I Saw The Sign...

We are one day closer to our grand opening party next Saturday and we are happy to announce that not only do we have fully painted walls, we have running water AND electricity.  In fact, today I was actually able to see into the bathroom for the first time ever.  (That we signed a long-term lease on a space and relied only on our iPhone flashlights to view the bathroom is probably an entire blog post examination into the psychosis of our decision making process.) So while the interior of PJP Buttonwood chugs right along to completion, the outside is well...just the plain outside of the building.  We've watched enough "Curb Appeal" on HGTV to know that first glances at a space may mean more than we ever know.  And especially because we have some visibility from Nifong as you drive west, we knew it was important to claim our territory in an eye-catching way.

Before PJP V. 2.0, I had never really considered commercial signage.  I've quickly learned that like everything else in this show, commercial signs aren't cheap and they have to be approved by Silent Stan and the City of Columbia.  We were so worried about cost that Jeanne even called the original sign company from PJP V. 1.0 to see if they still had that sign.  (I'm not sure what we were planning to do with it since the PJP look has changed, but it seemed like we should have the option of something since it cost a few thousand dollars 15 years ago.  Alas, the sign company didn't have it.  Which, on a non-related trend, makes me wonder where it went.  I feel like I need to be hyper vigilant when watching American Pickers now, just to make sure it hasn't ended up without explanation in a junk pile in rural Missouri).

Susan and Wayne suggested we visited with Impact Signs in Columbia and so I gave them a call a few weeks ago.  When I called, I had no concept of the sign in my mind and I had no expectation of cost.  I think I actually said "please don't make it cost a million dollars" and "be sure to design something awesome".  After emailing over digital files of our logo, I promptly fell into the vortex of baking and painting and cutting burlap and forgot about the sign.

And then this week, a quote and a picture arrived in my inbox.  I was of two minds...I was really excited to see what Impact had created.  And I was terrified to see the dollar amount of that creation.  And it turns out that I sorta LOVE what Impact sent over.  Without further ado, say hello to our new announcement to the world...

I immediately sort of fell for the whole look - I especially like that they picked up on the weathered look of our logo and carried that through the name.  I also like the reverse coloring of the rolling pin.  So I sent the email over to Jeanne and she was on the fence after the first glance.

She envisioned something that attracted more attention and perhaps even something that was taller than the building and maybe would spin.  (When I picture this in my head, I picture glitter cannons...and I may not be that far off her original thoughts.)  But then she noticed the dimensions on the drawing and changed her tune.  That the rolling pin only is 72 inches long made her super happy.   She liked the overall big size of the sign and like me, she liked the weathered look from the logo translated onto the sign.

So let's talk cost...because everything in this game comes at a price.  Want to take any guesses?  Remember how Behind-The-Scenes-Tech-Guru Jason guessed $7,000 or $8,000 and I almost needed therapy after hearing his prediction?  Thankfully, he was a little over in his estimation...but not by much.

$4700.00.

Such an odd number...it's like they wanted to go for $5,000 but then had a meeting and thought "meh, we don't want to scare them off, cut back a little and go $4,700".  That price includes the sign, installation, and handling all the many approvals it will need.  First it has to go to Silent Stan and he has to be ok with it and the City of Columbia has to review it (that is the part that really scares me...we probably need a color reading to make sure we match with the other signs on the building and a plan to handle any birds that build nests in the "P" of "Peggy Jean's" that involves relocation (of us, not the birds).

So we said ok.  Because at this point, we are completely unfazed by spending a ton of money on something that comes with a lot of rules and restrictions.  As long as it is pretty and shiny.  And attracts customers from Nifong without requiring the incessant boom of a glitter cannon.