West Poplar locksmith’s faded sign gets repainted

As part of their reporting for Philadelphia Neighborhoods and PlanPhilly, Tasia N. Morgan, Angela M. Mayo, and Samantha Ortiz are sharing dispatches from East and West Poplar. They recently paid a visit to a locksmithing institution on North 13th Street which is looking more fresh-faced in old age thanks to a newly restored sign. 

The stranger was Robert Blackson, director of Temple Contemporary, and he helped set up a partnership to repaint the sign with Tyler School of Art students and the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.

“I bike past this sign everyday on my way to work. I thought it could use a face lift that would brighten the block and hopefully bring recognition to this small-family business,” Blackson said.

Prior to Blackson’s visit, Henssler had looked into sprucing up the sign but had turned down several offers. “I had priced it out and one company had told me $3,200 or $3,300. Another company wanted to just cover it up and put plastic boards in front of it and paint that, but I didn’t want that. I wanted to try to keep it original,” Henssler said.

Although the project focused on providing a new sign for Henssler, it was also a learning experience for Tyler students. In preparation for the restoration project, sign painter Gibbs Connors gave a talk at Temple Contemporary to students and other guests about his own techniques for signmaking.

Not only did Henssler not have to contribute any money towards the repainting, even though he offered, he also thought the revitalized sign may have increased profits. “I kind of, in my mind, think it might have because business has been picking up in the last two weeks. The scaffolding has only been down maybe a month at tops,” Henssler said.