The Nation's Biggest Little Signmaker
For Over 25 Years!

About Us

Our Company Our Products Edges Personalization Our Manufacturing Process FAQ Contact Us

 

Our Company

 

What began as a dream and a prayer in Mr. Davis’ garage over twenty years ago has successfully flourished into the company you know today - the “Nation’s Biggest Little Signmaker” manufacturing gift and novelty items for the mail order catalog and specialty retail industries.    All of our items, literally thousands, are made by hand in Charleston, South Carolina – no 2 items are alike and each is made special for your customer. All of our signs are made of REAL hardwood composites including cedar, poplar, pine and other top quality varieties.  They will last a lifetime!  Many of our signs can be personalized.  By offering these personalized items, you claim a distinctive edge over your competition.

We are located in the fastest growing industrial region in Charleston, SC.  Beaches, Charleston’s Historic District, and the Charleston International Airport are all within a twenty mile radius.  Surrounded by water, the Charleston Lowcountry is famous for its spectacular natural landscape.  It is a place where the past and the present are forever intertwined.  With its historic homes, timeless southern charm, and Lowcountry grace, the city epitomizes an appreciation of its heritage and a rich tradition of culture and sophistication. 

Our Products
We have three primary product lines. All of the product categories on the left usually contain signs from all three lines: Non-personalized Signs Personalized Signs Our 'Chelsea' line of personalized trade, profession, and hobby signs.
			Our Non-Personalized Signs are usually short, witty sayings. These signs can almost always be ordered with either a framed or routed edge-just add an 'F' to the end of the part number when ordering. They come shrink-wrapped and labeled with a UPC barcode for your convenience, and they can be diplayed on a rack, in a bin, or hung on the wall. Individual boxing is available for catalogs ordering in bulk.
			Our Personalized Signs are made to order and come in all shapes, sizes, and styles. They are personalized by hand with the name of your choice. Personalized signs are only available with the edges shown in the photos. These signs can be drop-shipped directly to your customer if preferred to save time and money.
			Our 'Chelsea' line are based on 19th century trade and professional signs. They consist of a non-personalized top piece with a three dimensional relief, and a personalized nameboard to hang underneath. These signs can also be drop-shipped directly to your customer.

 

Edges:

Our signs have three types of edges: Framed Edge, Routed Edge, and Painted Edge. 

 

Our framed edge signs are reminiscent of old British & Irish pub signs.  Framed signs use real milled poplar that is hand bent and cut to fit the sign.  They also have a light stain applied to give them a more aged look.
		A routed edge has a small groove routed into it, to which goldstriping is applied.  This gives the sign a more classic look.
A painted edge sign has a cleaner, more modern look.  The edges are rounded, but there is no goldstripe.

 

Personalization:

Many of our signs can be personalized with a name of your choice.  The signs are usually personalized with vinyl lettering and in some cases accents are added to the letters by hand. 

Punctuation:

One of the most common mistakes people make is to use incorrect punctuation in their personalization. This is especially confusing when the name ends in an 's'.

Most names are usually personalized in the singular posessive with an 'apostrophe-s' at the end:

• Mark's
• Smith's
• Chris's
• Jones's

Many of our signs add a 'The' in front of the name indicating a family name instead of an individual. These should be plural posessive and use an 's-apostrophe' at the end:

• The Smiths' not The Smith's
• The Joneses' not The Jones's

Pay attention when ordering whether the sign has a 'The' preceding the name to determine whether your personalization needs to be singular or plural. We always do the name exactly as ordered to avoid confusion, so please double check before ordering.

Our Manufacturing Process:

Our signs are all made by hand and made to order in Charleston, SC. We start with a blank made from MDF (medium density fiberboard).  We use MDF because of its durability, its smooth flat surface, and its ease in shaping the edges.  This blank is then cut to size & shape.  If it is a routed or painted edge sign, the edges will be shaped at this point. 

 

It is then sent to our spray booth to get a coat of paint applied.

 

Once the paint is dry, the sign is silkscreened the old-fashioned way - by hand.

 

If the sign is personalized, it will go to our personalization department where a vinyl stencil is cut and applied.  Some signs will have the personalization accented by hand.

 

The routed-edge signs will then have goldstriping applied by hand to the groove in the routed edge.

 

At this point, our painted & routed edge signs are finished, except for a keyhole that is cut in the back for easy hanging. 

Our framed signs, however, go through a few more steps.  We use real milled poplar for all of our frames.  For signs with curved shapes, the frame is first steamed and bent to shape, or it is hand kerfed, which is the process of cutting slits into one edge of the frame to crate an arched shape. 

 

Once the frame is applied to the sign, it is sanded, painted, and goldstriped by hand.

 

All of our framed signs are finished with a hand rubbed stain to mellow the colors and give the sign more of an aged appearance. 

 

Some of our signs get a three-dimensional resin relief painted gold  These reliefs are first sculpted from clay.  Then a mold is made and it is reproduced in durable resin and hand painted. 

 

Because of our unique sign-making process, each sign has small imperfections which give it character and remind you how many hands were involved in creating this product.  We've been making signs this same way for over twenty years.  You won't find this hands-on approach and attention to detail from the cheaper products made in China.