Bernie's sign to be displayed in national museum

[Erik Sine]

Bernie's sign to be displayed in national museum

By Eric Reinagel

Press & Sun-Bulletin

JOHNSON CITY -- Bernie's Army-Navy store manager Fred Daszewski watched with mixed emotions Monday as a three-person crew used cherry pickers to remove two neon signs off his landmark Johnson City store.

"It's sort of a sad time, but also happy. I'm glad I'm retiring after 48 years," said Daszewski. "I'm sorry that I'm leaving, but that's retirement."

Daszewski said initially he planned to junk the signs, but that was before talking to Scott Baker, a salesman with Binghamton-based 3i Graphics and Displays. Baker contacted American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the museum was excited about the possible donation. Daszewski and former store owner Bernie Smigel, who resides in Florida, agreed it would be wonderful to have the signs preserved in a museum.

"Bernie's Army and Navy has been kind of a fixture in this community for a very, very long time," said Baker. "It's kind of a sad thing see it close its door. I thought at least we can preserve some of the history here."

Daszewski said the signs are at least 59 years old and were taken down and put up three times as the store changed locations on Main Street in Johnson City. Part of the reason Daszewski had the signs removed is that his landlord had to pay $40 a year to the village for sign permits. There also was no reason for signage because the store closed Dec. 31, 2007.

Steve Walker, lead installer with 3i, said the company covers a 100-mile radius and does much more sign installation and servicing than removal.

Baker said, "This will be the first time we've actually taken a sign down to preserve it for inclusion in a museum."

The signs will be stored at 3i's Griswold Street location in Binghamton until April when American Sign Museum representatives will retrieve the museum pieces.

Tod Swormstedt of American Sign Museum said Bernie's signs will be part of a three-dimensional Signs of Main Street display at a new 42,000 square-foot museum set to open in September.

He said he's very excited about the donation because it's rare to get all the neon signs from a store. He said typically at least one neon sign is in bad shape or torn down.

For additional information about the museum, visit www.signmuseum.org.