A ghost sign, also known as a fading ad or a brickad, is an old, usually hand-painted sign that remains on a building long after the business it represents has closed. The signs were painted with a high quality, oil-based paint that likely contained lead. Their survival is arbitrary, dependent on the weather and the lack of care by subsequent property owners.
I have found a few ghost signs for old Chinese markets around Tucson:
Alan’s Market
Alan’s Market, run by the Lee family from 1949 to 1992, was located at 1021 W. Delaware, corner of Columbia Avenue in Barrio Hollywood. The building and the sign are still there.
Corner Market/Lim Wing Groceries and Meat Market
Located at 211 W. Franklin at the corner of Meyer, and just a stone’s throw from El Charro, this market was started by the Lim family in 1937. In 1952 it was moved farther east and renamed the Avondale Market. The building and the double ghost sign are still there.
Dolly’s Market
Dolly’s Market was located on the northeast corner of Main and 2nd Street, directly across from the Dunbar School. In the late 1920s Dolly’s father, Don Wah, moved his family and business from the corner of Convent and Jackson to this location. The covered door on the far right is the entrance to the family quarters.
After Don Wah retired, his son, Phillip, took over the business and renamed it the El Cortez Market. When Phillip Don moved the El Cortez to 1st Avenue, his sister, Dolly Wong, and her husband Ralph Wong (of the Wong Wing Seen family) took over the location for Dolly’s Market. Aloma J. Barnes in Dunbar: The Neighborhood, the School, and the People, 1940-1965 remembers, “Cold sodas, ice cream, bologna, and bread by the slice were the standard fare.” The market was active from the late 1950s through the early 1960s.
Later, Jack Don purchased the property and installed the garage door to run his auto mechanic business. The building is still there but the sign has been painted over.
Paul Don’s Food Center
Paul Don came to Tucson in 1921 to work for Mrs. Don Kim. When she retired in the early 1940s, he became a grocer in his own right. Paul Don’s Food Center was at 3244 E. Speedway from 1947 to 1957. Its location is now across the street from the Loft Theater. The “pampered poultry” referred to in the sign were capons – neutered male chickens. The sign was exposed when the Guilin Chinese Restaurant was torn down in 2015. It has since been painted over.
T & T Market
The T & T Market at 2048 S. 6th Avenue, South Tucson, was opened by the Gee family in 1942. The store, still owned and run by the Gee family, closed in 2016.
