These signs don't bother me at all. In fact, they make the area feel more alive, like something is happening.

Ridiculous rules.

As both the owner of one of the stores in this article & a Chamber board member, I feel that many of the signs/banners are quite benign. This community has constantly asked residents to shop local. Some of the local businesses have chosen to advertise with window signs &/or A frame signs on the sidewalk. "A" frame signs are only out during business hours. If these signs completely block the sidewalk and force pedestrians to walk in the street, then we have something to talk about. These signs allow businesses to advertise and in the case of chalk board/dry erase signs, the ROTI is high as businesses can re-use the same sign by just changing the message.
The county shouldn't be such a stickler on this. Those residents who've complained can drive up a residential street if they feel the signs are eyesores. I personally feel the signs posted along with this article are tasteful. While I understand that "rules are rules" the ordinances governing signage are confusing to comprehend and overly far reaching.
The bigger eyesore are the huge billboards dotting the community along with the dirt lot next to Ralphs and all the signs on the fence surrounding that lot. Not to mention the (what I consider) obnoxious candidate lawn signs that are all over right now. The county seems fine with these.

The Town Council & Chamber should work together to see if we can amend our community standards to allow for some of these signs vs. a blanket ban "just because" the county says so.

I agree with all of your comments. I hope they don't push this silly rule. I don't live within the Altadena border but close enough so that I walk my dog up on north Lake past the businesses mentioned in this article. How could anyone be offended by such simple signs just letting people know about the business? It seems really unfair and short-sighted. Would it be better to have a slew of empty buildings with big For Sale or For Lease signs hanging in the windows?

As an Altadena resident, I personally feel the street signs add to the country charm of Altadena. I also agree that they help make the businesses visible. It would have been ages before I'd have discovered Kat Scrap and Sue B., and yes Ed, who'd know you had a giant parking lot in back? Ridiculous, antiquated ordinance that's not applicable to our little shops in the hills.

Wow, what a ridiculous rule. Perhaps both the Town Council and the County want to see these businesses go under in an attempt to bring in big chains. Perhaps someone stands to gain by the closure of businesses. I actually find the signs quite charming. As noted above, the only obnoxious signs I've seen are on the vacant lot next to Ralphs. Thanks to the sign outside of Steve's I knew to go to the back and park because there was construction going on next door. As for Park Deli, that sign lets me know they're open.

I am surprised at the signs that are posted in this article as problematic. They are the LEAST offensive of all the signs I see on N. Lake as well as on Lincoln Ave. I have always wondered how the cigarette store was allowed to paint itself bright red! And how can we complain about Websters, Steve's and the Scrapbooking store (whose signs are nicely done and well thought out) when there are 2 of the sloppiest 'convenience' stores I have ever seen across from Websters with so many signs pasted all over their windows? They look worse than the fence next to Ralphs with its multitude of signage. And why are those 'convenience' stores allowed to keep their trash piled up to the sky for all to see? Talk about an eyesore! Lake would be much improved if the truly ugly stores were required to clean up their act. The ones that seem to be a target are actually the backbone of our community. I hope the T.C. and the Chamber will take a look at the big picture here and establish standards for the shops that help Steve's, Websters and that many others that have charm. They are not helped by being surrounded by eyesores.

I'd encourage those who've posted here to ask their friends and neighbors who feel the same to post here and contact their Town Council representative with votes of support for the signs. Here's a link to the Town Council's website so you can find out who represents your tract http://www.altadenatowncouncil.org/atcCensusTracts.html

Maybe together, we can counteract those residents who feel the signs should go!

Scott and I own Webster's Fine Stationers and we're one of the shops along North Lake Ave. that received a letter from the County (not the Town Council) about signage. We have a sandwich board sign that lets the public know that 1) we're open and 2) what's exciting at the store. While I agree that too many plastic signs and banners are tacky, I don't agree that a cute, tastefully done sandwich board is. I paid handsomely for the one we have and now I can't use it?

We never received a courtesy letter from the Town Council, we received a Notice of Violation letter from Mr. Bruckner of the County. My sandwich board is now down, and due to the fact that we have no real windows in the front of our store, we go back to being anonymous once again. Thanks, LA County!

The County every few years gets a wild hair up its backside and starts enforcing these silly rules. Its not enough that they have created blight through silly parking regulations, they go after everything the local tax paying business can do to survive, like place sidewalk and window signs.

Funny thing is once a area hyper gentrifies it always gets rule revisions allowing sidewalk and window signs, sidewalk dining and banners. Lets change the rules NOW and let the long struggling local businesses benefit.

While I am an artist, I don't judge other people's art. What I find attractive, another man does not and visa versa. I find some sighns ugly and some ok and some even interesting. lets not have a sign code that mandates color, font face and size and all that. Lets let people and businesses be individual.

Ed- I totally agree with you on this issue. The chamber and the ATC were working on a sign ord. revision together when Steve Bass was chair of Land Use. When Balder axed him for a very petty reason, all of that stopped . I served on that committee with Bill Webster and we got along amazingly well looking out for the interests of local businesses. The County Planning people kept trying to write the rules and telling us what we could and could not have- ignore them, they work for YOU, not the other way round, and deal with Sussie in Supervisor Antonovioch's office, she really does have a public service attitude.

@Dan - we'd love to have windows but unfortunately, current economic conditions preclude it. This is the reason why I engaged local artist Gary Thomas to paint faux windows on the front of our building. I didn't want a huge plastic sign in front, as we already have sign with our name atop the building, I wanted something different. What I chose not only gave temporary employment to one of our local artisans and thereby helping improve our local economy, it provides individuality to my business without getting in your face. Eventually, I'd love to see this idea spread along the North Lake corridor. Imagine how lovely it would be to see local artists' work instead of all the seemingly problematic signage and banners.

Instead helping Altadena's small businesses as we face serious economic problems, and several long-time businesses struggle or fold, the County and OUR VERY OWN Town Council chooses to do the opposite — hassle them with petty bureaucratic nonsense. SHAME! These institutions should be looking for ways do something useful, like encouraging entrepreneurship and business in our community.

Sigh - It is hard enough for businesses to survive up here without people being so petty!! I love the Kat Scrap sign and always liked seeing the Webster's sign too. None of them were tacky looking. This town has never been focused on business.......and now with the proliferation of check cashing stores, storefront churches, empty retail spaces, an ill stocked thrift (dare I say junk) store in the anchor spot of Webster's, I have to ask about the focus of town council!! Thank God for Amy's and El Patron breathing some hope into the area!

Scott and I are tying to breathe hope into this area!

@ Lori- hang on the Republican induced depression and idiocy of the ATC and County can't last forever.....

And yet no one on the ATC is going after Town and Country for their illegal (under ABC rules) window signs (Of course dealing with the ABC is enough to drive a sober man to drink...)

It's been a full week since this article was posted and since we took down our "portable sign", aka sandwich board, in front of our store. Coincidentally, it's been a week with sales down 25% or more. Are the two related? I think they are.

I'm looking out our front and back doors (because we have no windows) and I see that no one else has removed their extraneous signage, most notably Webster's Pharmacy, who delivered the official warning to us and told us to remove our signs. Shall we put our sandwich board back up? Will the County come down on us because we're trying to resuscitate our flagging business? I'd like to comply with the County, but if it impacts our business, particularly in these rough times, I think not.......

Lori leave the sign out you have 30 days.
What do they say will happen if you don't comply?
Carrie

What the heck? There are very few stores that have signs as nice as yours......Has anyone seen the ramshackle do it yourself painted signs on the Eagles Lodge......talk about hokey.....or the faded and tattered signage on the Altadena Market? Geeeezzzzz.

@Carrie - the penalty is $1,000.00....sorry, but I don't have that kind of spare change.

@Leslie - thanks. Dunno if I want to risk it, but I guess this is one of those I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't situations. Worry, worry, worry........like I NEED something else to worry about.

I guess the County doesn't have to worry about Kat Scrap leaving their "pesky" sign out any more as they will be gone by 11/12 and we will have yet another empty space on Lake Street.......too bad.