Company Offers Affordable Signs, Banners
by June 21, 2004 12:00 am 108 views
Affordable Sign & Banner
Owner: Craig Graves
Address: 500 W. Emma Ave., Springdale 72764
Phone/Fax: 756-0909/same
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday
Startup date: August 20, 2003
E-mail: [email protected]
A sergeant in the Air Force caught Craig Graves doodling and asked if he could do signs. From then on, Graves said, his time in service was frequently spent making signs. After his stint in the military he tried working for a few sign companies around Springdale, but they were mostly family owned, offering little opportunity for an outsider. With encouragement from his own family, Graves opened Affordable Sign & Banner 10 months ago.
The $50,000 investment should pay off within the next 14 months, and Graves has big plans to open a Fayetteville office within the next year. He’s looking for appropriate locations now.
In addition to the 1,000-SF storefront on Emma Avenue, Graves has a fabrication shop on 48th Street in Springdale. The fabrication shop is about 7,000 SF and has the capacity to support Graves’ plans for expansion.
In addition to being “affordable,” two things set Affordable Sign & Banner apart from other sign shops — the company’s ability to create signs “from the ground up,” and the company’s familiarity with the construction process, Graves said. His family owns Don’s Utility Construction Inc., which has operated in Springdale for several decades. Graves continues to work as a construction supervisor for his father’s company, as well as oversee operations at his new sign shop.
“There’s nothing we don’t try to do, neon and autos,” he said, adding that the shop has been very busy creating signs for vehicles in recent weeks.
Graves has five employees. Four work in the Emma Avenue store and one works at the fabrication shop. He anticipates hiring two employees to handle the Fayetteville store when it opens