This sign for Carlo Firato and Sons Delicatessen is from the 1920s and is one of the oldest signs in existence in San Jose. The business was well known for it’s Italian foods, but most particularly for it’s cheese ravioli. The building itself is a rare brick building from the 1880s. The business closed in 1977 when proprietor Carlo Firato passed away. There’s been talk of two of Carlo’s grandsons, Richard and Alfred, trying to bring it back, but I’m not sure how that story went…

This sign is an example of a sign that uses opal glass. Opal glass signs were popular from that 1910s to the 1920s, but neon was introduces in the mid 1920s and quickly became all the rage, replacing opal glass. Here’s video that shows how opal glass signs were made.

Location:
28 E. Santa Clara