San Jose Signs Index 

The curling metal and faded lettering provoked a nagging curiosity. Finally! An old matchbook on eBay reveals that the Quiet Village’s parking lot sign’s associated business was once an Italian Restaurant called the Napoli Café (circa 1940s to early 1960s). City Directories unlock more clues. Napoli was followed by Anthony’s Tavern (1963), Gene’s Steak House (1965) and Arturo’s Quiet Village (1968). If you look very closely at the sign that stands in what was once the back parking lot on second street, the letters B A R B Q appear under the word “QUIET” and the word “STEAKS” appears under “VILLAGE.” Best guesses are that the original sign dates to the era of Gene’s Steak House.
--Heather David