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Fonk's Neon Sign, Colville, WA
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| Accession #: | 4081.1 |
|---|---|
| Title: | Fonk's Neon Sign, Colville, WA |
| Object Type: | Sign |
| Participants: | |
| Physical Description: | Exterior neon sign, banner style, from the Fonk's variety store, Colville, WA. The sign, unlit, is red, yellow, and white and reads: "Fonk's 5¢ - $1 Stores". When lit the sign is green, red, and blue. |
| Description: | From its opening in 1939 until its appearance in a 2001 museum exhibit, this Fonk's sign hung on Main Street in Colville, Washington. A.O. Fonkalsrud had a Montana variety store chain named Fonk's "5¢ to $1" when he hired Wilbert Johnson away from F.W. Woolworth's company to manage new stores in Washington and Idaho. At its peak, this regional chain had branches in Colville, Colfax, Hillyard, Pullman and Tekoa, Washington and in Moscow and Wallace, Idaho. Better roads, more cars, and tastes for bigger stores made commercial survival difficult in the region's towns. |
| Category: | History |
| Subjects/Topics/Concepts: |
Merchandising (Communication)
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| Geographical Reference: | Colville (Washington->Stevens County) |
| Dimensions: |
length 125"
height 69 1/2"
width 16"
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| Materials/Techniques: |
neon (Material)
metal (Material)
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| Related Exhibits: | |
| Credit Line: | Gift from the Estates of Grace R. Harrigan and Irma V. Nick |
To order a reproduction, inquire about permissions, or for information about prices see:
https://www.northwestmuseum.org/collections