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I attened the Mazeppa City Council Meeting last night just to watch a local friend raise hell, it turned out very quiet and boring.....until they asked the postmaster how he was coming on the "Signs"...(Hmmmm...the post office makes SIGNS now? I gotta stay for this...) He said he has submitted all the bids to the city administrator.....then a long silence.....the Mayor said..Anything else? another silence...I spoke up..."DID YOU GET MY BID?" The Postman said..."I didn't know you did SIGNS" I put my head between my legs and faked like I was crying.....some people laughed, some people gasped......Then erupted on the Councilscum that tried to nail 250 drunken signpainters during the convention to the local sheriff...I was HOT.
All I have done for this town and they treat me like S**T!!!!
Honey, let's move.....she said...SURE!
WHO needs a signpainter that can sling a mop? any town, or country is welcome....sober, a Cigar smoker, likes to have fun, can help with Letterhead Meeting if you would like to run one, versed in Scottish, German, Kiwi, and backwards ass midwest redneck. call today, will pull up stakes and travel to work for YOU!
-------------------- Mike Meyer Sign Painter 189 1st Ave n P.O. Box 3 Mazeppa, Mn 55956
We are not selling, we are staying here in Mazeppa....we cannot re-create what we have here....not in another lifetime! SO Here we are!!!!!!!
I felt a little like that when our local pool didn't hire my daughter for a lifeguarding position. I was the head of the decorating committee for our towns centennial, I'm on too many committees. I've donated signs and banners, and then the town turns around and hires kids from other towns to work here.
I thought you were famous! How could they not know you made signs???? That is ridiculous.
Suelynn
-------------------- "It is never too late to be what you might have been." -George Eliot
Suelynn Sedor Sedor Signs Carnduff, SK Canada Posts: 2863 | From: Carnduff, SK Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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Mike---I know how you feel. Totally different level of the game here of course, but I feel where you are coming from. THe local main street group changed hands last year, and everything changed overnight for us. After years of working along side that group, we were ousted just like that. No explanations no parting words...we just weren't needed anymore. Ya think it would have hurt less if we'd have gotten paid for everything we did?
Yeesh---in the bastardized words of the late Mr. Dangerfield---"A signguy can't get no respect!"
My hats off to ya Mike, I know when things simmer down you'll see your way clear.
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"...signpainter that can sling a mop...sober, a Cigar smoker, likes to have fun, can help with Letterhead Meeting if you would like to run one, versed in Scottish, German, Kiwi, and backwards ass midwest redneck. ....
I like your resume Mike ...
C'mon down - I'll put ya to work!
-------------------- Pat Neve, Jr. 321-537-8675 Capt. Sign
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Had another thought! You should buy yourself a motorhome and a video camera. Travel around and work on cool projects and sell your show to TLC. People love watching real-life stuff like that. You'd have a great personality for it!
Suelynn
-------------------- "It is never too late to be what you might have been." -George Eliot
Suelynn Sedor Sedor Signs Carnduff, SK Canada Posts: 2863 | From: Carnduff, SK Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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Great idea, Suelynn. The signpainter Charles Corault (sp?) "...on the road again".....Willie music in the background. Our family would watch it!
-------------------- Jane Diaz Diaz Sign Art 628 W. Lincoln Ave. Pontiac, Il. 61764 815-844-7024 www.diazsignart.com Posts: 4102 | From: Pontiac, IL USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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Yeah Mike - you should move to Canada - we have GOOD hockey here...
Sorry to hear that things aren't working out. Guess I musta went back to the hotel to early - I missed all the drunk signpainters...saw a few drunk locals though.....
You have that town looking pretty good, maybe it is time to move on.....good luck....
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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I know just how ya feel Mikey. It happens to me all the time here. The Mars Hysterical Society stole my easels for their train station, they wanna replace Francis Lestingi's cool carved mahogany and leafed train station signs for porcelain ones, two of the signs completed for the town are in the possession of a private resident, there are new vynull signs up at the train station that I didn't paint, and the fire company gets their trucks lettered outta town. I give up, I'm not gonna be their doormat anymore. I resigned from the C of C and the Applefest committee, and am charging them full price if they choose to buy signs from me. It's like a slap in the face, ain't it? Love....Jill
Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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I do voluntary updates on local show noticeboards each year, but when all three places need corro signs to advertise an event, I don't even get asked to quote.
Having a thick hide helps...! I don't have any other answers, except play each game as it comes. You're welcome to change your own rules, then.
Wish I could afford a cigar-smoking moustached mop-slinger down here!
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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Mike, the man who has painted more signs in that whole community, I wouldn't leave you have to much set up in your town. Here's what I would do. Since they want to act dumb and act like you haven't done anything for the community (bunch of blind FOOLS). I would find out how can "I" become a city councilman? Then you can have more say so. And that post office guy who got him a nice sign on his wall now wants to make signs. yeah right, I would like to see him up on that roof ledge and at night. Sorry to hear about that, some people are straight up Asssses.
-------------------- aka:Cisco the "Traveling Millennium Sign Artist" http://www.franciscovargas.com Fresno, CA 93703 559 252-0935 "to live life, is to love life, a sign of no life, is a sign of no love"...Cisco 12'98 Posts: 3576 | From: Fresno, Ca, the great USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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i guess it happens everywhere....recently my town called me to come over and look at an old fire truck they bought from a neighboring town...so they needed to have the old town name removed and "bartlett" put on....i go over...spend some time chatting with them...give them a very reasonable quote. a month goes by and i open our valley rag(newspaper) one morning and there's a picture of the guy from the sign shop 2 towns over laying down some vinyl...ooooh big news. not that i was upset with him(we all get along fine)but i thought to myself...ok town...kiss my ass...i'm having a letterhead meet this month and i know my town won't be getting any special projects done by letterheads.
-------------------- Karyn Bush Simply Not Ordinary, LLC Bartlett, NH 603-383-9955 www.snosigns.com info@snosigns.com Posts: 3516 | From: Bartlett, NH USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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There's no loyalty any more and everything seems to revolve around "Future Considerations"...in sport and business. Your loyalty, community spirit, honesty and your favorite hockey player...they're all up for trade at the stroke of a pen...believe me Mike it's not just you...our whole society needs an enema. "Keep your stick on the ice"
I'm ready to move anywhere in the world and paint signs, walls, firetrucks, cows?
Need a side kick? Maybe we could gang up and go trouble Mr. Tickle for a year or two?
Non-drinker, could learn to smoke Cigars, not afraid of heights, can run on 2-4 hours of sleep per night, prefers runny vinyl over the other kind, have my own mops.
Perhaps Mazeppa could use new big billboard with said councilscum's portrait on it, saying he supports same sex marraige of farm animals or something like that!
Let me know where you want to go or if you need help with the above mentioned mural, and I'll start packin'
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Thats awful! It happens everywhere I think. Postmasters doing signs? Whats next, Freds Mortuary and Vinyl lettering? Geezeo Mikey, I feel for you. My town is like that too. Its them high falooters that do it most of the time. Like getting a sign from louisville is a big thing to em. Sorry though, only hockey here is what comes out of a dog.
-------------------- Maker of fine signs and other creative stuff. Located at 109 N. Cumberland ave. Harlan, Ky. 40831 606-837-0242 Posts: 4172 | From: Ages-Brookside, Ky. Up the Holler... | Registered: Jul 1999
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Your'e welcome here Mike, but . . .the grass really ain't any greener here. Them pesky 'politiks' is everywhere I think.
At least before you go, mabey you could write the city council a letter via the editorial page of the newspaper tellin' them who & what they're losin', and why you'd like to not live there anymore.
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Oh man, that sucks. In my eeny teeny hometown they don't dare pulling anything like that. I guess I have friends in the right places, he he. But it's everywhere else...no loyalty! What kind of rubbed me the wrong way this summer is all the community project signs I sold at reduced prices to support a good cause: Homecomings, Students Against Drinking & Driving, etc. I give it to them in writing, this is the regular price, but YOU are only paying THIS much, the rest is my contribution. Afterwards they go and publicly thank everyone "who gave to this project". Everybody who coughed up twenty bucks makes the list, but they forget that they got a big discount. It only bothers me because it ends up looking like everyone pitched in and supported this project,and I am the only one who made money off it.
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They don't deserve somebody of your calliber, Mike. I'ver never heard of anything like that before. That is unbelieveably wrong. If the town doesn't get it -- maybe they're not capable of getting it; therefore, your work is way over their heads and you need to get to a place that is capable of appreciating you.
I still can't believe it.
-------------------- Bill Diaz Diaz Sign Art Pontiac IL www.diazsignart.com Posts: 2107 | From: Pontiac, IL | Registered: Dec 2001
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hey laddie, whats with they guys,, get yer bags packed and get yer arse over the water and lets get some trucks painted,, big ****tyboots gets a new Scania next week.... ha ha ha ,,,come on down...bring the boy manor with there is room for more.
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Hey Mike, I feel your pain but it sems to me it was the Postmaster who snubbed you, not the City Council? The way I read it He was the one responsible for getting bids and submitting them to the city Administrator, leaving the City Council out of it? Am I right or did I miss something? Don't get me wrong, the Postmaaster snubbed you on purpose, you can't do a tenth of the things we hear about here and not be known in your own town! But did the council really have anything to do with it, or were they just in the dark as to who got called for bids? I recently went through about a dozen calls from canidates for elction to differnent offices here come by for price quotes, all but one had signs made by some internet or election sign promoter and the last one had really bad signs made by another local shop! Am I mad? No, just realized they went for money saved instead of local business promotion and the last went for really cheap, and bad looking, signs. It is a little different situation, I really did not want to do any signs for anyone, too busy right now to be bothered with them. Sound harsh? No, I just don't have time to make 20 4x8 coroplast signs and service regular clients also. Although,I will say that I'm doing small signs for BOTH sheriff canidates tight now for different fundraisers! They will both have nice looking signs! But, having said all that, If your looking to move, come here! Historic Petersburg NEEDS GOOD SIGNPEOPLE and I've seen your work! I can't do it, I'm not that good yet!
-------------------- Michael A Latham Tee's Me Shirt & Sign 16462 Jefferson Davis Highway Colonial Heights Va. 804-835-3299 signdogopie@aol.com Posts: 379 | From: Colonial Heights, Virginia | Registered: Feb 2004
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thanks again Folks....I should clarify..the Post Master is NOT making signs, I guess he is charge of getting new street signs....but it is still something I can do! As for the city council, they have never been "with it" from the get-go..our 150th Sesquisentennial was more less one more keg compared to the usual 4th of July celebration....I guess it was everyone pointing to everyone else to do something...and they never did. I DID. They are not dumb, they got some beautiful signs for many years to come.....I promoted the town eight ways to sunday and I feel left out.......
Is there Hockey in Vaginyeah Mr. Latham?
Hockey In Tampa? Stanley Cup is all. Hav-A-Tampa Cigars? where's my map?......
-------------------- Mike Meyer Sign Painter 189 1st Ave n P.O. Box 3 Mazeppa, Mn 55956
We are not selling, we are staying here in Mazeppa....we cannot re-create what we have here....not in another lifetime! SO Here we are!!!!!!!
posted
after hearing everyone's politics I feel the need to ask for help. I won't sabotage this post but we need to have a collaborative CD collection of what letterheads are, and why a town should be so blessed to have a meet.
I'm in early stages for mine in 2008, but Scotland's meet in May would benefit from this too.
I'll post my request as a new topic.
Mike you're always welcome here! seriously! let's do lunch....buffalo burgers...
-------------------- Matthew Rolli AdCraft Sign&Design Hudson, WI Posts: 280 | From: Hudson, WI | Registered: Aug 2003
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How about Ontario Mike? Fergus and the surrounding area could easily accommadate another signmaker. I still have most of my stuff from The SignMan days. I'll even help out partime.
-------------------- Steve Shortreed 144 Hill St., E. Fergus, Ontario Canada N1M 1G9 519-787-2673
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I had an uncle who told me he met a lady from Alaska, she would do anything he aska. sorry I had a flashback. Come on down to Fresno, kind of like London in the winter with the fog and sort of like Palm Springs in the summer. Right now it's just right...in the low 90's
-------------------- aka:Cisco the "Traveling Millennium Sign Artist" http://www.franciscovargas.com Fresno, CA 93703 559 252-0935 "to live life, is to love life, a sign of no life, is a sign of no love"...Cisco 12'98 Posts: 3576 | From: Fresno, Ca, the great USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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Yeah, Mike, and the famous "I knew you did trucks, but I didn't know you did banners. I knew you did plywood, but I didn't know you did aluminum - I knew you did 4x8's, but didn't know you did 8x4's...!!!"
-------------------- Gene Golden Gettysburg Signs Gettysburg PA 17325 717-334-0200 genegolden@gettysburgsigns.com
"Art is knowing when to stop." Posts: 1578 | From: Gettysburg, PA | Registered: Jun 2003
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No Live Hockey to speak of, regional stuff in Richmond - 30 miles north and the Tidewater area 60 mile east - right at the ocean!, and a pickup game here in Colonial Heights, but they use roller blades! (My landlord LOVES hockey and does this pickup game EVERY Sunday, he also organizes it.) But, there is always satelite TV! The Historic area around here is fabulous! It is also an up and coming area, ripe for revitalization and a good signman! I'd love to have some-one great here! We do very different stuff, you will add so me real class here, or let's face it Mike, anywhere!
-------------------- Michael A Latham Tee's Me Shirt & Sign 16462 Jefferson Davis Highway Colonial Heights Va. 804-835-3299 signdogopie@aol.com Posts: 379 | From: Colonial Heights, Virginia | Registered: Feb 2004
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Unfortunatly, it sounds normal. The local chamber of Commerce got a new sign several years ago, The pres. of the chamber bought it from an out of town sign maker. It wasn't even nice. Now, I've been a member for 15 years and given that the only reason for this organization to exsist is to support local business, I proptly resigned. This is a small town and I am the only shop here. The real shame is, I would have done them a real show piece just for the good press if they would have asked.
-------------------- Carper's Signs 594 Union School Rd. Mount Joy, PA 17552 carpersign@earthlink.net Posts: 157 | From: Lancaster, PA, USA | Registered: Aug 1999
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I used to think it was just a lot of carping until I started spending more time in screen printing and not focusing on signs as much.
There really does seem to be some sort of disconnect when it comes to signs. I really don't know why my value is perceived differently by people buying signs as compared to others buying textiles or decals.
I have a whole lot less headache with people when I'm screen printing.
The local Chamber balked at me when I quoted a couple 4x8's last year. The fact that I had discounted the price made no difference to them. A few months ago, I screened a couple dozen t-shirts for about the same amount of money as the two 4x8's and they didn't bat an eye about the price which I didn't discount. Heaven knows I made a lot more profit with the t-shirts and about a third of the time doing the job.
I don't know what the answer is. I used to think a well placed 2x4 upside of their collective heads was the answer but I'm not so sure anymore.
posted
As a side note, I know what you mean when you're frustrated by people that claim they don't know that you make signs. For 20 or so years our company was called Commerical Signs. We answered the telephone "Commercial Signs". At least 3 or 4 times a year, the reply would be some stranger asking "Do you make signs?" Sheesh!!! I always muttered to my self "No....this is a Bakery! What the heck is wrong with you?". I finally added a tag line onto my sign kit...
Thanks for everyone's response! I had no Idea this would be so popular but I am realizing the impact this situation has on ALL of our businesses!!! If it were compared to HOCKEY, we would have a bench clearing brawl!
I'm in the penalty box....
-------------------- Mike Meyer Sign Painter 189 1st Ave n P.O. Box 3 Mazeppa, Mn 55956
We are not selling, we are staying here in Mazeppa....we cannot re-create what we have here....not in another lifetime! SO Here we are!!!!!!!
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The Postman said..."I didn't know you did SIGNS" ![[Bash]](graemlins/bash.gif)
I put my head between my legs and faked like I was crying.....some people laughed, some people gasped......Then erupted on the Councilscum that tried to nail 250 drunken signpainters during the convention to the local sheriff...I was HOT. ![[Mad]](mad.gif)
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