Maltby’s roadside art is a gas

  • Kristi O’Harran / Herald Columnist
  • Monday, October 1, 2001 9:00pm
  • Local News

Ron Nardone adds nostalgia to community

Kristi O’Harran

Herald Columnist

Massive hands, like real bear claws, are put to delightful use in and around the Maltby community.

If you take a weekend drive to munch breakfast at the Maltby Cafe, you’ll notice dozens of historic metal gas station signs posted on siding.

Those are Ron Nardone’s signs. Those are his buildings. Those are his whimsical windmills spinning in the parking lot near his espresso stand that is shaped like a cup of latte with a big straw poking out of the roof.

When he bought the property, in the heart of Maltby, the old schoolhouse was nailed shut. Nardone wanted the place so he could play basketball in the gymnasium that is upstairs from the restaurant.

He also owns property a few miles past the restaurant where passersby can peek at more gas station signs and windmills. Outbuildings look like old-fashioned garages with decorative gas pumps. The back one reminded me of the Richfield station that was my next-door neighbor as I grew up on Aurora Avenue.

Nardone likes to call the display roadside art.

Is he building a mini-Disneyland? Will buses bring tourists? The answer is "no" to both questions. He decorates the buildings for his own amusement.

"I can’t stand to sit around," Nardone said. "I like to keep busy."

Inside the back garage is a collector’s paradise. Nardone, 60, has mounted more gas station signs around inside walls, above two soda fountains he restored. There is no more room for big signs so he collects antique oil cans.

His neighbor, Norm Kingma, said he doesn’t mind living next door to car-stopping buildings.

"I love it," Kingma said. "It’s an improvement."

Kingma said Nardone is the kind of neighbor who doesn’t mind if you drop by and set a spell. We rested on soda fountain stools while Nardone showed me old oil cans displayed behind the bar, like Bardahl and Veedol in its original six pack.

With the flick of a switch, a Van de Kamp Bakery sign, with a blue windmill, twirled with bright lights. Nardone said Van de Kamp signs are often in good condition because they were too noisy inside stores so workers shut them off. He also has reminders of RC Cola and Sunbeam Bread.

His displays are remarkable. You don’t see electrical cords stretched hither and yon. I had no idea there were so many tire companies. He has product signs from India, Star, BP, Eldorado, Sieberling, Kelly-Springfield, Gates and Gillette.

On a high pole in the yard is a Veltex sign, a dream find for memorabilia collectors.

Nardone used to drive around the country to buy signs, such as Coca Cola, Sunoco and Phillips 66 boards. He doesn’t hit the road anymore to discover such valuable commodities at obscure mom-and-pop stores. He said all the good stuff has already been picked over.

Collectors today will have a hard time believing this — he doesn’t shop on eBay or even own a computer. But don’t even think about buying any of his prizes.

"When I buy it, I’m in love with it," Nardone said. "I never sell."

He came by his smart eye and financial values from his grandfather.

After Nardone graduated from Bothell High School, he worked construction and hauled garbage. His grandfather told him if he earned a buck, save 50 cents. Nardone bought real estate and fixed it up and sold it or rented it out.

"My grandfather was like me," Nardone said. "He got things done by using his back."

At least Nardone found a creative way to share his collection. Folks who drive through Maltby will enjoy spying old-fashioned gas station signs that remind of days when an attendant filled your tank. A 14-foot-tall Richfield bird sign used to shine into my bedroom window.

Thanks to Nardone’s never-idle hands, memories are fueled in roadside art.

Kristi O’Harran’s Column appears Tuesdays and Fridays. If you have an idea for her, call 425-339-3451 or send information to oharran@heraldnet.com.

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