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Virginia Signs (page 2)

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Gayheart Drug Store and Luncheonette (now Frost Cafe)
Culpeper, VA
2003: 2010:
The Gayheart Drug Store opened in 1928 and closed in 2002. The store was vacant in 2003. Shortly thereafter, the Frost Cafe took over the space. The store's ceiling, floor, soda fountain, and lunch counter were preserved. The neon sign was adapted with the new name. For more, see this website. [map]

Baby Jim's
Snack Bar
Culpeper, VA		 Masonic Lodge
Culpeper, VA		 Dixie Motel [gone]
Emporia, VA		 New York
Restaurant [gone]
Emporia, VA
Baby Jim's Snack Bar opened at another location in 1947 and moved to this location in 1952. The restaurant was destroyed in a fire in 2023. The pole sign was moved to the Rock Hill Farm wedding venue in Culpeper where it is displayed outside.

This Masonic Lodge was built in 1900. [map]

The Dixie Motel was abandoned for many years. This photo is from 2009. In 2011, the motel was demolished and this sign is gone.

This photo of the New York Restaurant sign is from around 2006. By 2008, the restaurant had closed and the sign was gone. [photo thanks Robby Delius]

Danville:
Home (of Dan River Fabrics)

Duffield:
Red Stone Drive-in [map]

Farmville:
Poulston T.V.

2400 Diner
Fredericksburg, VA		 James McGraw
Front Royal, VA
The 2400 Diner opened in the 1950s. For more, see this website. [map]

James McGraw is long gone but this sign remains. [map]

More Fredericksburg:
Allman's Bar-B-Q
Carl's Frozen Custard

Galax:
Barr's Fiddle Shop

Hob-Nob Drive-in
Gate City, VA		 Broadwater Drug
Gate City, VA
The Hob-Nob Drive-in opened in 1954 and this sign is probably from then. [map]

Broadwater Drug opened in 1948 and is still operating. It became a Walgreen agency store around 1954 and this sign must have been installed then. The sign originally read "Walgreen Agency" on the white stripes of the panels. Those letters were removed by 2008. By 2015, text reading "powered by Walgreens" was added. There was an intact example at Neely Drugs in York, SC. [map]

Gretna:
Westinghouse [gone]

Captain George's
Seafood Restaurant [gone]
Hampton, VA		 Amory's Seafood
Hampton, VA
This Captain George's Seafood Restaurant location closed in 2008. By 2010, this sign was covered with white paint while the building remained vacant. In 2012, the sign was repainted for Mirro'z Restaurant & Lounge. That restaurant closed and, by 2014, the sign had been painted entirely black. By 2019, the sign was gone. However, there is another location in Virginia Beach that still has a sign like this. There was another sign in Virginia Beach which is gone now.

The Amory's Seafood sign was installed on the roof at another location in town in the 1950s. It was moved to its current location, which is primarily a wholesale business, in the late 1960s or early 1970s. The sign is installed on a pole just a few feet from the Hampton River. The smiling, generic fish is about eight feet long. The sign was restored around 1980 and it is repaired when the tubing fails. [map]

Jack's Family
Restaurant [gone]
Hampton, VA		 Red Carpet Inn [gone]
Harrisonburg, VA		 Hayfield Motel
Hayfield, VA
The Jack's Family Restaurant sign is probably from the 1950s. This photo is from 2007. The sign remained untouched until at least 2012. By 2015, the panels had been painted over and reused for Crabtown. The panels now advertise for Pharaoh's. [map]

The Red Carpet Inn had two of these signs, both the same size: one at the road and one which was visible from I-81. I don't know of any other locations in this chain that have or had these signs. These photos are from 2011. In 2012, the neon was removed from the signs and they were significantly altered for the Come On Inn. By 2014, the motel had become a Motel 6 and these signs were both gone. For more, see this website.

The Hayfield Motel was built in 1966 and this sign appears to be from then. [map]

More Hampton:
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts [gone]

More Harrisonburg:
Gitchell's Studio Camera Shop
Glen's Fair Price Store
Wease Auto Exchange
Wetsel's Seeds [map]

Hopewell:
Hopewell Bowling Center

Jarratt:
Jarratt Restaurant [gone]

Jonesville:
Jonesville Motor Lodge [map]

Red Goose Shoes
Leesburg, VA		 Jumbo's Family
Restaurant [gone]
Lynchburg, VA		 Dixie Pig Barbecue
Martinsville, VA
This Red Goose Shoes sign hung above Arthur's Shoe Repair. Arthur's closed in 2005. The Shoes Cup and Cork Club, named partly after the sign, moved into the space. The sign which had been dark since the mid-1970s was relit. Red Goose Shoes were a common brand promoted by neon signs. For other examples, see these in Fort Worth, TX, Las Vegas, NV, and Goldsboro, NC. [map]

The Jumbo's Family Restaurant sign was advertising for Miss Annie's when this photo was taken in 2011. Before that, the restaurant went by the name of Aunt Bee's. Later, it reverted to the original name of Jumbo's. By 2013, the restaurant had closed and the sign was gone. For more, see this website.

The Dixie Pig Barbecue sign is probably from the 1950s. For more, see this website. [first photo thanks Robby Delius] [map]

Lexington:
Southern Inn Restaurant [map]

More Lynchburg:
Hawkins Lock & Key [map]

Marion:
Dip Dog

Monterey:
Maple Restaurant [map]

Mount Jackson:
Shenandoah Lanes

Southern Kitchen
New Market, VA
The Southern Kitchen features peanut soup and other regional foods. For more, see this website. [map]

More New Market:
Chicken in the Rough [map]

Boulevard Cleaners
Newport News, VA
The Boulevard Cleaners sign is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. The store closed in 2018 but the sign remains. [map]

Chinatown Restaurant [gone]
Newport News, VA		 Bradish Signs [gone]
Newport News, VA
The Chinatown Restaurant sign was completely covered over with white paint in 2009 when the restaurant closed. This photo is from 2007. The white sign was still there in 2011.

Bradish Signs opened in 1956. The sign features a giant paint brush with dripping paint and a palette shaped text panel. The business closed and the sign was sold to the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati in 2026.

More Newport News:
Blue Star Diner
Monty's Penguin
Wilcox Bait & Tackle

Norton:
Coca-Cola

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