The expression “It's not what you say, it's how you say it” aptly describes the influence that a retail sign has on your business. A well designed sign can effectively tell your customers in Tulsa everything you want them to know before they even walk through the door. Alternatively a poorly designed sign can ruin a business's chances the day it's hung on the wall.
Signs work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year! Since your business is in Tulsa most of your customers will be from Tulsa which ultimately means that your sign will be the most effective direct advertising you will likely ever purchase. Of all the advertising dollars you will spend to promote your business in Tulsa, your sign is the one place you absolutely can't afford to go cheap.
Tulsa Business Signs
Buying a retail sign isn’t like buying a refrigerator or a new car. You can’t just pick up a custom neon sign from Walmart and throw it up on the wall; most Tulsa sign shops will likely build you a custom sign.
Not all signs are created equal; most sign companies build quality signs, but some sign companies build signs that look good on the surface but are poorly constructed using cheaper materials. Cheap signs generally won't hold up as long and will usually require more service and in some cases may even pose a safety hazard.
There are many types of signs and chances are you're going to have to buy a sign that meets with your landlords approval, adheres to Tulsa
Business Signs
Buying a retail sign isn’t like buying a refrigerator or a new car. You can’t just pick up a custom neon sign from a store and throw it up on the wall; most signs are custom manufactured specifically for the customer and it seems no two companies build signs in the same way.
Not all signs are created equal; some sign companies build quality signs that look good and some build great looking signs, but just because they look good doesn't mean they will hold up.
There are many types of signs and chances are you're going to have to buy a sign style that is approved by a community review board and will also have to be approved by your landlord.
If your setting up shop in a local strip mall there's a good chance you're going to end up buying individual channel letters which can run as much as $500 a letter depending on the size and the type of installation. You might want to rethink the name of your business if the name you chose has 20 letters in it.
Who is your sign advertising to? If it's mainly pedestrian traffic than the little details will have an impact on how your business is perceived. On the other hand if your audience driving buy at 50 miles an hour then the most important detail will be how quickly people can read and understand your sign.
Choose sign colors carefully! One mistake that people tend to make is they make this decision emotionally rather than logically. If your sign is illuminated and needs to read at a distance than some colors work better than others. Blue is one of the worst colors you can choose because it's less legible at night than most other colors. Blue can still be used but it needs to used correctly to insure that it's legible. Red on the other hand is easy to read but way over used and your sign may get lost in a sea of red signs all around you.
What does your sign place emphasis on? If the name of your business is Al's Diner you need to check your ego and take the emphasis off of Al's and put it on Diner. Al's doesn't mean anything to anybody (except maybe your mom and dad) but everybody knows what Diner means and that's the word in your sign that is going to put people in seats.
Before you buy a sign visit the sign shop that you are considering and see what kind of operation they are running. Is their shop clean and well organized? How many people do they have building signs? Do they bend their own neon? Do they service all of their signs? Do they install all of their own signs?
Ask to see some photos of signs they’ve done for other businesses. Recognize any? Take notes and then go on a field trip to see the signs for yourself.
Look around your community and find signs that you like and then find out who built them.
Ask business owners about how well their signs have performed; have they required any repairs. If so, what kind of repairs and how often.
Materials matter! Aluminum will hold up a lot longer than sheet metal but you'll spend a lot more for an aluminum sign.
Know what your landlord expects. Most retail locations have a set sign criteria and before you sign that lease or buy that sign you better know what you will be required to buy.
Get several bids and make sure the bids are very specific on how your sign will be constructed and what kind of materials will be used in its construction. Will it be sheet metal or aluminum? Will it be riveted or welded? Will it have an acrylic or polycarbonate face?
If one sign company quotes a dramatically lower price than another sign company it should send up a red flag. Like all businesses, sign companies have a specific profit margin so if the price seems too good to be true than they are likely taking short cuts on the quality of material or in the construction.
Sometimes cheaper is smarter! If you're a new business with a small budget it may make sense to go for the sheet metal sign rather than the aluminum sign. Sheet metal may not hold up as well as aluminum but it's cheaper and can look just as good. All new business are a risk and it may make sense to go for the less expensive sign and use the savings for other types of advertising.
Area Sign Shops
This list is a work in progress; if you want to add your sign shop just shoot us an email!
Stroud Signs & Service
610 N. 8th Avenue,
Stroud, OK 74079
918-968-4488
fax 918-987-1488
Frederick Sommers Western Sign
212 S Frankfort Ave, Tulsa, OK
(918) 587-2300
FedEx Kinko's: Tulsa
400 S Boston Ave # 100, Tulsa, OK
(918) 582-1502
A-Max Sign Co
9520 E 55th Pl, Tulsa, OK
(918) 622-0651
Fed Ex Kinko's Office & Print
8228 E 61st St # 105, Tulsa, OK
(918) 252-3757
FedEx Kinko's: Tulsa
4014 S Yale Ave, Tulsa, OK
(918) 622-6301
Us Sign
9832 E 58th St # A, Tulsa, OK
(918) 250-4533
Central Graphics Inc
1810 S Cincinnati Ave, Tulsa, OK
(918) 583-2638
Signs Now
3229 South Harvard Avenue, Tulsa, OK
(918) 712-7446
Jiffy Signs
416 S Frankfort Ave, Tulsa, OK
(918) 382-7770
Signs 4 You
1120 W Marshall St, Tulsa, OK
(918) 282-4500
FedEx Kinko's: Tulsa
2828 E 11th St, Tulsa, OK
(918) 584-2774
Signs By Rodney
5914 E 5th Pl, Tulsa, OK
(918) 836-0708
A & G Signs
7312 E 11th St, Tulsa, OK
(918) 437-9682
Caveman Screen Printing
3702 W 61st St, Tulsa, OK
(918) 446-6440
Oakwood Graphics
9903 E 45th Pl, Tulsa, OK
(918) 660-8730
City of Tulsa: Bus Service Information-Tulsa Transit
1403 E 5th Ct, Tulsa, OK
(918) 582-2100
Lamar Outdoor Advertising
7777 E 38th St, Tulsa, OK
(918) 665-1755
Signs Now
4404 S Memorial Dr, Tulsa, OK
(918) 663-0066
Signs Today
6527 E 46th St, Tulsa, OK
(918) 665-7358
Ace Sign Co
5823 S 65th West Ave, Tulsa, OK
(918) 446-3030
Note: This list does not constitute an endorsement for any specific business and is by no means all inclusive. If you would like
to update your listing, or if you would like to have your sign shop added or removed from this directory please send us an email describing your request.
