In 1985, Rick Weber graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburg with a degree in illustration. Soon after graduation, with dreams of becoming a magazine illustrator, Weber started working as a freelance illustrator, while painting on the side.
Coastal Point • JONATHAN STARKEY:
Rick Weber stands outside his Frankford shop.
One day, though, a friend walked up to the local resident with a proposition that would soon turn into a business plan — unknown to Weber at the time.
“He came up to me and said, ‘You’re an artist — make me a sign,” Weber said. “At first, I didn’t understand it. But it made sense to me after a while, and I got paid for it and liked it.”
Since 1993, Weber has been in the sign-making business. In ’93, he first opened Weber’s Signs in Berlin, Md. Since then, he has owned stores in Selbyville, Dagsboro and Frankford, where he moved last June.
Out of the Frankford office, which sits just off of Route 113 behind Jay’s Market on Hickory Street, he still applies his artistic talents to the sign-making business.
“Most sign stores, they just do vinyl signs,” Weber explained. “We certainly do the vinyls, but we do so much more.”
Weber designs signs for businesses, trucks, vans, motorcycle tanks and race cars, among other vehicles and buildings. While he does utilize less-costly vinyl while making signs, his trademark, he said, is his wood-carving sandblasting technique.
Using a sandblaster, Weber will carve the letters and room for images by actually leaving those parts of the sign at original surface level and carving out the surrounding part of the wood or synthetic surface.
If asked, Weber will then hand-paint images onto the sandblasted sign, using all original designs. Weber also plans to start using more modern — and cheaper — technology to make signs, he said. Thermal printing — rather than hand painted images — allows sign makers to design images on the computer using software such as clip art, which are then stuck on the signs.
Weber said the technology is more cost-effective but will not last as long in the long run. But because vinyl signs can cost less than $200, and their sandblasted counterparts cost about $85 per square foot, it is necessary to utilize modern technology to compete in the sign-making market, he added.
And, Weber said, “The more I can utilize the software, the more I can free up time to do more sandblasting, where I can be creative.”
Weber also sells license plates and magnets in his store, as well as original Rick Weber paintings. Customers can enter the store and order a custom painting or drawing from the local artist for a range of prices.
In the “Art Studio” part of the business, Weber draws or paints the artwork, using anything from watercolors to paint to colored pencils, and a technique that dates back to Weber’s school days in Pittsburgh.
“We do more than just signs,” Weber said, referencing the artistic nature of the Frankford store. “I started out hand-painting 15 years ago. That’s all we did. We didn’t have computers.”
When compared to other stores, the artistic flair at Weber’s signs is certainly, “the difference,” he said.
To reach Weber Signs, call (302) 732-1429.