Historic Building Became A Hot Spot For Sign Depot

It Was Heating Up At The Sign Depot

June 17 2014 was a very interesting day for us here at The Sign Depot in Kitchener Ontario.  Our fire alarms began going off inside this historic building at Borden and Charles streets.  We evacuated the building and were informed by The City Of Kitchener Fire Department that the fire was in a different part of the building (the 50 Ottawa St. S side) and that it was under control and it would be out shortly. This was a relief to us, but we took it as a sign that we should appreciate this historic location and we thought we would give you a brief history about this building

Before The Sign Depot Occupied This Historic Building

According to Western Libraries the history of this building begins with Doon Twines, owned by The Krug Family, needing a bigger factory to meet the high demand of rope in 1916. The Krugs renamed the company (which would now be termed as rebranding) to Canada Cordage and according to Ropecord News it was once Kitchener’s biggest employer.  In 2007 Canada Cordage was sold and moved from this building.  Enter Access Storage.

Access Storage took over the building and converted it into a Self Storage facility and leased industrial space to other businesses.

 This is when The Sign Depot moved into the Borden Ave. S. side of the building.  You can read more about our move to the building on Peter’s blog post A Good Move For Custom Signs

 

Present Day At The Sign Depot

Being in this building for almost five years, we have witnessed several changes in the area. Many new businesses have been drawn to the area with word that this will be a hub for Region of Waterloo’s LRT (otherwise know as Rapid Transit or the ION).  This meant there were a lot of eyes on yesterday’s events.  You can read about the fire in building on the THE RECORD website as well as on the Waterloo Region Police Services incident page for June 17.

Thanks To Kitchener Fire

We would like to thank the Kitchener Firefighters that worked quickly to contain the blaze and extinguished the fire.  We hope that it’s a sign of how important this historic building is to the community.

Short On Time? Here’s The Quickest Way To Get A Custom Sign

Shortcuts To Sign Quotes

Need a custom sign in hurry? Below are a few ways to fast track your way to a quick sign quote.  These valuable tips will ensure your signage rush job will meet your deadline.

Seven Tips To Fast-Tracking Your Sign Quote

1. Look for online examples of the type of custom sign that would best suit you.
2. Know your budget. A professional sign designer can create a great sign that fits your style and budget.  Keep in mind when budgeting for materials, that better quaility substrates can drastically increase the longevity of your sign.
3. Take measurements of where the sign will be placed
4. Provide the sign manufacturer with a photo of where the sign will be located
5. Include any artwork such as logos, fonts, text, graphics and colours that will be on the sign in a vector format such as a PDF.  If the layout artwork is not ready, let the sign company know if they will be creating the sign design
6. Check that your sign complies with the local zoning sign-bylaws and inform the sign company if you will be arranging for the sign permits or if you require them too.
7. Be aware of the timeline and the season.  Most signage companies are very busy in the spring with exterior building signs, so if that is when you need the exterior sign package completed it is best to contact them in the winter so it can be ready to be installed after the ground has thawed and the conditions are no longer dangerous.

After you have all seven of these items organized,contact your custom sign provider.  Be sure to the give them as many details as possible.  This will minimize the amout of artwork changes and speed up the sign quoting process.  Once approved your sign provider will be able to give you an estimated turn around time and production can begin after the right permits and deposits are in place.  These tips apply to most custom signs whether is be for an architectural exterior,  a business reception area, or even for a custom wood sign for a cottage.  To get your quote visit our contact us page and one of our expert sign quoters can assist you with your upcoming signage needs.

Sign Depot Business Client Spotlight – Zenia Horton Of XTEA CO And Zen Design

 

Get To Know Zenia Horton

1.       Zenia can you tell us a bit about businesses?

My name is Zenia Horton and I am the owner /operator a kitchen design business by the name of Zen Design. Out of my love of design and relationships I founded a loose leaf tea company by the name of XTEA CO.

2.       What makes your company unique from others in your industry?

What makes XTEA CO unique is that we only sell premium, artisan and trade tea.  Premium means that we are committed to offering you the highest quality, outrageously flavourful tea that the world has to offer- a commitment to sourcing sustainable product first.  Artisan means we are committed to our partners around the globe, their communities and the individual artisans who help us create unforgettable taste experiences- a commitment to giving you the freedom to create along side us.  Trade means that we are committed to “better than fair trade” and sourcing with integrity, a commitment to fairness, equality, and looking out for the little guy.  After all, we are a little guy too!

3.       How do people find out about your businesses?

People find out about XTEA CO mainly through referrals but we have an online store, www.xteaco.com a facebook page, and an YouTube video as well.

4.       Can you tell us a bit about being located in Downtown Kitchener?

XTEA CO is located downtown Kitchener in a space called THE UNDERGROUND.  It is awesome location as you are part of a community that is constantly creating events and opportunities to be involved in. I also let others share the space with us as well.

5.       Do you have one expert tip that you can share?

The one expert tip I would share is that tea does not need artificial seasonings or flavourings to taste amazing if it is good quality tea.  Tea can fix anything from digestive problems, low energy, lack of focus, anxiety etc to name a few. My industry is growing very quickly.  After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world.  People, especially young people are starting to pay a lot more attention to what they are putting in their bodies.  They are starting to understand the health benefits assocociated with tea.  Last year, Starbucks dropped more than $600 million dollars to acquire 300 of the Teavana chain stores, 59 of them in Canada.

Signs Of Community Involvement – TEDx

Connected Community

We want to ensure that our community involvement brings people together for a common good and this new event was something that was recognized as a positive change for our local area. With our past community involvement in TEDx Waterloo we were thrilled that TEDx Kitchener came to us to bring their branding to centre stage, especially since the theme for this event was Fostering Connectivity.

 For highlights from the event be sure to check out their #TEDxKitchenerED hashtag to see what those in attendance thought of the conference.

Grabbing The Attention Of An Audience

As a way to introduce TEDx Kitchener, a dimensional sign was created to draw in the audience members.  This stand up sign stood out from the stage but did not take away from the speakers’ presentations.  It is imperative for signs to have a unique look without becoming an eye-sore, so this one was designed for modern style of the TEDx brand.  To acheive the clean look the sign letters were router cut on our CNC table.

Vinyl was applied to the letters and they were placed into a custom platform piece to hold up the sign.

While following the TEDxKitchenerED twitter feed, we noticed that the sign grabbed the attention of audience member @KWSarah when she tweeted  this pic

All set for #TEDxKitchenerED tonight ! #kwawesome pic.twitter.com/NPERJQTuJv

— Sarah Bach (@kwsarah) May 20, 2014

Community Involvement In Your Area

Community involvement has always been a part of what we do here at The Sign Depot. We want to know how you get involved in your community. There are many ways of doing so. Do you volunteer? Donate to a charitable organization? Participate in community events?  How do you give back to your community? We look forward to hearing about it! Leave a comment below, post on our facebook page or send us a tweet.  We are always looking to connect with local community as well as our online community. We think that is great way to begin Fostering Connectivity.

Custom Wood Cottage Signs And Making Memories

Signs Of Summer

We are finally getting some signs of summer.  With the snow behind us, thoughts of summer fun are popping up. We asked our twitter followers “When you hear COTTAGE what words do you think of” These are some of the words that @DavidArtHills @Spike_CS @JuliaRosien @YVRBlogger and @JRWaddell came up with.

We love all the different ways a cottage can be thought of.  The saying may be Home Is Where The Heart Is, but we think it applies to a cottage as well.  Whether you call it a cabin, a lake house, a vaction property or a cottage it is a representation of your getaway from the everyday.  It provides a break from the hustle and bustle and gives you place to reflect on what is important to you.  We make personalized custom wood cottage signs to represent this.

Whether you think of your cottage as place to welcome guests

A place to chill out

Or your place where your family gathers

we have something that will fit your style.

All it takes is your cottage memories.  Our expert sign makers here at The Sign Depot can create cottage signs with the text, graphics, colours and font of your choice.  Once you find the size and shape that fits your budget they get to work cutting, carving, sanding, painting and personalzing your custom wood cottage sign.

Leave A Legacy

Our wood cottage signs are custom crafted from western red cedar.  Western red cedar is rot-resistant which makes it the best choice for outdoor signs.  The longevity of cedar cottage cottage sign makes it a perfect accompaniment for a family cottage as it passes down from generation to generation.

For more examples of our custom cottage signs visit our Residential Portfolio Page. Want to get head start before cottage season starts? Visit our Contact Us page to get a quote on your very own custom cottage sign!

Damage Control – Where Menno S. Martin Contractor Ltd. Goes When They Need A New Custom Sign

Custom Signs Can Be A Hot Topic

It all began with a twitter conversation.  After both The Sign Depot team and the Menno S. Martin Contractor Ltd. team attended the Sign Painter Film we had a lengthy twitter conversation about custom sign making. This turned into a meeting in our showroom and plans to manufacture their sign when the time came.

Mother Nature Works Wonders

The winter of 2014 was a memorable one. Ice storms, lots of snow and hazardous driving conditions.  Unfortunately the mix of weather resulted in Menno S. Martin’s sign meeting with a vehicle.

@TheSignDepot looks like someone had it in for our old sign. Might need a new one sooner than we thought. 🙂 pic.twitter.com/AEPSwgJpWK — Trent Bauman (@trentbauman) January 4, 2014

This pushed the timeline forward for their signage requirements. Shortly after this incident production began on a new custom wood sign.  

Creating A Custom Wood Sign

  The Menno S. Martin Contracting Limited  custom sign began with cut rubber stencil for the raised letting and logo on the sandblasted wood sign. This process gives the sign dimension and shows off the natural wood grain.   After the sandblasting process the custom sign weas prepped for paint finishing.     Once the custom wood sign was finished all they needed to do was wait for spring to arrive.   When the spring thaw began their craftsman went to work on installing the new sign for the business.      

Cheers To A Custom Wood Projecting Sign

Innocente Brewing Company Makes Their Mark

Now that Innocente Brewing Company has announced their location opening in Waterloo Ontario they decided to mark their territory.  They chose to brand their building with a custom wood projecting sign.  The idea behind a projecting sign/projection sign is that the double sided sign stands off the building to where it is affixed.  The reason is to catch the attention of passers-by. This type of eye-catching sign is often used in the beer and liquor industry, so it was a good fit for a new brewery.

Creating The Custom Wood Sign

The Innocente Brewing Company sign was crafted from western red cedar.  Known for it’s rot-resistant properties, cedar is the best choice for outdoor wood signs. The first step was to sandblast the company name and logo into the wood to give it dimension.

After the sandblasting step had carved the image and text into the custom sign, it was treated with an outdoor grade cetol finish to enhance the wood grain of the sign. Next it was primed to ready for the gold leaf and paint finish.

23K Gold Leaf was applied to give the sign luster and shine.  The gold leaf finish is suitable for interior signs as well, but it really stands out when it glistens in the sun.

 A custom paint finish complete with premium vinyl graphics were applied to the cedar sign to complete the sign making process.

Look what @TheSignDepot dropped off earlier today…what great work! Thanks Peter! pic.twitter.com/Xy5wJBClge

— Steve Innocente (@Innocente_Brew) February 14, 2014

 

Landing On The Mark

 

Once the weather co-operated our install crew headed to Innocente Brewing Company to attach the projecting sign to their establishment. We think it serves as a great landmark for this new brewing business

 

Look what the fine folks @TheSignDepot installed today…looks da schnizzle! pic.twitter.com/yYDaQ8f1nW

— Steve Innocente (@Innocente_Brew) March 28, 2014

High Density Urethane Signs For School Of Rock Kitchener-Waterloo

School Of Rock Opens In Kitchener Ontario

Who could forget Jack Black’s performance as Dewey Finn in the film School Of Rock?

Well the School Of Rock Kitchener Waterloo Ontario steps right in where this film left off. Their mission is to inspire the world to rock on stage and in life and they wanted to make a big impact upon their arrival in Kitchener-Waterloo Ontario.

Custom Guitar Logo

The highlight of the School Of Rock’s branding is the letter “O” of the word “ROCK” customized to include a guitar in the letter’s centre

This was created with our CNC Router Table program and cut from High Density Urethane otherwise known as HDU or Sign Foam in the sign industry.  It is a material that fully customizable.  It can replicate wood, stone, and many designer looks.  High Density Urethane can be used in both Interior and Exterior signage which makes it a substrate we use often for crafting our custom signs. The stylized guitar was added as an extra layer to give the sign dimension and finished in red to stand out from the other letters in the sign.

Ready To Rock

Once the School Of Rock sign was fully finished it was taken to the location and installed to building’s exterior, making it a recognizable landmark in that area.

The full signage package was brought together in time for their Grand Opening and as you can see from the pictures on their facebook page it was a great success.

For Those About To Rock We Salute You

We want to hear from you! Have you been to School Of Rock or are you planning to soon? Leave a comment below, send us a tweet or post on our facebook page and let us know if you’ll be rocking out there!

Long Live Rock!!!

Customer Referrals And Custom Business Signs

Why Waterloo Smiles Custom Business Sign Makes Us So Enthusiastic

Last month we installed the custom business sign for Robins Goldsmithing.  During this process Waterloo Smiles was in the midst of moving in to the same building.  They spoke with Robins Goldsmithing in regards to who was creating their signs and Robins Goldsmithing gave them our name.  We often have companies let us know they were referred to us by others who said they had a great experience working with us. We here at The Sign Depot think that is the best testimonial we can receive.  We take pride in creating custom signs that exceed our clients’ expectations, and knowing they passing the word on about our work to others brings our enthusiasm about signs to a whole new level.

Putting A Smile On The Face Of A Sign

The exterior sign for Waterloo Smiles was mix of sign manufacturing techniques.  Acrylic push through letters were lit with white LEDs to stand out from the black finished sign face. This mix of materials created contrast for this eye-catching outdoor sign which was then installed on the front of the building to create an inviting entrance-way.

As you can see by the comments in post from Waterloo Smiles facebook page, we aren’t  the only ones excited about this custom business sign going up!

As you can tell the Waterloo Smiles sign put a big smile on our faces! We want to know what puts a smile on your face? What are you most proud of? Let us know! Leave a comment below, send us a tweet or post on our facebook page. We always enjoy connecting! Go ahead show us that smile again!

Custom Wood Signs – The Fruit Of Our Labour

Happy Pi Day

March 14th is known as Pi Day.  Pi is a measurement tool, for our purposes, it’s the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, approximately 3.14. Pi Day celebrations often include the baking of actual pies. We thought it would be best to celebrate this year’s Pi Day with our E.D. Smith custom wood sign, being they are well known for their pie fillings!

Crafting Custom Wood Signs For Big Businesses

Many big businesses choose custom cedar sandblasted signs for a variety reasons. The ability to customize the sign to fit their company image is just one of those reasons.  Customization in terms of size, shape, colour, graphics, text, font and finishing techniques are what makes a wood sign unique and allows businesses to stand out from others in their industry. Crafting a sign from western red cedar is what the sign experts here at The Sign Depot excel at. They have been carving wood signs for two decades.  You know with that kind of longevity making custom woods signs is a labour of love and signs like this E.D. Smith sign shows off the fruit of their labour literally.

Thinking Of A Custom Wood Sign For Your Company?

Are you thinking your company needs a custom sandblasted cedar sign? Athough it may not be as scientific as calculating Pi, but here is the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE and WHY when it comes to wood signs.

WHO – Who will be seeing this sign? Think in terms of vehicle traffic and people walking by.

WHAT – What do you envision for this business sign? Do you have a logo ready or do you need a sign expert to design it for you?

WHEN – When is a good time for the project to begin? Do you have a completion date in mind?

WHERE – Where will the sign be situated? Does that align with local sign permit regulations?

WHY – Why do you want to choose a wood sign? We have LOTS of answers for that! Just contact one of our sign experts and they can help you choose the sign that works best for you.