#buildingPLR there were signs...
Now, signage.
We vetted 3 vendors, initially.
The vendor who did Roll Em Up’s signage. We assumed that, since they knew the parameters and worked with the Irvine Company, it would be a shoe-in.
Indie Signs - the company recommended by corporate.
MSW Store Rollout Services - one of corporate’s recommended millwork companies.
Roll Em Up’s signage vendor was nice; but they missed all of their committed deadlines of when they’d get back to us (HATE that), and were pricey.
They do a lot of work for major brands, and are too big - so naturally, they probably didn’t or couldn’t care for us little guys.
NEXT.
MSW Store Rollout Services were very honest; they had the best pricing (almost half of what I ended up paying for my final vendor!), but their turnaround time was about 3-4 months - time we didn’t have.
But I’d definitely revisit them for our future stores that had longer timelines.
NEXT.
We ended up working with Indie Signs - who gave us their bid on time, as promised; were realistic with their expectations; and, because they knew we were on a tight timeline, they proposed something creative:
Usually, you would not fabricate signage until the permit was approved by both the landlord and the city - in that order - both which could take around 1-3 weeks each.
After that, fabrication could take about 4-5 weeks.
If we did the normal timeline above, it would’ve easily taken 2-3 months.
But, Indie Signs said that if I was willing to sign a wavier that let Indie fabricate the signage without permitted approval, and that I’d pay the cost of any changes that needed to happen in the course of fabrication, they would start fabrication, immediately - without waiting for city approval.
I took a chance, since:
We don’t have the luxury of time.
The landlord approval was enough validation. And
Indie Signs followed all the parameters that got Roll Em Up’s sign approved, too.
So…I signed it the bid and waiver, and got rockin’ and rollin’.
The bid came in at $12,455, with 50% paid upfront as a deposit, and the balance due at finish.
They weren’t the cheapest; but, for the same reason I chose my GC, they were responsive and kept their deadlines.
We submitted the sign plans to the landlord on October 11, and got it approved on October 17.
The sign plans were submitted to the city on October 22, and are pending approval.
We submitted the sign for production on October 28 and got some progress images on Novemer 11, with expectations to finish November 20th.
Below are some shots from the plans.
All while this was happening, the landlord had requested we: (a) get rid of the current signage; and (b) put window stickers.
Kristeen our GC referred me to a vendor - DF Signs & Graphics - who went to the space in the middle of the night to remove it, for $750.
They were fast and responsive. I also might consider using them as well, for future signage services.
And we had window decals printed, shipped, and installed in the middle of the night as well. Indie Signs charged us $3,208.14.
Here’s what we have so far (oh look, our Asia CEO Yuto Tago and US CEO Troy Hooper came to visit the space as well!).
