In a city that bulldozes its past to build the next version of itself, one museum is a counterargument made of neon and chrome.
A museum born from a search that came up empty
It began, as Valley obsessions often do, with a frustrating internet search. Tommy Gelinas wanted to learn more about the drive-ins and neon-lit landmarks he remembered from growing up in the San Fernando Valley — and found almost nothing. That gap, he has said, became "a great obsession." Over roughly 25 years he turned it into one of Los Angeles's most unexpected institutions: the Valley Relics Museum, housed in two hangars at Van Nuys Airport. The nonprofit calls itself "a family-friendly journey through the San Fernando Valley's past," but it's closer to a time capsule — a sprawling collection rescued from dumpsters, estate sales and shuttered businesses before it could vanish.
Neon, chrome and rhinestones
The hangars hold an eclectic census of Valley life. Towering vintage neon signs dominate — among them the marquee from the Palomino Club, the legendary North Hollywood country-music venue, and the Pioneer Chicken sign that once glowed over fast-food corners across the region. Classic cars gleam under the lights, including a Cadillac customized by Nudie Cohn, the North Hollywood tailor who stitched rhinestone suits for Elvis and Roy Rogers. Elsewhere: 1980s BMX bikes, a playable retro arcade, restaurant menus, yearbooks and memorabilia tied to Ritchie Valens, the Pacoima-born rock-and-roll pioneer. The effect is less curated exhibition than beloved attic — chaotic, personal and oddly moving.
"Our local history is global history"
Gelinas makes no small claims for the Valley, arguing that a place that has been farm town, aerospace corridor, film back lot and skateboarding cradle "helped shape the nation." For many visitors the history is viscerally personal — the jolt of spotting a menu from a restaurant their parents loved, or a sign that once marked their corner. "All of the good things that happened growing up in the Valley is here," one longtime Angeleno told ABC7.
A living archive in a working airport
The setting is fitting. Van Nuys Airport is itself a mid-century artifact, and the hangars give the collection room no conventional gallery could, with a raw, behind-the-scenes feel suited to material this vernacular. Valley Relics is generally open on weekends, with modest admission and free entry for young children; as a nonprofit, it leans on memberships and donations. Confirm current hours before visiting. In the meantime, it stands as the last line of defense between Southern California's vanishing past and the landfill — one neon sign at a time.
