“Signs, signs, everywhere are signs” — so goes the tune that could be a theme song for the New York Sign Museum.
The fledgling institution was created in 2019 by the co-owners of Noble Signs, David Barnett and Mac Pohanka, following the creation of their sign business in 2013 in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Now located in East New York, the Museum/Sign Shop gives tours on Fridays, with occasional special events such as the recent evening sponsored by Open House New York as a gathering for their members.
The pair, who have backgrounds in film set creation (Pohanka) and Graphic Design (Barnett) began salvaging old signs when they got hired to create new signage and decided to save the old ones and it just took off from there.
“The first one came from the Lower East Side,” Pohanka recalls. “We found the church signs in the trash in Bed-Stuy and a drugstore neon sign on Eastern Parkway. At some point, we got a little press and met journalists, photographers, and others who wanted to help.”
The museum got some funding and became a non-profit — literally — as Pohanka notes that “we put more money into the museum than we get out of it.”
The organization employs a part-time collections manager, Seamus Seery, who tells us, “I split my time between the New York Sign Museum and a record store in Greenpoint. I actually don’t have any signage background, just an education in library science/archiving and a great appreciation for both art and NYC history. It’s been an incredible opportunity working here and thanks to David and Mac I’ve learned so much about the art of sign making.”
This isn’t surprising, considering how Pohanka effortlessly answers questions about the different types of signs, how they were created, and even the difference between signage styles in different cities, noting that NYC has a different look from Chicago or Los Angeles.
Alison Pirie, development and communications manager for Open House New York, mentions that, “Our Metropolitan members loved learning about the history of sign-making in NYC and seeing the collection of rescued storefront signs up close. It was a perfect fit for our members who are curious about all aspects of the city and passionate about preserving its unique character.”
One of the attendees last weekend was Kiara Di Paolo, a content creator, tour guide, and location scout, who couldn’t stop taking pictures of the place.
“I’m fascinated by the color and the lights,” she began. “I can imagine being back in time. There are so many places represented here that I would’ve loved to see.”
Seery also notes that “the most surprising insight I’ve gotten from doing these tours is just how much the signage resonates with New Yorkers.”
“We’ve had tons of people who have come in and light up (no pun intended!) when they see the signs from Queen, Starlite Deli, and J&R TV,” Seery adds. “I’ve even had someone refer to some of the signs as their ‘friends,’ as in signs they’ve admired from afar, but we’re afraid they had been tossed at some point (and luckily, we saved them). I think since New York is constantly changing and evolving, we tend to hold onto and cherish what’s familiar to us, and thanks to saving these signs, we’ve allowed people to reconnect with their own pasts in a very specific way.”
Pohanka hopes that the museum accomplishes a few things. He wants to foster “a general appreciation for New York design and signage.” Also, he’s hoping that people “will be motivated to be preservationists and maybe save a sign or two – or at least let us know when one is available.”
Lastly, he “would like people to think of us as a design library” and provide inspiration for their own projects.
But let’s not forget that Barnett and Pohanka also run a working sign company, and they have ambitions for that as well. After creating some of their biggest projects – including a brand new neon sign for Veselka’s outpost in Williamsburg, which they are justifiably proud of, as well as a 350-foot mural on Randall’s Island — they’ve still got bigger fish to fry.
“I’d love to do a proper theater marquee in neon,” he admits, “and there are so many historic New York businesses that we would love to work with.”
Information about the New York Sign Museum (including tour and donation info) is available at nysignmuseum.org. You can also find them on Instagram at @nysignmuseum.
