You may remember when we first dove into downtown Chattanooga’s ghost signs — the old painted advertisements on the sides of buildings that have been preserved for years. We loved learning the history behind the ghost signs so much, we decided to put out a part two.
Today, we’ll take a look at three more local ghost signs, one of which we will say a final goodbye to.
Chattanooga Feed Company | 201 W. Main St.
This 114 year-old building has had many tenants in its history with this particular ghost sign advertising the Chattanooga Feed Company — a feed company for livestock — est. in the 1900s.
Now, you may be thinking, “this name sounds familiar.” That’s because the building is currently home to The FEED Co. Table & Tavern. Owners Miguel Morales + Dustin Coate were first inspired by the history of the building before even creating a menu for the now revered, downtown restaurant.
The Atlas Paper Box Company | 1300 Central Ave.
Founded in the 1920s, the Atlas Paper Box Company was originally a supplier of paper boxes to the local hosiery mills. The company expanded its manufacturing capability to include tablets of paper + paper caps for milk bottles.
Good news, the company is still around now operating as Top Flight, and continues to produce notebooks, construction paper + more.
Good Fortune Soap and Spa | 2644 Broad St.
In the first part of our ghost signs series, we asked y’all to tell us other ghost signs to look into. One suggestion was the ghost sign found on the side of Good Fortune Soap and Spa; however, the sign is actively being covered due to necessary building reinforcements.
The 130-year-old building began to show signs of stress that left the owners no choice but to renovate the building — which unfortunately meant covering the ghost sign.
Although one chapter of this building’s history is being closed, the business has created a blank slate by painting the side of the building white with hopes that a local artist can add a new piece of history to this building’s story.
