I don’t get why it’s such a big deal, if there’s anything wrong with that’s store it’s the first floor facade. maybe you should be more concerned with crime.

This is why old time residence in these quickly gentrified neighborhoods hate gentrification and the people that comes with it. A blog post like this just because one thinks it’s ugly is ridiculous. You guys are starting to sound like Fox news. Get over yourself!

Hilarious that you would say they should be more focused on crime when the ground floor windows are completely obscured by gaudy signage.  Why?  To hide possible drug deals?  Sadwiches perhaps?

Those corner stores in general are awesome and appreciated.  And they are hard working owners.   Usually the aisle and shelves are very organized too.  So what’s so difficult about having an exterior that looks civilized??  Nobody’s sayin’ it’s got to be a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece but come on, does it have to look flat out ugly?

With that logic you must hate trees & clean streets but love plastic awnings and beige stucco bays. 

 And that illegal.  These signs aren’t allowed without variances.

 Why should anyone be okay with illegal signage?

Obnoxious and potentially illegal signage may not be a major crime, but it is certainly a quality of life issue.  To downplay it just because there are bigger problems in the city is naive at best and disingenuous at worst. 
Nobody is saying that the owners should go to prison or that the
building should be torn down.

[...] in Words: Jumping off the fence; a roller coaster ride (Philly Deals/The Philadelphia Inquirer) Sign Patrol: Papi Grocery in Francisville (Naked Philly) Which Neighborhoods Have More Owner-Occupied Housing? (Curbed [...]

You have to be kidding. Get over yourselves, nothing wrong with this. Focus your energy on the ugly new construction buildings that don’t fit any of the traditional neighborhood aesthetics. 

Just because someone has an opinion of the store’s facade doesn’t mean that they don’t care about other things, in fact they may actually be the people that do care the most.  I can’t stand when people say don’t worry about that, worry about this.  People are human and can’t think about murder and war 24/7 so some think the sign is ugly, so be it.  The consumers in the area should have a say in what the storefront looks like, they live there, they will be spending money there, or not.  In this case I don’t think that the sign is too bad but that might be because it’s set off from what is in my opinion a horrible painted red exterior.  It is not a an attractive storefront, if it were clean inside I would still shop there but I wouldn’t want to live next door to it. 

That is ridiculous!  So maybe if my grandma were living then she would love that little store with the ugly red exterior and green sign and she would hate gentrification because they didn’t like the sign.  LOL!!!!!  Are you serious?  Oh, why don’t we just talk about all the murders 24/7 then grandma wouldn’t hate gentrification, right?  Those signs are the result of cultural differences, it is a Latino style, that is new – that is not a result of gentrification but it is a new thing and it is clashing with residents’ preferences.  People will either learn to love it, or owners will try to better mix their style with that of the neighborhood. 

Obviously opinions vary but signage is a multi-million dollar industry that is key to initial impressions of a business.  So, with that thought in mind the business owner should put a little design into their awnings and they may reach out to more customers; some of the copy isn’t straight, it’s way to busy, and the colors clash.  This sign doesn’t draw people in, it annoys them.  Its a great way to only keep your existing customers, which results in the eventual death of your business.  And yes, I would definitely be considered a ‘Loser’, its fun.

That sign looks awful and if it was anywhere near my home I would be appalled and disgusted. 

ocf, you and so many of your readers looooove
to complain about signage – particularly signage that reflects the
aesthetic preferences of other groups – in neighborhoods you’re moving
into.

you want a piece of urbanism? fine. you want to live in areas where property values are rising? fine. but you have to respect the fact that other people have been in these gentrifying areas for much, much longer, and the physical environment is a direct reflection of their cultural preferences.

please stop complaining about “offensive signs” and “disgusting, blighted properties” (these are direct quotes from your posts). instead, you should be celebrating all that is associated with living in a diverse city, beside people of other cultures.

i’ve been reading this blog for a really time, but i’m going
stop. whether it’s your intention or not, it’s become a place where
privileged newcomers to the city complain about this and that. i was
born and raised in this city, and this crap is terribly disheartening.

-rachel hildebrandt

You guys in this thread obviously haven’t you read the new city zoning code, have you?

Section X.10.3.b, line 15:
“All storefronts and houses in gentrifying neighborhoods shall immediately adapt to the aesthetic preferences of the gentrifiers. Violators of this ordinance will be mocked openly and shamed into conforming with upper middle class design standards.”

Isn’t this a Latino owned store in a non-latino community?  Perhaps the store owner is the one who is changing the neighborhood.  Gentrification isn’t to blame for a style not consistent with that of the surrounding area.  Correct me if I am wrong but I don’t think that this is the case of a neighbors complaining about a pre-existing sign, it is the case of neighbors complaining about a new sign that they don’t like.  Many corner stores are now owned by Asian and Latino’s that are moving into these areas as well, and they have their own styling.  Should you ask, oh you don’t like the sign, how long have you lived here?  That is irrelevant!  It’s not the end of the world if a sign is not favored but do you really want fluorescent signs on every corner store which is what happened in North Philly.  People against gentrification latch onto that word and they just blame every little thing that they don’t like on it.  You probably didn’t even grown up in the city, you just came from a farm and then try to act like a perfect city anti-gentrification avenger.  Go to the burbs!!!!   

Jesus christ, this is insanely obnoxious. The storefront signage is too photoshopped and not “authentic” enough for you or something? Get off your high horse.

Perhaps you didn’t grow up in the city to know the area in question WAS a Latino community.

The point Hirachel was making is this ridiculous sense of entitlement of the new community members in the area. As far as I know, if it’s your store, your house, your yard and it’s not a danger to the community- you can do whatever you’d like!
For people to complain about it being tacky or ugly is one thing, for them to think they have a right to change someone’s personal property is completely different.

If you want uniformity- go move to a gated community …in the burbs!

The “blighted and disgusting” properties that we referred to in the Hawthorne post were condemned by the city and torn down because they were structurally unsound and in imminent danger of collapse. Click the link below to see a photo, which is unfortunately kind of low-res.

1243 Kater St.

If you lived near these buildings in their final years, you may have considered our description accurate, if not generous.

Maybe we should talk about how obnoxious OCF signage are..and how the brand and it’s design are sophomoric at best, how the choice color for the brand are offensive, and how every OCF coffee shop and office are ruining brick facades all over the city. What give you OCF the right to paint over perfectly good brick? What makes your signs awesome? What you guys developed as a brand is far from being cool…so stop thinking that you are cool by calling mom and pop shops and their signage out like this. It is pretty obvious you guys have no idea what and how to understand good design and why you say the things you do based on the history of crap you guys say. Stop this nonsense..please!

You misunderstood my message. Gentrification is good but don’t come into a neighborhood and expect that everyone need to conform to your liking. I too live in a gentrified neighborhood and it’s a great mixture of old timers and new neighbors.I actually hang out and talk to my neighbors who lived here for many generations. This biggest misconception is that these people are stereotypical rude, unfriendly, dirty, etc. and they don’t appreciate gentrification. The reality is they love it, they love the change but they hate the attitude that comes from it.. The ignorance are coming from the new people and not from the old timer. My only point was just because it’s an ugly sign, which I agree with, they’re entitled to do whatever they think works for them. It’s all subjective. It’s not for you… That’s cool .. Whatever. Let it be. If it ruins the value of your property then move somewhere else that works for you.

You have no idea who Iam obviously.. And if you did, you would probably know that if I have the chance to burn down every architect’s office who design these cookie cutter bay window stucco, metal panel houses that are destroying the unique characteristic of each neighborhood in this city…you would probably not had made that comment. So I forgive you.

Rachel grew up in Philadelphia, yo.  You be wrong!