All-black ice cream cones and speedy delivery boys keep the memory of Salt Lake's former businesses alive.
On the Streets
By Bryant Heath
There is an old saying in marketing textbooks that "businesses come and go, but brands stay forever." No doubt, a large part of a brand's appeal is its iconic imagery. What would Nike be without their patented "swoosh" or Coca-Cola without its fancifully embellished script? Perhaps just another company lost in the annals of history.
Mega-corporations aren't necessarily Salt Lake's forte, but the city has its fair share of local businesses whose vintage signage can still be spotted around town, generating that same sense of recognition among locals.
Outside the pop-up Acme Bar Co. on 2100 South and Windsor Street, you can find a speedy pizza deliverer (above photo). I'd imagine most pass by without giving it much thought, but if you are of a certain generation—here's looking at you Gen X—seeing this lederhosen lad transports you back to Dër Ratskeller Pizza Shoppe, the former tenants of the building, where you could split a whole pizza with your teenage friends for around $3.
Similarly, across the street is a Snelgrove sign (lower left). In a past life, this welcomed you to the Snelgrove ice cream factory before Dreyer's moved in and subsequently closed, leaving the lot vacant for housing developers.
The other Snelgrove signage still in the city is the infamous all-black cone at the Jimmy John's on 400 South and 600 East (lower right). Depending on whom you ask, it was allegedly painted over in a dispute between the owner and preservationists, or is a cheesy marketing gimmick. Regardless, you can't argue that it's memorable!
It's no coincidence Sugar House is known for a collection of vintage signs. That area is at the forefront of preservation via their Historic Sign Committee, part of their local Community Council. They championed a zoning change in 2017 that made it easier to reuse vintage signage during redevelopment and enlist volunteers to locate signs via the SLC Mobile App.
I think it's safe to say that protecting this type of neighborhood character is something we all—NIMBYs and YIMBYs alike—can get behind!
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