A Closer Look at Old Early 1900s Shop Signs: Lansing Michigan

In the past I have posted many articles that featured Michigan towns and their shops, stores, downtowns, and Main Streets. Those vintage photos are so enjoyable to see and for us to imagine what it was like to live back then.

Have you ever looked at one of those old photos of a downtown area that shows all the shops with their little signs out front? Have you squinted to try and read what those signs said? Well, I have. So, I thought I would take the idea of old vintage stores and give it a little twist to see how it works.

What I did was gather up a few old street photos of Lansing. Then I zoomed in for close-ups of the shop signs to get a good look at them. Depending on the photo, or postcard, some shop sign images turned out legible, while others may be fuzzy…but they are still able to decipher. Some of these shop signs may be a surprise – “I didn’t know there was a shop in that location” – you know, THAT kind of reaction.

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I found a theater or two I wasn’t aware of, many drug stores, café’s, and more. When you visit many of these old buildings and the shops that now occupy them, usually the owner has a tale to tell about what it used to be and you can just imagine…..”wow, this shoe store was once a meat locker!” or something like that.

So take a look at the gallery below: you’ll see the original full photos followed by the close-ups. I can use some help figuring out what some of those signs say...I couldn't figure out many of them. I hope you enjoy it!