A pedestrian crossing sign contrasts with the historic PIX Theatre sign in need of repair in downtown Sleepy Eye, Minnesota.
AS A CREATIVE TYPE, I am drawn to signage. I appreciate the graphics, the fonts, the uniqueness of signs that mark businesses.
Sleepy Eye in southwestern Minnesota features one of my favorite signs—that of the King Koin Launderette. I love the colors, the name, the bubbles.
Then there’s the bright yellow signage on Meyer’s Bar & Lounge. The martini glass makes this sign as does the word lounge. That tag hearkens to a bygone era of mixed drinks served in a place fancier than a bar. I’ve never been inside Meyer’s so I can’t confirm whether a lounge really exists there.
Nor have I been inside the Servicemen’s Club. But I sure do like, from an artistic perspective, the back-to-back Grain Belt signs. I don’t understand, though, how a beer can be friendly. People can be friendly. Not beer. Minneapolis Brewing Company debuted the slogan, “The Friendly Beer With the Friendly Flavor,” in 1933. Despite that confusing message, I still appreciate this visually-appealing sign advertising a beer now made by August Schell Brewing Company. That’s just down US Highway 14 from Sleepy Eye in the city of New Ulm.
If all goes as planned, more local beer should be available within a year or two in a former downtown movie theater, according to Sleepy Eye Economic Development Authority Coordinator Kurk Kramer. Local physicians plan to open a nano brewery and coffee shop therein. That pleases me, especially since the couple intends to restore the historic PIX Theatre marquee.
Sleepy Eye businesses also honor the town’s namesake, Chief Sleepy Eyes, with his portrait featured on numerous signs. You’ll see his likenesses marking Sleepy Eye Stained Glass, The Sleepy Eye Dispatch Herald (where I worked briefly decades ago), posted on a corner downtown business and elsewhere. It’s a nod to local history, just one more point of interest.
I challenge you, the next time you are in a small town like Sleepy Eye, to pause and study the signage. Consider the graphics, the fonts, the uniqueness of these signs that often make them works of art as much as place markers.
Check back tomorrow for “This & that from my tour of downtown Sleepy Eye, Part IV.” That post will conclude my series on Sleepy Eye.
© Copyright 2018 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Sleepy Eye is such a cool little town!
Have you been there? If yes, what makes it cool?
I have a few friends that live down there. We go to their Town Festival every Summer. I believe it is called the Buttered Corn Festival. Good times!
Oh, yeah, lots of free sweetcorn from the local cannery. And, yes, I believe you have the name correct.
I like the idea of looking at signage…will have to keep that in mind when we go through small towns. Thanks for sharing these fun signs in Sleepy Eye.
You’re welcome. I’ve always been intrigued by signs, the older, the better.
I wonder do they really sell beer with pull tabs? I’ve haven’t seen one of those cans since before I was old enough to drink.
Which photo are you referencing?
The third and fourth photos
Ah, now I understand. Pull tabs are referring not to beer cans, but to lottery tickets. You pull back a piece of paper to reveal whether you have won a prize. We call those “pull tabs” in Minnesota. I’ve never purchased one and it’s been awhile since I’ve seen one. They are commonly sold at service clubs. I think.
Oh that makes sense. We have scratch off tickets here but I’ve never seen one with tabs that you pull off.
Maybe those are the old school style.
It must be fate that I happened upon your site today. He popped into my head just now, so I googled his name, and scrolled until I discovered this site. My dad was Wally Forster of Forster Signs in Sleepy Eye. He started his business while working as the projectionist at the Pix Theater. I am so proud of how he grew as a sign painter doing billboards, trains, planes, trucks and signs for businesses including neon. I haven’t been back home to Sleepy Eye for a number of years, and I wonder if any of his hand-painted signs still exist. He worked very hard to make each letter perfect. It didn’t happen too often, but I remember a little swearing going on when he stood back from a sign he was painting and noticed a misspelling. Eventually pre-cut letters were made available but they were difficult to use since the sticky back was permanent…and had to be applied perfectly the first time. He painted signs into his 80s turning to making yard figures and selling those when his hands became unsteady. I have several of his catalogs in which examples of hand lettering samples he studied and put into practice…script fonts, block fonts, etc. I have a few thumbnails of huge signs he was going to create. I’m so proud of his accomplishments, and I miss him. Thank you for creating this site.
Marian, it sounds like you should definitely feel proud of your artist dad. I bet some of his signs are still around. The PIX theatre turned brewery and coffee shop is beautiful. The owners honored the history of the building in restoring it.
Hi Audrey, The Pix brewery and coffee shop has one of dad’s hand-painted signs in their establishment…the big “Sleepy Eye” sign, and upstairs is one of two projection machines used to show movies using huge reels with all other negatives. He changed the reels on one machine to the other with a new reel so there was no pause in the action. Our family got into the movies for free, so I took advantage of that quite frequently….only Mom wouldn’t let me go to anything except “G” rated movies. Sometimes, I got to go upstairs and hang out with dad while a movie played. That’s a fond memory., and yes I am proud of him, his art, and how he grew his business to support his family in a little prairie town called Sleepy Eye. I carry with me a little of his talent in my blood as a graphic artist and package designer. It’s been a good career. I thank my dad.
You are clearly your father’s daughter in appreciating his art and now pursuing your own creative career. Thanks for sharing that generational connection, the details about the brewery/coffee shop and your memories.