Times Square Marquee to Illuminate Carlo’s Bake Shop

A spectacular marquee will light up the Times Square location of Carlo’s Bake Shop beginning the end of February or early March, just in time for the store’s grand opening.

Carlo’s Bake Shop, also known as Carlo’s Bakery, has achieved nationwide fame as the setting of the TLC series Cake Boss, which ran until 2015. The company contacted North Shore Neon Sign Co. (Maspeth, NY) to fabricate and install the 40-ft.-wide, 9-ft.-high custom canopy featuring handblown neon, handmade metal letters on a steel support and a two-color alternating metal valance, which according to project manager Dan Levine, is a traditional North Shore touch.

A set of neon channel letters reading “CARLO’S BAKE SHOP,” “TIMES SQUARE” and “By Buddy Valastro” (Carlo’s Bake Shop owner, cake artist and Cake Boss star) surrounded by 3500K LED halo illumination adorn the front elevation, which also features an image of Valastro in chef getup. The letters’ open interiors are painted red with an eggshell finish. Atop the marquee runs a high-definition LED band that alternates between the cake shop’s logo, owner and colorful creations.

Saffron gold-painted plate letters on the marquee’s side elevations read “Carlo’s Bake Shop – Since 1910 Times Square.” The backer and awning are constructed from aluminum, and painted Matthews PMS 186 custom red oxide. Except for the LED screens, every component of the sign was fabricated at North Shore’s Deer Park, NY, plant, Levine says.

The shop uses a power break and power shear to shape the heavier metal gauges, a CNC router for the acrylic and metalwork, alongside a finger break and traditional sheet metal crafting methods to hand-shape the returns.

North Shore plans to install the marquee as a single piece, using cranes to move and attach the complete structure.

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“This project is a wonderful blend of traditional artisan skills with modern technology. It’s a fitting parallel to the Valastro family bringing its beloved Italian American pastries to a broader world stage via cable TV,” Levine states. “Ultimately, it’s what New York City and Times Square are known for: a showcase for skill and passion.”

For more information, visit northshoreneon.com.