You'd think there would be all kinds of pics of that because it stood out but you have proof and rare proof of a real cool place to get your hair cut...perhaps the shop was garnished with old car stuff...ahh the good ole days...that's for sharing that...What's in a Picture?
I rolled into Reno in the summer of 1972, only 46 year ago,,, At the corner of your Dad's shot was where the Pawn Shops were located, allowing the losers the last chance to hock the wedding rings and cars just to get some bus money for the trip home, and the last spin of the roulette wheel. Later the casinos moved closer to the Biggest Little City's dividing rail lines to 'the other side of the tracts'. What most didn't know was two blocks from the shot was the old car dealership Bill Harrah owned where he kept his Ferrari powered Wagoners, and the wash rack where he had his crew keep what he had chosen to drive that day clean. I hope you at least made a stop at Bills collection, it's prime was right then. There was still the vibe of 'Mob Money' in Reno.
In the summer of '82 my wife and my 2 boys were on a trip to visit friends in Carmel, Ca. and as luck would have it we stopped at Harrahs collection in the railroad yards in Reno. Simply amazing! As if the collection indoors wasn't enough, what was outside was the real treat. The original RR shops were converted into specialized restoration shops. One shop was doing nothing but brass. Repairing, restoring or just making pieces and parts from scratch. Radiators, lamps, handrails etc. The next might be a woodshop doing anything from wooden frames to internal structure to finished woodwork (moldings,etc.). There were outside shelters filled with cars of every variety waiting their turn to be restored, sold, or whatever. I always planned to return but sadly that never happened and within 10 years everything was gone. Somewhere I know I have pic's from that trip but God only knows where they may be but I'll take a look. Maybe we'll all get lucky...
That is such a great story. Thank you for sharing with us a treasured part of your family's past. I think the idea of using old cars for advertising was commonplace. I remember growing up in LA during the 1970s, there was an exterminator (?) company that littered the streets with generic 1920s and 1930s vehicles that were garishly painted and had the company logo painted on them. They were pretty beat up old cars at the time. The company had these cars all over the place. Recently, one of these cars, still in the company's paint, was advertised on Ebay or somewhere. I forget the name of the company, but they were well known. I am sure someone here will remember who they were. Of course, one of the most famous "advertising cars" was the 1923-25 Model T Coupe with 16" wheels that sat on the roof of Ford Parts Obsolete on Willow St. in Long Beach. But that's another story......
Truly Nolan, still has a couple old cars (nothing at all classic) out front of the company storefront in Ogden. mick
Being a barber mayself I should think about repainting my car ....hahaha Thanks for the great trip to the past!
My Barber is a a gearhead thats had a couple As and different stuff and would get a kick outa that, thanks for sharing
These days the VW panel van would bring a lot more $$$$$ than the phaeton. I think I see door handles, which would make it a '29. In Fallon Nevada this '29 pickup has been doing advertising duty as long as I can remember (a really long time)
Back in '54, I got my first flattop haircut..."with FENDERS"! Short & flat on top, long sides combed back to meet in the middle: "a D.A." (duck's ass) My Mom flipped. She was...'hep', as the term went back then...but her 12 year old kid wasn't going to sport this 'boxed-in-back D.A.!' She marched me back to Dick-and-Danny's barber shop, next door adjoining the bowling alley... The 2 guys (Dick & Danny) were older, but real cool...Danny explained that it was a 'clean cut' expression of real cool cats..."and Mike's a pretty cool cat." Mom softened a little, but back in Danny's chair I went! "Just taper that square edge a little, then...that looks like a Philippino Huck!" (Dad had served in the So. Pacific in WWll, so Mom knew all the Navy jargon...) Barbers seemed to get lots of ink back then...Barris's Kopper Kart had a full set of barber tools displayed for the shows, (George wasn't a barber, too...was he?) Headlines in Newspaper, 1955: "JUVENILE DELINQUENCY BEGINS IN BARBER SHOPS!" Maybe. I never carried a switchblade 'til I started going to Dick & Danny's! A Barber shop is the last place for men that is their exclusive domain. Ha! The last vestiges of the Men's Social Clubs... Everything changed in the '60s. I got back, and the men's barber shop was no longer...All the barber shops had turned into 'styling shops'...hell, even the front door swung both ways. I was a strange duck, in a strange land. The boys looked like girls, and the girls...well... Dylan was right. "The times...they was a-changin'."
Hey Guys, Using that phaeton for a colorful advertisement is just classic. Back then, when the cars were readily available in just about any city in the USA, what ever caught the future customer’s eye was fair game. Yes, a phaeton was/is a rare commodity, but it probably brought in plenty of customers. In So Cal, there were a couple of companies that used old cars as a means of connecting with the general public. Truly Nolen was one of the early ad-men to connect with a different crowd. Those old cars were seen all over So Cal starting at least in 1960 or earlier. Those bright old cars stood out. They were parked in huge shopping mall lots, corner parking areas of busy downtown sections, near grocery stores, any where that men and women usually frequented. My wife’s family lived near Knott’s Berry Farm. These Truly Nolen cars were all over the neighborhood, back then. Just like the yellow pages, something unusual attracts the mind and stays with you until you actually need one for its services. Did we ever use Truly Nolen? My mom would have been horrified if she ever saw a mouse in the house. But, our neighbors did have a Truly Nolen Truck at their house for several visits. No, afterwards, the little creatures did not come over to our house for a visit or stay. Another neighbor used a different pest control service that was local to Long Beach. It was the same advertising tactics, an old popular car, but this time it was a small statue on top of the car. We always wondered if they were licensed for the street or just placed for advertising. Does it work? Jnaki We would see the Western Exterminator’s little statue attached to several old antique cars parked in similar lots, shopping centers, or near the beach parking lots. It was hard not to miss seeing this statue on those old cars. But, as things go, they disappeared as the statues were popular stolen items at night. So now, the only one that most millions of people see daily, is the one off of the 405 freeway in Carson, near the old Lions Dragstrip area. A 17ft. tall statue off of the 405 Freeway, near the Pasadena/Long Beach 710 Freeway interchange still stands. P.S. Speaking of using phaetons for advertising, on the way home this past week from Santa Barbara, we saw a custom, extra long, phaeton, hot rod cruising down the freeway. It was headed for the Santa Barbara Harbor/Pier area and the East Cabrillo area where the beach side, hotel rows are located. Parked on East Cabrillo, Santa Barbara (near the supposed location of the 2019 TROG)
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