Price’s Chicken Coop, Charlotte’s holy institution of fried chicken and stalwart of the community since 1962, recently updated the storefront off Camden Road in South End with new signage. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty bummed about the whole thing.
The old sign, which was second to the original, was hand-painted with care and bore just the right amount of patina. The vintage sign, albeit worn, represented the long-term staying power of the coop. For me, the sign at Price’s Chicken Coop was part of its charm and nostalgia. It signaled that everything was the same as it ever was, just like the 50-year-old recipe for fried chicken and familiar faces of Price’s employees.
The new sign is gleaming white and glossy with a font unlike its predecessor. The lettering is rounded, a tad reminiscent of clip-art. Updated, sure, but charming? Not quite. The sign is missing something – its soul.
When I phoned Steven Price, third-generation owner and son of Talmadge Price, creator of Price’s (along with his brother, Pat) who passed away this summer, he said that the famed chicken shack needed a new sign, that his father had been bugging him to replace the old one. So, he replaced it. Price cited the development of South End as a reason to update and give the facade a newer, fresh look. He also stated matter-of-factly that he didn’t see a story worth telling about the recent change.
I’m curious about what you think, Charlotte. Does the new sign take away from the nostalgia and charm? Does the removal of vintage signs or historical structures detract from the personality of an institution or from the personality of a city for that matter?
This article appears in Nov 27 – Dec 3, 2013.
The change is insignificant, and if you hadn’t written this article I wouldn’t have even noticed.
http://vimeo.com/1465284
I agree with everything you said, and as a designer am constantly dismayed at the dumbing-down of our visual landscape, but truthfully I didn’t spend much time caring about this particular example. The old sign was done in the low-cost vernacular of the time. This new one is done in the low-cost vernacular of today, which just happens to be digital and clip-art-y. I’d prefer to have the old one, but I can’t expect reverence for design and retro charm out of every business.
The new sign looks a lot like the old one when you consider how much worse it could have been.
As long as the chicken recipe hasn’t changed I think I’m good with it.
Updating happens, I get it… But I will say I understand where you are coming from. Charlotte, especially, seems to lack more history in architecture and what not. I like seeing old things around sometimes…. Maybe they kept it somewhere?? Who knows…. As long as the food hasnt changed though, I think the charm and nostalgia will still be there in other ways.
Charlotte has never tried to preserve much of it’s history. Uptown is a perfect example. There’s no resemblance to uptown in the 1960’s. All the old storefronts are long gone along with some beautiful architecture like the Masonic Temple on S. Tryon and the Oasis Shrine Temple right next door. The columns from the Masonic Temple stand alone on some road in Rock Hill now. Go figure. I was surprised to hear the old Carolina theater is up for renovation and I look forward to that happening, if it ever does.
It always baffles me, the people who get to make decisions are the ones so out of touch. I was so upset when Starbucks moved to Elizabeth Ave and painted over the pie mural. I’m so happy Nan and Bryon’s left the Vinnie’s sign on South Blvd. Parents just don’t understand. Price’s should not evolve. Whomever told them to get a new sign needs….. well, they will never get it.