage was established in Los Angeles in 1906. The company is now headquartered in Indianapolis, IN. In the 1920s, the company built other locations in Berkeley, Sacramento, Pasadena, and West Hollywood, CA. This Fresno building was built in 1926. The neon at the bottom part of the sign apparently alternated between "Moving" and "Storage". I believe this is the last vintage Bekins sign left in California. The others have been either removed or repurposed. There was a pole sign in Oklahoma City, OK which is gone now, too. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

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