Walgreens neon sign - Nashville Arcade

In downtown Nashville, there is a Walgreens Drug Store at the 5th Ave. entrance to the Arcade. The Arcade is a covered shopping arcade built in 1902 and modeled after an arcade in Italy.

I can't tell you how old the neon sign is, but I assume it is vintage. What I can say is that the Walgreens has been at this location since at least 1960. In 1960, when this Walgreens still had lunch counters, this was one of the primary locations of the Nashville sit-ins, a nationally significant passive resistance movement to end local segregation.

Layman Drug Store - Nashville, TN

The Layman Drug Store, a local landmark in Nashville's Chestnut Hill neighborhood, may be torn down soon. The property was featured in Historic Nashville's 2015 Nashville Nine endangered properties.
www.historicnashvilleinc.org/resources/nashville-9/2015/2...

Walgreens neon sign - Nashville Arcade

In downtown Nashville, there is a Walgreens Drug Store at the 5th Ave. entrance to the Arcade. The Arcade is a covered shopping arcade built in 1902 and modeled after an arcade in Italy.

I can't tell you how old the neon sign is, but I assume it is vintage. What I can say is that the Walgreens has been at this location since at least 1960. In 1960, when this Walgreens still had lunch counters, this was one of the primary locations of the Nashville sit-ins, a nationally significant passive resistance movement to end local segregation.

Mitchum Rexall Drugs neon sign

Erin, TN

Gray's Neon Sign - Franklin, TN

Gray Drug Co. was a longtime drugstore located along Main St. (US31) in Franklin. Frank Gray Jr. had the sign installed in 1952 at a cost of $860.

In 1998, the Pharmacy closed, and a new tenant operated here as Gray's Cards and Gifts. Up until then, GRAY was in the blue space below Rx and DRUGS was the vertical portion. That store closed six years later and the building remained vacant for nearly a decade.

In August of 2013, a new establishment took on the Gray's name as Gray's on Main restaurant opened up in the 1876 building. For the opening, the sign was restored and it now works again!

Hoskins Drugs neon sign - Clinton, TN

Hoskins Drug Store must have had two locations over the years in Clinton, TN and this would be the older one. It looks as if they moved but the new owners thought it would be nice to keep the old sign here. This one is located along Market St., which is the older business district in town.The new location (also with a nice old neon sign) is located along Main St. across from the Anderson County Courthouse.

Baggett Pharmacy Neon Sign - Kingston, TN

Located along Race St. in the heart of town (US 70)

Reeves Drugs / Fountain Coca-Cola Drugs

Pulaski, TN along US31 across from the Giles County Courthouse

Central Rexall Drugstore neon sign - Jellico, TN

In the News: Gray's Pharmacy Neon Sign in Franklin restored

This photo was taken in 2007, or about 4 years after Gray's Pharmacy went out of business in 2003. For those of you that prefer it when neon signs light up, there's good news! As of last weekend, the new owners, a restaurant known as Gray's on Main, has refurbished the sign where it now works again. Of course, this means I need to travel back to Franklin to get a new picture, but for now this old one will work.

Read the full story here:
Downtown Franklin Landmark Restored On Main Street

Large Mortar and Pestle - Lexington, KY

For over three decades, this building was home to Bondurant's Pharmacy in Lexington. (In case you didn't know, the Mortar and Pestle is used to grind medicine. Mortar is the bowl and the pestle is the stick the pharmacist would use.) Unfortunately, within the last few years, the pharmacy went out of business. Today, the store is a drive-through liquor store with owners that don't appreciate the novelty architecture. (The ball on top of the Pestle used to have RX but it has been painted over.)

Dr. Joseph A. Bondurant was the original pharmacist, store owner, and designer of the unique building, which was subsequently patented. It was also the first drive-thru service of any kind in Lexington.

Smyrna Rexall neon sign

It's good to see that the Rexall Drug Store in Smyrna is still doing well and their neon sign is in good shape.

US 41/70S is the main road through town, and is named Lowry St. Lowry St. is named for Dr. J.S. Lowry who ran the Smyrna Rexall in the 1920's. So, it's fitting that in late 2008, the Smyrna Rexall relocated to the street named for their former owner.

Thomas Drug Store - Cross Plains, TN

Established 1928, but the building was built in 1915. In the small old town of Cross Plains, TN, where two old stagecoach highways crossed. This building is now onthe National register of Historic Places and is best known now for still having an authentic Soda fountain. If you drive on Interstate 65 through the area, the highway sign mentions the Historic Soda Fountain.