Noticed my local bodega's sign got a redesign, and I think the old one was better

The old sign on Jose's Market at 14th and Pine was hand-painted, a bit crooked, but had character. They replaced it last spring with a crisp, glossy digital print that looks like every other corner store in Brooklyn. Are we trading personality for polish too fast in small business signage?

2 comments

2 Comments

wadepalmer9d ago

So my buddy's place, The Blue Moon Diner over in Greenpoint, got a new sign last year too. Old one was this neon thing from the 70s with a missing 'u' in 'Moon' so it said 'The Blue Mon Diner' for like a decade. Everyone just called it The Mon. When they finally fixed it and got a clean LED sign, half the regulars stopped coming for a few months because they kept walking past it. I'm not saying crooked signs are good for business, but there's something about a mistake in a sign that makes a place feel like yours, you know?

thomas_johnson359d ago

Actually, I gotta disagree here. The old sign probably looked charming because we'd gotten used to it, but a readable sign helps more people find the store (especially at night or in bad weather). If the new one keeps Jose's Market in business longer by attracting new customers, that's worth more than the character of a crooked paint job.