{"id":1340,"date":"2016-01-26T13:50:53","date_gmt":"2016-01-26T13:50:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/graphicdisplayusa.com\/blog\/?p=1340"},"modified":"2016-01-26T13:52:35","modified_gmt":"2016-01-26T13:52:35","slug":"sign-maker-creates-big-looks-for-small-business-mall-storefronts-with-gatorfoam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/3acompositesusa.com\/blog\/sign-maker-creates-big-looks-for-small-business-mall-storefronts-with-gatorfoam\/","title":{"rendered":"Sign-Maker Creates Big Looks For Small-Business Mall Storefronts With Gatorfoam"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"GSWorx,<\/a>
\nShopping-mall signage often is associated with national retail stores that pour thousands of dollars into supporting a corporate-designed brand image. While much of that storefront signage is designed for installation inside enclosed mall spaces, these signs often are fabricated with the kinds of sturdy materials that are designed to weather outdoor conditions.
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\n\"GSWorx,<\/a>For small, independent businesses \u2013 many of which lease seasonal mall space to target holiday shoppers \u2013 this type of signage is out of reach. At the same time, mall managers expect these stores to present a professional image.
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\nGreg Scott, owner of GSWorx<\/a> in New Philadelphia, Ohio, meets the needs of both independent business owners and mall management by creating cost-effective three-dimensional storefront signage with lightweight-yet-durable materials, including Gatorfoam\u00ae graphic display board.
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\n\"GSWorx,<\/a>\u201cFor these small businesses, typical channel-letter metal signs are overkill,\u201d said Scott. \u201cNinety-five percent of those signs are made to be installed outside and can start at $5,000 and up. I can create a professional brand image for these businesses with a three-dimensional sign that costs less than half that amount.\u201d
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\nWhen Scott started his business a decade ago, one of his first customers was New Towne Mall in New Philadelphia, which is owned and operated by the WP Glimcher retail real-estate investment company. At that time, mall management had no requirements for signage, according to Scott, who said that some seasonal tenants had started installing banners across storefronts. In response, mall management issued requirements that all storefront signage must be at least 2 inches thick and include three-dimensional lettering.
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\n\"GSWorx,<\/a>At that time, most three-dimensional signs in the mall were created with layered plywood, plastic or metal channel letters. Scott thought that Gatorfoam would serve as a more cost-effective solution for creating these types of dimensional signs.
\n
\n\u201cI tested Gatorfoam and it worked really well,\u201d said Scott. \u201cI can create a heavy-looking, thick sign that\u2019s easy to handle during installation. I can grab a 4-by-8 sheet of Gatorfoam by the end and hold it horizontally by myself. I was impressed with Gatorfoam\u2019s rigidity considering the material is lightweight.\u201d
\n
\nMall management was so impressed with Scott\u2019s initial signage created with Gatorfoam for New Towne Mall\u2019s Seattle Cafe that photos of this graphic display were sent to other malls owned by WP Glimcher.
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\n\"GSWorx,<\/a>
\n\u201cEveryone seemed to like it because it didn\u2019t look like any other mall signs; I started getting calls from mall managers in other states,\u201d said Scott, who studied visual communications at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh and often develops illustrated iconic characters to help brand these small businesses.
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\n\u201cI\u2019ve been contacted by small business owners who tell me that they have no logo and no money but they need a sign in a week,\u201d said Scott. \u201cAlthough I can\u2019t accommodate all of the tire-kickers, by using Gatorfoam, I can fabricate a sign fairly inexpensively but create an expensive look. You get a lot for your money.\u201d
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\n\"GSWorx,<\/a>Scott has created a niche market focused on storefront mall signage for independent businesses with clients located in the Columbus, Ohio, area as well as in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
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\n\u201cI\u2019ve marketed my services to these malls with recommended signage requirements,\u201d according to Scott, who said that mall management must approve layouts for all signage. \u201cWhen they get a new non-franchise tenant, I\u2019m the first contact. The mall doesn\u2019t have to tell tenants what they need.\u201d
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\nScott regularly turns to Gatorfoam to create three-dimensional storefront signs \u2013 either by fabricating several layers of Gatorfoam or by combining Gatorfoam lettering with other materials such as acrylic, metal and high-density urethane (HDU).
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\n\"GSWorx,<\/a>Scott selects white Gatorfoam graphic display board for storefront signage often in the 1-inch thickness and said that he always paints exposed edges \u201cto create a nice, finished look.\u201d He most often turns to water-based paints but has used everything from craft paints to house paints and finishes with a clear acrylic coat. Scott cuts Gatorfoam \u2013 which is supplied by the Cleveland branch of distributor N. Glantz & Son<\/a>\u2013 with standard woodworking tools.
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\n\u201cGatorfoam tools really well and takes paint really well,\u201d said Scott. \u201cAn entire sign will weigh 10 pounds, if that much. \u2026 These signs are always installed high up on the storefront. A lot of times, I\u2019ve had to install an 8-foot sign by myself; and, I\u2019ve been able to hold an entire 8-foot sign in one hand. I love that Gatorfoam is so lightweight.\u201d
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\nPhotography courtesy of © GSWorx<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shopping-mall signage often is associated with national retail stores that pour thousands of dollars into supporting a corporate-designed brand image. While much of that storefront signage is designed for installation inside enclosed mall spaces, these signs often are fabricated with the kinds of sturdy materials that are designed to weather outdoor conditions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[266],"tags":[268,270,256,274,210,272],"class_list":["post-1340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gatorfoam-projects","tag-gatorfoam","tag-graphic-display-board","tag-retail","tag-sign","tag-signage","tag-storefront"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/3acompositesusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/3acompositesusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/3acompositesusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3acompositesusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3acompositesusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1340"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/3acompositesusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1340\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1356,"href":"https:\/\/3acompositesusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1340\/revisions\/1356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/3acompositesusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3acompositesusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3acompositesusa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}