NORFOLK, Va. — Doumar's Cones and Barbecue, an iconic spot in Norfolk for decades, has recently undergone a significant refurbishment of one of its most recognizable features: the classic sign on Granby Street.
Hunter Windley, heir to the Doumar’s legacy, remarked on the sign’s transformation, noting that in his lifetime, it had never been repainted. Windley, whose family owns the famous drive-in, is preparing to take over the business one day.
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"It's 60 years old, and it needed a lot of it needed a lot of work and me and my mom redid it together," said Abby Pawley. She's the artist who had the honor of breathing new life into this local landmark.
"It was a big project to do. We used a metal grinder. It took us, three days to scrape off all the old paint. That was definitely the hardest," said Pawley.
The son of the man who painted the original sign for Doumar's back in 1960 came out to see Abby's work.
"We moved to Norfolk, Virginia in January of '54 and that was the first time we ever came to Doumar's," said Wally Damon Jr.
Wally Damon Jr. Dad, Wally Sr., was an artist who studied under Norman Rockwell. He became a local icon painting signs all around Hampton Roads. Most of the billboards around the area? He hand painted them with a little help from his son.
"Once I became about 13 or 14 years old and I could climb to the top of billboards, throw a rope down and pull up all my dad's equipment. That was my job. He was the artist, I was the helper," said Damon Jr.
Wally still has pictures of his Dad's work over the years — including some other billboards he painted for Doumar's.
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"It was, such an honor to do it, but also, scary kind of, because obviously, Wally was, a huge artist around here, and I didn't want to, you know, disappoint. I wanted it to be revamped, but look exactly kind of how he did it. Pay tribute to him," said Pawley.
"What I think is really cool, is we've kept the same original design. So I think that that's kind of a passing of the torch, in a way, to have the next generation of local artists become the big, important people," said Hunter Windley.
"The only thing I did different was I made the colors a little darker that way over time it would like last better than I did last time," said Pawley.
As the newly refurbished sign stands proudly on Granby Street, the project has come full circle. When asked about the final result, Wally Damon Jr. gave his seal of approval.
"It's beautiful. Are you kidding?" he joked. "My dad would have loved it."
As the torch passes to a new generation, the legacy of Doumar’s — and the artistry behind it — will continue to shine brightly for years to come.
