Signs of the Times - January 2012 - (Page 72)
Ramsay Sign Celebrates Centennial
Perseverance pays off
By Alexandra Gibson
In 1911, a 28-year-old newspaper editor from Louisville, KY, was
looking for a change. Arch Gibson Ramsay – known professionally as A.G. Ramsay – headed west to Portland, OR, married his sweetheart Zelma, and established Ramsay Sign Co. as a handcrafting sign company in a small downtown building. The following is a history of the company, compiled from company board-meeting minutes, the Oregon Historical Society archives, and various stories passed down from generations of owners and employees who are proud to have contributed to both the sign industry and the company success. Though little is known about the earliest years, Ramsay Signs flourished throughout the 1910s and 1920s – its signs ranged geographically from Seattle to Redding, CA. In the 1920s, the company expanded and opened Brilliant Neon Co., a subsidiary that focused on electric signs, rather than the goldleaf lettering Ramsay installed for banks and other downtown businesses. Brilliant Neon employees,
active in the community’s Hollywood District, used their expansive social networks (through various club memberships, not Facebook!) to sell signs in the neighborhood. The company incorporated in April 1929 under the Brilliant Neon name, while the economy was still in an upswing. Then the stock
market crashed in October and the Depression followed. In November 1931, according to company notes, business remained strong, but collections were growing increasingly difficult. The company “was still in healthy condition” as of 1932, board members Ramsay and John W. Davis noted. In 1933, the Brilliant Neon Co. was renamed Ramsay Signs, Inc., and it combined with the original hand-lettering company under one name. Then, the local Brilliant Tube Co. (different than Brilliant Neon) was acquired. Ramsay had coveted this acquisition, and when the Depression slashed its 1929 purchase price from $5,000 to a mere $750 in 1933, A.G. couldn’t pass it up. Ramsay Signs continued to defy Depression conditions through the mid-1930s, noting in 1934 that it believed the “attitude of the buying public was turning around.” Difficult times However, as history states, this belief proved false, and, in 1936, Ramsay Signs noted “lower than
72 SIGNS OF THE TIMES / JANUARY 2012
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - January 2012
Signs of the Times - January 2012
Contents
ST Update
Technology Update
Vinyl Apps
Strictly Commercial
Lighting Techniques
The Moving Message
Technology Review
Sign Museum News
New Products
A Global Village
Crane Truck Roundtable
Remembering the Struggle
Four Major Elements of the New ADA
ADA Opportunities and Challenges
The Value of Signs
Ramsay Sign Celebrates Centennial
Industry News
Advertising Index
Editorially Speaking
Signs of the Times - January 2012
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