If you’re running a storefront or retail business, chances are that you appreciate the importance of signage. Quality signage can serve to highlight the strengths of your business, and help bring more feet to your doors. Poor signage, on the other hand, can lead to diminished visibility, a bad impression, and other unpleasantries.

So what’re you to do, as a business owner, if you find your sign just doesn’t cut it anymore? It’s time for a revamp, clearly, but on what level? Well, you’ve got three options:

  • Repairing
  • Retrofitting
  • Replacing

The first two can be broadly classified as refinishing, while replacement should be fairly straight forward.

Repairing vs. Retrofitting | What’s the difference?

So you installed the best sign you could find out there, only you did so ten years ago. Since then, your sign (basically the face of your store), has fallen into disrepair. You’ve looked through some new designs, but none of them truly capture the essence of your business the way your old one did, and you’re especially worried about the fact that your existing clientele won’t be able to tell that the new sign is still you, and your business hasn’t been taken over.

Sounds like your business is the perfect candidate for sign repair. Plenty of signage providers offer repair and retrofitting services, as well as an abundance of new signs. Repair means you’ll get your original sign restored to its former glory – and nothing else. You’ll have your classic sign back, but it might not quite suit a busy modern street the way that it used to, especially with those bulbous, outdated, neon lights. If you’re looking for a little bit more modernization, perhaps not in terms of the sign itself, but in terms of the materials and technology in use, then you’re looking to get it retrofitted. Retrofitting allows you to replace the old, decrepit parts of your sign with similar looking modern equivalents, essentially giving you a sign with the same feel but better technology. This could mean a fortune saved on utility costs (if you replace your incandescent bulbs with LEDs, you can cut your electricity costs to a fraction of their original value).

Replacement | When there’s nothing to salvage

If you see no need to keep the look of your old sign, and you think it’s time to completely overhaul it and go for something brand new; then it’s a good time to consider replacement. If you’re anything short of that though, you might want to consider the merits of refinishing instead. Replacement is a great idea for an old business under new management that’s looking to shed its old image, but for anyone who’s happy with their current brand identity, a refinished sign could end up benefiting you much more. If nothing else, it’ll be a sign for retained and potential customers alike that business is booming.

A sign that’s been looming over the boulevard for years isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and if anything, is a testament to the fact that you’ve survived in the world of business for so long. It’s a source of nostalgia for your oldest customers, and it inspires faith in your potential new ones by showing that you’re consistent. And most of all, refinishing the same sign won’t cost you an arm and a leg. So don’t be too quick to ditch your old sign – you never know just how many people identify with a piece of roadside history and culture.