JFG sign finds new home in Charlotte

Published Feb. 22, 2011 at 3:37 p.m.
The JFG coffee sign, an iconic part of the Charlotte skyline which survived 40 years of everything nature could dish out, will be flashing again soon -- in a new part of the city.

The Charlotte city council gave the go-ahead Monday night for the sign to be placed atop the VBGB Restaurant and Beer Garden, in the N.C. Music Factory near the Brookshire Boulevard on the north side of uptown.

The sign, which advertised the coffee for four decades from a site off the John Belk Freeway near the current Bank of America Stadium site, was refurbished since being taken down in late October 2009. A public effort to save the sign led to the creation of a preservation fund for old signs in the Charlotte area.

"A landmark sign has found a landmark property," said Noah Lazes, the Music Factory developer. "Thousands of people visit the Music Factory every year, and one of the first things greeting them will be the classic JFG Coffee sign."

Lazes said he hopes to have the sign installed by early May.

The Music Factory is home to performances venues like the Road Runner Mobile Amphitheatre and the Fillmore, along with restaurants and office space.

"We're excited to be returning to Charlotte's skyline, at last," JFG marketing director Mary-Wanda Fandino said. "Heritage and tradition mean a lot to JFG Coffee. That's why our new home at the landmark Music Factory complex is an ideal location for our historic sign."

The sign was taken down from the John Belk Freeway location because it was in need of repair. An effort to refurbish the sign led to a drive that raised $13,200. The support was fueled by a Facebook page created to find a new home for the sign.

That Facebook page can be found at www.facebook.com/jfg.coffee.

Staff writer Karen Sullivan contributed.

Back | Read more at Charlotte Observer local