Signs of the times

[Erik Sine]

Flo-Lite Sign and Screen Print, located at 819 West Third Street, will be celebrating its 60th anniversary in Big Spring.

Doris Vieregge, owner and operator of Flo-Lite Screen Printing, scrapes the letters from a sign that’s been at local restaurant Rocky’s for more than two decades. Vieregge is the third generation of her family to run the local business.(HERALD photo/Thomas Jenkins)

When Doris Vieregge and Tina Martin say, “We started it all,” they can say it proudly.

Texans have seen this Big Spring company’s work for more than 80 years, starting in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It is one of the oldest — if not the oldest — sign companies in Texas continually operating and owned by one family since its beginning.

The company began with founder Alvin Vieregge, who in 1922 was sent to New York City to meet and accompany the first piece of neon ever brought into the United States from France. He delivered the sign to Los Angeles and installed it on top of a Packard automobile dealership. The unique blinking sign was purchased at a cost of $1,200 (by comparison, the cheapest new Packard on the lot sold for $3,600).

Alvin then returned to the Dallas area and began construction on the first flying red horse for the Mobil Oil Company. The sign was built before the age of cranes, and had to be constructed piece by piece and hauled to the top of the building in freight elevators and assembled on top of the Magnolia Building. It was a Texas landmark for decades and could be seen for more than 20 miles before the construction of the present high rise office buildings.

When the structure began to deteriorate several years ago, it was moved to its permanent location in the museum at the Farmers Market. The structure was replaced with a new installation in the early 1990s.

Other early historic installations in the early 1920s by Flo-Lite were at the historic Majestic Theaters in Dallas and San Antonio.

By the late 1920s Alvin began his weekly run from Fort Worth to El Paso, installing and servicing hundreds of neon signs. Many became landmarks across the western part of the state and some still remain in service.

The Vieregge family moved to Big Spring in the early 1940s. At that time, Alvin was employed at the Big Spring Bombardier base. After the war, he returned to the sign business full-time and in 1947 opened Flo-Lite Sign Co.

In the early 1950s his son, Charles Vieregge, joined him in the business. When Alvin passed away in 1971, Charles assumed the business operation.

From the 1940s to the late 1990s, almost all the bank signs, neon, restaurant signs, time temperature signs, convenience store, billboard and motel signs across West Texas were either designed by and-or installed by Flo-Lite Signs.

In 1980, Doris Vieregge joined the family operation and assumed the screen printing and graphic design area of the business. At that time, all art work was laid out and drawn by hand. All of the designs that were used for screen printing textiles were hand drawn on clear acetate film and developed onto fabric screens for printing.

It was not until the early 1990s that the first sign computers came into use at the shop.

Since Charles’ death in 2001, Doris has assumed the business and continued to expand the company’s area and product lines.

Tina Martin, Doris and Charles’ daughter, who is the fourth generation, is now taking the lead.

Although outside installations and neon are not a part of the business now, they do offer full color graphic design banners and signs, flat signs, custom car graphics, advertising products, screen printing up to six colors and full in-house embroidery and dozens of other items and services.

Over the years dozens of like businesses came to town, only to fade away in a short time.

“We can safely say at Flo-Lite you can count on us to continue the family business for years to come,” said Doris. “The company continues to honor the same steadfast family commitment of providing customers with quality products and outstanding personal service that the company has been known for since its beginnings more than 80 years ago.”

Visit Flo-Lite on the Web at www.flolite.com to see the broad range of services that are offered.

[Kgirl]

Yeah,

Ummmm

Ok

I'd rather not say anything....if this is what the "sign" business does to women later on in life....

Not happening on my end......I'll stick with the drill and tool belt........

[Travis]

Yeah,

Ummmm

Ok

I'd rather not say anything....if this is what the "sign" business does to women later on in life....

Not happening on my end......I'll stick with the drill and tool belt........

I'll bet back in the day she was hot!

[joemomma]

I'll bet back in the day she was hot!

My sentiments exactly, Travis. And even today, she strikes a handsome figure.

[rocketdesigns]

Yeah,

Ummmm

Ok

I'd rather not say anything....if this is what the "sign" business does to women later on in life....

Not happening on my end......I'll stick with the drill and tool belt........

Hmmmm...just a drill and tool belt??? That'd make a good pic for the nudie section!