Friends In Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk Proudly Displays Reimagined Historic Sign, The Largest Neon On Lower Broadway

Garth Brooks' Friends In Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk has the largest sign on Lower Broadway – not because the singer demanded it, but because it's a piece of history he preserved when he moved into the building.

The blade sign belonged to the Heilig-Meyers furniture store, which operated in the space at 411 Broadway for decades. The company closed the last of its stores in 2001, and even though Nashville city ordinances now prohibit signs of that size, it is grandfathered in.

When preparing to open Friends In Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk, Garth took the impressive vertical sign still affixed to the front of the building and added the character one would expect to find in the neon neighborhood.

"It's the same shape of sign as this building has always had," said Camille Tambunting, Chief Operating Officer at Strategic Hospitality. "As long as we don't change the shape, we can keep this huge sign."

Garth and the folks at Strategic Hospitality, who are heading up the renovation, worked with Joslin and Son Signs in Nashville to create the innovative new neon for the sign.

"They took a vision that Garth and his graphic design team put together and created something magical," Camille said. "What's really cool about the sign is that there's that big G at the bottom, and it's an infinity mirror, basically. That's why it looks like it's just continuous and going on forever."

The technique is a mirror with neon reflected in it, and it's the first time the trick has been used on Lower Broadway. In addition, thanks to Joslin and Son Signs, the sign can also change colors – which will be exhibited first on St. Patrick's Day.

"It can do tons of fun things," Camille said, explaining it has 12 different programs and can accommodate new ones. "But it really is special that it's the largest sign on lower Broadway and the first use of an infinity mirror."

Friends In Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk will celebrate its Grand Opening on Thursday, March 7.

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