‘Look at what we pass every day.’ Charlotte’s history, told through signs

Christopher Lawing knows everything there is to know about Charlotte signs. Just ask.

“Oh, that sign,” he immediately answered an audience member’s question about the location of a vague sign during a recent talk hosted by The Charlotte Museum of History.

“The Martin’s Hardware sign... If you go to Ed’s Tavern, which is where the old hardware store used to be, the old neon sign has been moved inside. You can look up when you’re dining in and see the sign right above you.”

Lawing, 28, is the creator of the Charlotte Signs Project, which aims to document the Queen City’s history through signage. He’s an 8th generation Charlottean, and his love for his city has spurred on this work.

Throughout the museum event, he rattled off dates and locations from a seemingly endless encyclopedia in his mind. He knows it’s an incredibly niche talent — a muscle flexed from 10 years of devotion to Charlotte signage.

“I want people to know that we don’t tear down everything. Our history is colorful and fun,” he said. “To me, these signs are inspirational.”

‘This project is for you’

The Charlotte Signs Project started as a high school photography project.

While an upperclassman at Myers Park, Lawing decided on photographing Charlotte signs for his final thesis project. He had long been told stories about Charlotte’s history from his father, and Lawing’s eyes caught on especially pleasing designs around town. He later went on to study design at NC State.

But years after his photography class ended, Lawing continued taking photos — though he made the switch from film to digital — and he published a book in 2017 that documents Charlotte history through signage.

“I was tying together my love of Charlotte and my love of design,” he said. “I combined those interests and started snapping away, and now I’m still taking pictures 10 years later.”

Now, Lawing is something of an expert — and probably the only sign expert in Charlotte. His goal is to preserve as much of Charlotte history as possible, and his talent often draws emotional responses from others.

When Lawing presents his work, he said long-time Charlotteans have strong reactions, sometimes laughing and crying.

Though his work often makes natives reflect on memories of their quickly-changing city, Lawing said the Charlotte Signs Project is for the many newcomers, too.

“It’s for the people who want to relive some of their memories and the people who have lived through a lot of these changes,” he said. “But it’s also for people who don’t know that much about Charlotte. My job is to say, ‘Yes, Charlotte does have a lot of history. Look at what we pass every day.’ This project is for you.”

Always changing

Sunday afternoons during Lawing’s childhood meant car rides with his father.

Scott Lawing, then a real estate appraiser, would take his son on long rides throughout Charlotte, pointing out beautiful homes and interesting landmarks, rain or shine. And when the weather was especially good, they’d take his yellow 1970 Buick GSX out for a spin.

When Christopher was a baby, his father said he enjoyed the scenery, staring out of the window and always happy on the rides. But as the years passed, Christopher asked more and more questions.

“I grew up with a lot of stories about our city, especially when it wasn’t as much of a city as it is now — before the banking boom, the more industrial period,” he said. “It’s a very colorful history, and not everyone knows its depth because we’re a city that’s changing quite often.”

Charlotte’s population has more than doubled since 1990, attracting immigrants and young workers. The skyline has broadened, and new developments crop up daily. Some signs from the early-to-mid 1900s still stand tall, while others have disappeared, their location a mystery.

Lawing said his book documents that story.

“You can see the different trends through these signs,” he said. “You look at these signs, and you have a story of how Charlotte has evolved architecturally... and you can see how the actual businesses have changed, how they’ve shifted from mom-and-pop stores.”

Lawing said the Park Road Shopping Center sign is one example.

“It showcases the 1950s mid-century modern movement, and you can look at that contrasted with one of the oldest signs I’ve photographed, which is the Ratcliff’s Flowers sign from 1929,” he said. “It’s a more classic neon, which was pretty new back then.”

But Charlotte’s growth has also meant that many of its old signs no longer exist — some are missing. There’s one in particular that Lawing’s still looking for.

“The sign came down before I started the project, but it was a restaurant called the Coffee Cup Restaurant, and the sign was really cool — in the shape of a coffee cup with steam painted on,” he said. “It was a little hole in the wall near where the Panthers Stadium is now, and the coffee cup was an early icon in Charlotte.”

Lawing said the restaurant was one of the first integrated eateries in Charlotte. He said the sign was stolen off the building the week before the restaurant was demolished. He said he’s followed several leads but has run into the dead ends.

“The sign’s still out there,” he said. “Someone has it, telling the story of that beautiful coffee cup restaurant.”

And it’s not the only one. Lawing said he’s also searching for three other iconic signs that have gone missing, including the animated neon Cavalaris Skating Rink sign which featured a young boy in skates, legs “flying around,” Lawing said.

Other signs pictured in his book have either been taken down or put into storage since Lawing started the project. He said it’s important that they’re still included and remembered.

“These are all unique, historic signs,” Lawing said. “They help tell the history of neighborhoods and the growth of Charlotte, and how the city has changed and people have changed with it.”

The little things

Lawing’s family believes his project has uncovered another story — people’s connection to signs might be deeper than they realize.

“People see his work and thank him for doing it,” Scott said. “We tell him his next book should be people’s reactions, the stories that come from them. They’ve just been amazing.”

Lawing, too, is trying to get others to notice the little things more often.

“I don’t think people are on the lookout for these signs,” he said. “I’m trying to call awareness to them. I think that these places and landmarks and icons are so ingrained in our everyday life. It’s part of the scenery and not something that stands out to people. That’s why I want people to notice.”

“Neon” Deb Slatkin, a local glass bender, said these signs are often taken for granted.

“People do have an attachment to signs they might not realize,” she said.

The JFG Coffee sign, for example, lived on the Charlotte skyline for decades on the billboard the Coca-Cola sign is currently on. It was a landmark, Slatkin said.

The sign was up for more than 50 years and was Charlotte’s longest running advertising campaign. Lawing described it as a “really cool piece,” with flashing neon lights and bulbs. He said that’s a sign that evokes a lot of emotion for people.

“People would tell me that they’d be coming home to Charlotte and they’d see that sign. That’s how they knew they were home,” he said. “Many more people have cried over that sign than I expected.”

It came down for the first time in 2009 to be restored and was reinstalled in a different part of town a short time later, but it was taken down for a final time in 2016.

“You would always see that sign,” Slatkin said. “It becomes a part of the landscape, and you don’t think anything of it until it’s gone. Then they realize its absence.”

Slatkin, who restored the Ratcliff’s Flowers sign, has only known Lawing for a few years, but she said it feels like a long time. They connected when Lawing found the old Copal Grill sign on Craiglist.

“I just love his attention to detail and how he wants to capture this city in signage,” Slatkin said.

She’s witnessed Charlotte evolving since 1992, so she doesn’t underestimate the importance of Lawing’s work.

“I love that he’s documented what was,” she said. “Sometimes you would think we had no history.”

Lawing’s proud of his deep Charlotte roots and is as much a relic of the past as the signs he appreciates. He’s been an old soul since childhood, his father said — thoughtful and meticulous.

Though Lawing’s always paying attention to signage around town, he doesn’t get the chance to really stop and take it all in as much as he’d like. But there’s one in particular that always holds his attention — the Bar-B-Q King sign on Wilkinson Boulevard on the way to the airport.

The sign stands tall. A white arrow swoops around the letters, which stand out against a deep red background.

“It’s so cool for me to be driving toward the sign. It blinks, like in the movies. It’s a very slow blink,” he said, like he’s imagining it. He notices it every time he drives past and takes an extra minute to appreciate it. “To me, it’s very peaceful. Very calming.”

This article has been corrected. Lawing’s presentation was hosted by the Charlotte Museum of History.

This story was originally published December 25, 2020 at 6:00 AM.

Devna Bose

The Charlotte Observer

704-358-5429

Devna Bose is a reporter for the Charlotte Observer covering underrepresented communities, racism and social justice. In June 2020, Devna covered the George Floyd protests in Charlotte and the aftermath of a mass shooting on Beatties Ford Road. She previously covered education in Newark, New Jersey, where she wrote about the disparities in the state’s largest school district. Devna is a Mississippi native, a University of Mississippi graduate and a 2020-2021 Report for America corps member.