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| Festival Sign Service was created by Robby and Janet Rucker (with a lot of help from their two sons, Jake & Rainy) in Gainesville, Forida, in 1979. Robby and Janet migrated to Gainesville in 1978 from Denver, Colorado. Robby was already an accomplished artist and sign painter, with knowledge of gold-leafing, etching and other fine crafts which have continued to enhance their work. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Janet brought her business ability to the shop."In those days we handpainted every letter of every sign! An unbelievable task compared to this age of computer graphics," recalls Janet. A simple four foot by eight foot marketing sign could take two to three days! Their first location was in a historical downtown building next to the Hippodrome State Theater (a situation which has fostered continuing support throughout the years for the Hippodrome programs). In 1986 the business moved to the North East Industrial park, renovating a 7700 sq. ft. building in which they currently do business. | |||||||||||||||||||
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| They purchased their first computer-driven sign maker in 1988, a Gerber IVB. They have continued to upgrade to their current system, the Omega system, which drives several vinyl cutters as well as a brand new Gerber Sabre Router. The new router is really remarkable. It can be used for 3-dimensional signs such as V-carved Signs, prismatic letters, stencils & cutout letters of any type. We are only now beginning to discover its many posibilities. | |||||||||||||||||||
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The owners have always considered it their goal to help beautify the city they call home, to blend art & signage to create unusual & attractive signs. At a recent ceremony for the City Beautification Awards, many of the businesses who received the awards cited a Festival Sign as part of their overall project. "For even the simplest jobs, say a little real estate sign," Robby explains, "we try to give the customer something attractive and a little special, using our experience of layout and a little extra care to enhance it." |
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Recently, they received First Place in a prestigious International Sign contest sponsored by Signs of the Times magazine for a handcarved, goldleafed sign for Suburban Animal Hospital on Newberry Road in Gainesville. "We would love to be able to do more signs of this quality & beauty! Lots of people have called us to comment on that sign, and also the Downtown Plaza marquis we made last year," recalls Robby, "We are grateful to be able to do a little bit to make this a better place to live." |
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| After more than twenty years in the sign business, Festival Sign Service is still making some of the best signs in the industry. While the majority of their customers are from Alachua County, Festival Sign Service often does work for people all over the country. From Texas to Illinois to South Florida this sign shop has left its mark with a unique ability to blend artistic design and practical marketability. Robby, Janet, and the rest of the team would like to wish you a happy new millennium! | |||||||||||||||||||
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