No sign job is too big or too small for Sign Source Solution, and just recently we helped one Canada’s biggest fabric retailers put a bold new look on the bruised outdoor signage of one of their busiest big box stores.
If you read anything about the history of the Fabricland Corporation in Ontario Canada, you’ll learn that they started life in 1968 as a small fabric store at Queen and Roncesvalles in Toronto. In the last fifty-one years, Fabricland has grown into Canada's largest fashion fabric distributor, with over one hundred stores across the nation. In a crowded urban marketplace, their iconic red and white logo is instantly recognizable and visible for miles; their fetching store signs are a big reason why their organization is so successful.
Clearly visible from the roadway, their storefront wall box fluorescent bulb signs at 1510 Warden Ave location impact thousands of people every day. In the fall of 2019, both of these signs got a make-over. Today, much sharper and brighter signs light up the corner of this busy big box store, and that’s important because Warden Avenue is almost as busy at night as it is during the day.
The sign over the awning had blown bulbs and faulty ballast. The sign that faced the street (Warden Ave) in the photo above was removed and replaced with a slightly bigger sign from another Fabricland location.
Unfortunately due to the size difference, we had to build custom brackets to support the extra weight of the sign and to span the gap between the windows. And of course there was a security camera in the way, and that surveillance equipment could not be moved and played havoc with the installation of the refurbished signage.
The sign that faced East (Warden Ave), had to be replaced completely as the acrylic and vinyl was old and had visibly cracked.
Fluorescent bulb signs like this are really only good for between five and seven years and there are several factors that determine the longevity of such signage. A list of detrimental specifics would include how much sunlight exposure the sign has in its position.
The color of the sign is also critical to how it ages, and red fades fastest. What type of weather does the area get? The elements are key, as wind, rain, and storms can cause unanticipated damage.
How close to the road is the sign? What type of materials were used? What is the brand and type of paint that was used? Is your sign vinyl (premium or intermediate) or digitally printed? All of these bits of information must be considered when trying to anticipate the lifespan of a commercial sign solution.
We removed the old 4’ x 20’ sign and it went straight to the junk collector. In its place, we installed a significantly bigger sign that was 5’ x 25’ and which you can see lurking ominously behind the chain-link fence in the photo above.
This item was removed from another location by another sign company (and they broke all the bulbs while transporting the item), and we agreed to install this signage on-site in the place of its cracked redeemer.
Mounting a sign like this is a bit like a space agency attempting a moon shot. There were a few attempts. On our first sortie, on Sept 26, 2019, the bucket truck was too small and could not reach and support the new sign as planned. But it wasn’t a total loss however as all the lights on the North face, the sign above the awning, were replaced at that time.
On our second attempt, Oct 4th, 2019, the security camera proved an insurmountable obstacle. The device was in the way, and so a custom-bracket solution was imagined and designed right there in midair and measurements were made as required. Design and fabrication of the metal brackets happened shortly afterward.
On our third attempt, Oct 14th, 2019, the boys removed the old sign and installed the three custom-made brackets and secured them to the wall and parapet wall. Then we installed new fluorescent bulbs and hoisted the oversized sign into place with the right crane and bucket truck combination. The two lifters worked in tandem to install the bigger Fabricland sign.
A lot has changed since Fabricland was born on the corner of Queen and Roncesvalles in 1968. If you look at photos of the area in the nineteen sixties you won’t find Fabricland as the store was just too small, but you will see how the street was alive with all manner of big wooden signs, some of which were hand-painted that had tungsten bulbs lighting them from above and below.
In the past fifty years many new types of signs have emerged, such as ‘light bulb lettering,’ more sophisticated neon, internally lit channel letters and more recently, LED screens. Since the 1980s the hand-lettering sign-making industry has been almost completely eclipsed by vinyl signage designed on computers and cut on plotters. This also means that most of the sign industry today now use typefaces designed by font foundries, rather than hand-painted by individual artists.
Fabricland has also changed and evolved in the last fifty years. They have grown to offer a huge selection of all the basics needed for any sewing project. This includes broadcloth, flannelette, fleece, cotton, and cotton blends, as well as bridal, party wear and other specialty fabrics.
Fabricland Home Dec Center is an important part of the retailers’ business network; here’s where they offer the public everything needed to create custom draperies including a more complete selection of drapery and upholstery fabrics, trims and hardware. These new signs are sure to turn heads and raise awareness in the area.