With building upon building, level upon level, and room upon room of furniture, rugs and accessories, finding your way through Green Front can prove a daunting task. While we firmly believe in the unique joy that comes from exploration and unexpected discovery, knowing where you are and where you’re headed is also very helpful. In that spirit, Green Front is working to make its acres of showroom space more accessible and easier to navigate with increased handcrafted art signage.
The remodel has already begun with new large metal numbers for the exteriors of the warehouses and signs inside for the various showrooms.
“Green Front is massive. Its size allows us to offer the variety and low prices that we do,” says Den Cralle. “But, we don’t want our customers to get lost. That’s why we’re excited that the new signs are not only beautiful but also functional, like our furniture.”
The signage has been handmade by local artisan and craftsman Al Buczek—the man behind this past summer’s meticulous restoration of Green Front’s Building One. Much like the restoration project, the new signs blend modern styling with old-time elements. Buczek individually crafted the items using metal reclaimed from a local tobacco barn, believed to date back to the early 1800s, as well as materials salvaged from an abandoned store located in North Carolina.
According to Buczek, “When you walk from one place to another at Green Front there are so many doors and staircases it can be hard to know where you’re going. We hope to help solve some of that with these new signs.”
GF District was one of the first showrooms to receive a new sign, calling attention to the new mid-century modern/ industrial showcase.
“Clearly ‘labeling’ showrooms allows guests greater ease in finding specific looks and styles,” explains Den. “We want to help them explore Green Front and find some of the treasures that could be easily overlooked.”
Meanwhile, the striking numbers on the outside of the buildings seem already destined to become as iconic as the brick warehouses themselves. Green Front buildings along Main Street will soon have signage of their own, to be done in brilliant copper.
As the old saying goes, “Not all who wander are lost.”
Now, thanks to Green Front’s building numbers and signs, you won’t have to wonder, even momentarily, where you are within the store’s massive square footage. Whether you roam, wander or explore, the new signage is ready and waiting to be your guide.
“We don’t want to get rid of the labyrinthine-feel, but we do want to light the way along your adventure at Green Front,” says Den with a smile.
