We were inspecting the debacle on the corner of 1500 Sansom St. the other day, and found ourselves admiring a storefront that’s been holding down the block for more than forty years. A family business, Sherman Bros. originally opened on Mole St. in 1953, but moved to their current location at 1520 Sansom St. in 1968. The signs are not original, according to an employee we spoke with, but have been modeled after the original ones.

Just like the old days

Both the the small projecting sign and the sign on the facade with its white, three-dimensional letters on a green background look like they’re straight out of the fifties or sixties. Even though the awnings are a fairly common feature on modern storefronts, the rest of the signage still makes Sherman Bros. look like blast from the past. Take a look below at some signage from businesses from the late fifties. Wonder if they needed a variance for any kind of signage back then, too…

A block away, looking west on the 1600 block of Sansom St., in 1959.

Looking south down 17th St., also in 1959