Call for Sign Company Entrance Transformation

WITH THE PROLIFERATION of speakeasy-style entrances around Akron, OH where Central Graphics Inc. is located, the shop decided that their own entryway would also provide the perfect setup. Searching online they found exactly the piece of history they wanted — a vintage phone booth that would bring their “hidden entrance” to life — which became the canvas for a colorful wrap that doubles as a nostalgic reminder.

“We wanted something from our past,” says Dave Soulsby, CEO of Central Graphics, on the shop’s search for a phone booth on Facebook Marketplace. “We looked for one that reminded us of the ’70s-’80s era and not so much the wooden old vintage or red English phone booths.” They eventually purchased one that matched the description for $695. Soulsby knew right away what to depict on the booth: Superman, co-created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in Cleveland in 1933, “and this piece is our nod to the hometown origin story,” he adds.

Pre-transformation, the vintage phone booth as originally advertised on Facebook Marketplace.

The team used Mactac B•free Frosted Bubble Free Window Film for full coverage on the glass to produce a subtle glowing effect when lit from within, providing both privacy and ambience, plus Mactac Gruv 7 for the Superman graphic. A Superman decal was printed on 3M Scotchcal Graphic Film IJ35 for crisp color and durability.

Installation proved trickier due to an uneven floor and the need to fill in the areas to the side as the opening was larger than the phone booth, says Managing Director Jeff Loofboro, so the team had to expend considerable time and effort to shim the booth into the entrance to give the appearance of having been built for the space. They filled the floor area beneath the phone booth with expanding foam, recessed and fitted the side gaps with contour-cut 6mm black PVC to prevent light from escaping. “L” brackets were used to lock the phone booth to the top of the opening.

The end result, however, was well worth it: a fun piece of history that transformed Central Graphics’ entrance with local colors and heroic flair.