Custom Creations (Union City, NJ), a sculpting and theming company, is led by its high-energy, fast-working owner, Giovanni Calabrese. In just three months, Calabrese’s nine-person staff, with the help of a welding subcontractor at the site, bedecked Krazy City — a 28,000-sq.-ft. family-entertainment center in Palisades Mall in Nyack, NY — with themed sculptures and creative signage. The company handled the design, creation and installation of all the interior and exterior themed elements and signs.
The quick turnaround partially reflects the frenetic pace at which Calabrese works. He said, by the time most signmakers design, set up and operate a CNC router, he’s finished sculpting and has moved on to the next project.
“I’m not bragging, but I really am faster than the CNC router,” he said.
Calabrese, in business since 1993, utilizes his marketing degree to run his business, but, surprisingly, he has no formal artistic training. The creations he molds are born solely of natural talent and self-instruction.
Although signage typically includes text, Calabrese believes many themed sculptures and backdrops (in addition to the text signs) at Krazy City serve as “signs” because they help identify a specific location in the complex.
Custom Creations’ themed environments for various sections of the fun center include a party town, glam parlor, toy factory, alien spaceships, mining town and a restaurant area. Many of the pieces were handsculpted, coated with urethane and painted.
At the first meeting with the client, they discussed the client’s goals for the entertainment center.
“For some areas, they had a specific theme or idea, but much of it changed based on our suggestions,” Calabrese said.
The design phase continued throughout the three-month project, and, ultimately, Custom Creations maintained freedom with the project’s design.
For example, once he heard Krazy City’s tagline, “The capital of fun,” Calabrese suggested a giant globe for the main ID sign, which features a 3-D globe with lettering around it. The owners wanted to promote the center, and Calabrese designed a character, Kookie, to represent Krazy City and walk around the mall, enticing visitors to the entertainment center.
Calabrese said completing the project was a mad-rush effort. Custom Creations also worked around ongoing construction. Sometimes, they’d arrive with a piece to install and find walls were missing or didn’t follow the architectural plans. Consequently, they changed plans for the piece onsite.