I just learned (or maybe re-learned? I'm so flighty... It's the fumes!), that an old friend, Beth, keeps a blog of those things that twirl her pinwheel in the realms of art and design. She recently posted about the vintage sign offerings from Three Potato Four, an online purveyor of esoteric antiquities, whose site I need to stop perusing, at least long enough to finish writing about. Their home page says "storefront opening soon". No other info than that, about the brick-and-mortar, but I hope I can visit, when I'm back east over the holidays, and up in Philly for a stop at the Mutter Museum...
Besides accumulating stray metal letters and service station price numbers, the odd header card and bus bench sign, they've retained the services of "an accomplished sign painter with 30+ years in the sign-making business", to paint personalized shingles, simply designed, made to order!
I'm totally stealing this idea. I remember Steve Karbo wanting to get something like this going, when he was working here again, last year. Too late now, but I could totally imagine having had a little Karbo-powered sweat shop in the back corner... I'll try and send him a link, if he's still online in his Arkansas hideaway, and maybe he'll get inspired, too. In the meantime, if I ever actually get such an operation going here, we'll only be able to offer 10+ years in the biz...