U.S. 11 as it runs between Birmingham and Bessemer, Alabama, is an outdoor vernacular art gallery that gives even my beloved Western Avenue in Chicago a run for its money. This page merely samples the great handmade typography on the stretch I traversed, while showing the best of the graphical images there.
Monumental typography at Cash & Carry, Bessemer, Alabama. There must be a name for facades that double entirely as signs. |
Nice sign, great food. Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q, U.S. 11, Bessemer, Alabama. |
Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q, U.S. 11, Bessemer, Alabama. |
The ghost of an imprisoned snow man? A&R Thrift Store, Bessemer, Alabama. |
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A&R Thrift Store, Bessemer, Alabama. |
It took a minute to realize it's Bs with hair braids. Bessemer Beauty Institute, Bessemer, Alabama. |
Sticks 'N' Stuff, Birmingham, Alabama. The word "stuff" adds quality to any business name. |
I can see the resemblance. Etheridge Brothers Barber Shop, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Etheridge Brothers Barber Shop, Birmingham, Alabama. Think about how many business signs include nicely rendered portraits. |
Note the Eyor-like expression -- "I suppose you just want to eat me." 4th Ave. Ribs & Sub Shop, Birmingham, Alabama. |
A really hip vacuum cleaner? |
No. A hair cutter at Trendsetters, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Set Free, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Denise Anointed Hair Studio, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Denise Anointed Hair Studio, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Denise Anointed Hair Studio, Birmingham, Alabama. Denise is not alone in her annointing. See in Albany, Georgia. |
Beautiful You Hair & Nail Salon, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Beautiful You Hair & Nail Salon, Birmingham, Alabama. |
One of many facades in Birmingham lovingly detailed with both art and type. Beautiful You Hair & Nail Salon. |
Love the die cut. Parnell Tires, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Parnell Tires, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Emphatically meat. No hypocritcal cannibal animal pictures here. Elyton Meat Center, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Ghost promotion at Elyton Meat Center, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Elyton Meat Center, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Tire Town, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Redundant signage at Tire Town, Birmingham, Alabama. The mounted tire really says it all. |
Town Motel, Birmingham, Alabama. |
The skyline is an unexpected feature of the Town Motel's vintage sign. |
Rendezvous Tours, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Seen up close, the bus has a bit of a Jim Sudduth quality to it. Rendezvous Tours, Birmingham, Alabama. Sudduth painted about 90 miles to the west. |
Rendezvous Tours, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Car Show Wash Detail, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Car Show Wash & Detail, Birmingham, Alabama. Not sure of the Psalm's relevance: "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" |
Could be hard to get that Sunday deal at Car Show Wash & Detail, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Car Show Wash Detail, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Car Show Wash & Detail, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Mello J's on 3rd, Birmingham, Alabama. |
J. Georgette Balloons, Birmingham, Alabama. There was another large balloon shop just across the street. |
J. Georgette Balloons, Birmingham, Alabama. |
The back of J. Georgette Balloons, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Halyma African Hair Braiding, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Power Rangers for Christ Child Center, Birmingham, Alabama. There's some cognitive dissonance here. This was one of many daycare centers on U.S. 11, and not the only one with a hint of weirdness. |
A licensed use? |
Admirable for the car wash to have a Ladies Day. |
Filled Bookstore, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Above & Abundant Ministries, Birmingham, Alabama, adjacent to Filled Bookstore. |
Bush Hills Tailors, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Bush Hills Tailors, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Bush Hills Tailors, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Bush Hills Tailors, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Bush Hills Tailors, Birmingham, Alabama. |
A piglike Bert helps decorate a daycare center on U.S. 11 in Birmingham. |
Other Sesame Street characters on U.S. 11. |
Dondee's Hair Salon & Barber Shop, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Aluminum Can Recyclers, Birmingham, Alabama. The can image is helpfully labeled to avoid confusion. |
Touched by an Angel Learning Center, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Looking at Ernie's expression and skin tone, one might think this is Touched by Evil Bert Learning Center. |
This appears to be Ernie walking off with his (ill-gotten?) boodle bag. |
Touched by an Angel Learning Center, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Touched by an Angel Learning Center, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Where Alfred E. Newman washes his car. U.S. 11, Birmingham, Alabama. |
The excess "S" makes the name a keeper. |
Midfield, Alabama: The Convenient City. Or how about " The place with really modest aspirations." Even the name is middling. |
Are these athletes zombies, or just terrified? U.S. 11, Birmingham, Alabama. |
Signs and meaning
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