Name change in store

[mmb5]

Might as well plug a site heavy on local (to me) content: http://notfoolinganybody.com/  Two of my personal favorites are the non-local and the local one.  The latter is very good.

[Matt Ottinger]

For personal amusement, I wanted to see how the Days Inn/Dads Inn sign was altered. As usual, the internet didn't disappoint: http://www.flickr.com/photos/92726077@N00/4589578133/in/photostream/

I couldn't remember whether they bothered adding the apostrophe or not.  So...not.

[DoorNumberFour]

I wish I could find a picture...but:

A hair supply store opened down the street from me a few months ago; I pass it every day on the way to work.

The week it opened, I read the awning, which said: HAIR SUPPLY AND WINGS.

The week after that: HAIR SUPPLY AND WIXGS, with a big black X over the N in WINGS.

The week after that: HAIR SUPPLY AND WINGS, with a big paper bag taped over the N.

The week after that: HAIR SUPPLY AND WI_GS, with the N actually cut out of the awning, leaving a rectangular hole in its place.

The week after that: no awning.

The week after that: HAIR SUPPLY AND WIGS.

[Thunder]

...

 C. 1996, former (Charlotte) Hornets owner George Shinn wanted to bring an NHL franchise to the city*, and the proposed arena would've gone over the hotel site. Even though Shinn's notorious for being a shady character, part of me would've loved to see Norfolk get a Big-4 sports franchise.

*/"Name The Big-4 Teams Norfolk Was in the Running For" is another popular local game

Only if John Brophy was the coach, sir...

[clemon79]

The week after that: HAIR SUPPLY AND WIGS.

I liked it better when it seemed possible to pick up a couple dozen wings with extra hot sauce along with my styling mousse.

[mmb5]

The week after that: HAIR SUPPLY AND WIGS.

I liked it better when it seemed possible to pick up a couple dozen wings with extra hot sauce along with my styling mousse.

Too brain fried right now to think of a good Air Supply joke, so feel free to make your own.

[PYLdude]

I'm reminded of the bagel/rotisserie chicken place in my hometown that turned into a laundromat but they forgot to clear the sign.

Or here you go, ETA: Although unrelated I'm reminded of a few other sign deals- the first I saw in the next town over (it's the hometown of Giants receiver Victor Cruz...I'll leave it to you to look for it, lol). There was a place that opened up that was called "Main Hot Grill and Diner." There's a Hot Grill in my hometown (rather famous in the area- one all the way one), and I guess they got wind of it and made them change it. So then they made a sloppy edit to the awning that looked like they just cut it out the word "food" out of a magazine- not the same font, squished letters, you get the idea- and placed it over "hot". (they then changed the sign again to reflect the doner kebab they sell- at least they were better with that. makes sense, too, considering that it's one of the biggest Arabic enclaves in the Northeast, why not promote an Arabic dish, right?)

Then there were these two places in my hometown. One is a bar, one a hot dog place. The bar was known as, of all things, "The Bar". Yeah. The new owners who bought it a couple years ago changed the name to "The Rock", but didn't bother paying for the sign change (as the owners of The Bar, who bought it from an Irish pub owner I figure- the name was Shamrock's before) and instead opted to slap some white plastic covering over the sign that says "The Bar". What they didn't count on was the fact that the plastic wouldn't cover the sign when it was lit at night. To remedy it they covered it with what looks like gray cardboard and just left it there. (The establishment also has one of the older names of it labelscarred onto the entrance- can't people get these things cleaned when stuff like this happens? Am I crazy?)

The hot dog place opened up a couple years ago with the name "Mutts Hut". Not to be confused with the famous hot dog joint behind this link. Needless to say there was a legal battle and the owners of the famous place won and the owners of the not so famous place had to change the name. So they (I guess) painted over the Mutts Hut sign with yellow paint and put the new name of the place, "Red Hots", on it. Which is fine- except at night when the Mutts Hut sign bleeds through.

I don't know what possesses me to tell you these things but...

[Twentington]

Might as well plug a site heavy on local (to me) content: http://notfoolinganybody.com/

My favorite is the Ponderosa that's now a funeral home. (Not the only one — I found a Bonanza in Columbus also became one.) Shame they haven't updated the site in 8 years.

As for sloppy conversions, a former A&W in the Bay City Mall was "H&W" for a year or two. I never ate there, but I remember that the drink cups looked like just regular ol' Dixie or Solo cups you'd buy at Walmart.

[aaron sica]

The best conversion I ever saw was in my old college town of Williamsport, PA - there was a donut shop called "DONUTS DELITE" - A little creative letter dropping and the establishment became "DONUT DELI"

[Matt Ottinger]

The best conversion I ever saw was in my old college town of Williamsport, PA - there was a donut shop called "DONUTS DELITE" - A little creative letter dropping and the establishment became "DONUT DELI"

You're right, that is a good one.

A barely converted A&W in Flushing, MI is now known as the "Flushing A" which amuses me every time I visit.

[trainman]

In late August 1997, a certain motel in Washington, PA had been the "Best Western Washington Motor Inn" when I made the reservation, but when I got there, they had obviously just lost the franchise, and were now "A Washington Motor Inn" (with a giant "A" instead of the Best Western logo on the signage).

I see online that they're still in business, now as just "Washington Motor Inn."

It was in that motel that I, bored with everything that was available on TV, wished that something exciting would be on instead. Taking one more flip around the channels, I landed on CNN and discovered that my wish had been granted. And that's how I killed Princess Diana.

[PYLdude]

As for sloppy conversions, a former A&W in the Bay City Mall was "H&W" for a year or two. I never ate there, but I remember that the drink cups looked like just regular ol' Dixie or Solo cups you'd buy at Walmart.

A lot of places do that. Why are you surprised?

[Joe Mello]

As for sloppy conversions, a former A&W in the Bay City Mall was "H&W" for a year or two. I never ate there, but I remember that the drink cups looked like just regular ol' Dixie or Solo cups you'd buy at Walmart.

A lot of places do that. Why are you surprised?

Now are we talking about generic-looking soft drink cups or something more like the red plastic cups that you find in fraternities and Toby Keith albums?

[aaron sica]

Another one from Williamsport...


Hardee's restaurant - It closed, and reopened as "Tami's Fast Fixin's", closed, and reopened AGAIN, as Hardee's

[Twentington]

Now are we talking about generic-looking soft drink cups or something more like the red plastic cups that you find in fraternities and Toby Keith albums?

The latter. They didn't even look like generic fast food cups. It literally just looked like they darted across the street to Dollar Tree to buy a bag of cups.

I also remember a food stand at the (now torn down) Livonia Mall having an office style coffee maker and a stack of styrofoam cups. Not even big, restaurant style cups — it literally looked just like the stereotypical office coffee maker. I don't know which was more pathetic — that or the former Sbarro pizzeria on the other side of the mall that had "LaBarro's" written crudely on a banner over the still-lit-up Sbarro sign.