Vintage Felix Cat Sign Gets A Makeover
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(Ashley Riegle/Neon Tommy)
Commuters on the 110 freeway can see Felix the Cat getting a makeover while they drive into downtown Los Angeles.
The all too familiar Felix sign hovers above Felix Chevrolet, a dealership that has been operating since 1922. Winslow Felix first opened the business at Grand and 12th until a new owner purchased it and moved the dealership to its current location on the southeast corner of USC at Jefferson and Figueroa. Felix Chevrolet has stayed in family possession ever since.
First popularized from a 1920s cartoon, Felix the Cat kept its young spirit to stay the face of the dealership for decades. Employees wear black Felix-emblemmed polo shirts, and lifesize "sales-cats" look out the windows to draw customers in.
(Ashley Riegle/Neon Tommy)
"We felt that Felix Chevrolet, being such an iconic store that’s been in operation for so long – it’s one of the oldest running Chevrolet franchises in the United States – we just thought that [renovating] would be an absolutely positive thing to do for the community...to spend the money to bring it back to life," he said.
Felix the Cat's facelift will cost around $150,000, but Felix Chevrolet believes that it is giving the Los Angeles landmark a deserved renovation.
When asked what makes the Felix icon so special to people, Kim said, "People of all ages relate to Felix the Cat because they used to watch the cartoons when they were growing up...They all remember Felix the Cat."
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