Roadside Art Online

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.
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 <a hef = "http://www.interestingideas.com/roadside/signs/Albany/target0.html">Twyla</a> 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.