Grote Bakery Neon Trade Sign

A sign shaped like the product it promotes is what’s known as a trade sign. Trade signs have had a long commercial tradition for inns in England, but by the late 1700s, they could be found plentifully in the United States. These symbolic advertisements were important because of low literacy rates in early American populations. By the 1920s however, trade signs were less common and replaced by lettered signs as literacy improved.

Shaped like a rolling pin, this sign sat atop Grote Bakery on Winton Road in Finneytown. When the bakery closed in the late 1990s after about 50 years of business, a new restaurant opened at the location. Rather than remove the original sign, the new tenants simply attached theirs to the front of the rolling pin. It’s not uncommon for new businesses to leave the former’s sign in place and cover over it. Recently, when that restaurant closed and was set for demolition, the rolling pin hidden beneath the restaurant’s sign was spotted. With some help from the community, the Museum acquired the Grote Bakery sign in 2023 and had it restored to its full glory the same year.

06/09/2023: Mike Kolb fabricate new ends to replaced damage metal sign face ends, install hanging brackets, flatten and square up sign body, sand prep, prime with rust converter primer, new coats of background paint, $2500

06/23/2023: BrushWorks trade pattern, coat background and lettering in orange & brown, $600

09/01/2023: parts from Glantz, $480.15

09/23/2023: NeonWorks neon restoration, $448