What's Your Sign?
Go inside the beautiful, hand-crafted world of Matt Palm's Old Glory Sign Co.
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For added nostalgia, this sign was done in the same shape as the cars from Kennywood’s Kangaroo ride.
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“Folks like the nostalgia of the old stadium,” Palm says. “I’ve done quite a few. Maybe it would’ve been a good idea to keep Three Rivers!”
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“You get favorite brushes,” Palm says. “It’s strange. You can have two that should be exactly the same — but for some reason, one is a lot better to work with.”
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Most Old Glory designs are letter-based. This “Ski Vermont” sign is one of the few with an “artistic background.”
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Here’s one of the first signs Palm lettered by hand.
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Palm uses these tools, which were handed down from his late grandfathers, on a daily basis.
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These homemade, oversized T-squares are used to draw straight lines.
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Palm ages signs by hitting them with chains and gouging them with chisels. “The signs age decades in just minutes,” he says.
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This Thunderbolt sign was destined for the Google Pittsburgh offices. The Internet giant has commissioned several signs from Old Glory.
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Photos by Renee Rosensteel
Matt Palm doesn’t think of himself as an artist — but you’d hardly know it looking at his basement studio. Old Glory Sign Co., Palm’s one-man business, was born out of his love for woodworking and hand-lettering. Palm, who is self-taught, has created thousands of signs for buyers all over the country. He can finish a small piece in just a few hours.
