Signboards, yep, signboards. Face palm.
Some of us remember a town without signboards. Some of us remember Gaard Moses. Some of us remember when signs in the window were bloody gorgeous pieces of hand-painted lettering. Remember the Paragon? If not, Google that sign. We banned neon and got gold.
Gaard still lives downvalley. Ask him what he thinks of sandwich boards and peel-and-stick vinyl lettering.
I am confident that businesses will find a way to advertise with or with out sandwich boards.
The city can and should set the standard. If there is anywhere to showcase a classic 19th century-style gold leaf sign, it is in the windows of the Wheeler Opera House. Traffic from the pedestrian mall does not cross the street to the Wheeler and any sidewalk signage can’t be seen from the mall because it’s lost behind parked cars. The “strike zone” (4 feet to 8 feet) of those windows is empty. The view into the lobby only advertises it’s emptiness. Gold signage is historically correct. Gold picks up the smallest glimmer of light so the streetlamp would be more than enough to draw attention to signage at night. Put the current event poster inside that gold frame. Done.
I am a member of the Wheeler Board but this opnion does not represent the board; it is a personal and a professional suggestion.
Ziska Childs
Aspen