New Aquatics Shop?

[robbieduncan]

I took this phone-snap on my way home last night. As per the mosy above it's not terrible. Certainly a hand-painted sign on wood would have been much nicer. But it's better than either of the shops it's sandwiched between.

[Rachael]

Yes, I had a look this morning. Not the worst shop sign I've ever seen. A bit brash, and I can see why someone like Lee wouldn't like it. The curly subscript and pun is a bit naff, sure enough, but that's a matter of taste more than anything else. But it does the job well and cleanly and I think meets Lee's requirement of being suitable for the business. If I was wandering up and down Sydenham Road looking for the new aquatics shop I'd heard about, I'd find it easily. It's the shabby, ad hoc, cluttered signage that brings the road down, not signage like this that is functional if not beautiful.

[Annie.]

Thank you for the photo,
It does look better than I thought it would, I do like the green used on the shop surrounds it looks quite sharp, although I can't see it close up to know if it is or not, the sign could have been more up market tbh, however it does put the shops either side to shame.

[maestro]

It might well have started with a fish but it looks like Lee's had his chips over this one.

[Cheese Wotsits]

I agree with Lee on this one, I think the sign is nowhere near as good as it could have been. A green sign in the middle of 2 other green signs doesn't seem particularly wise to me either.

Is it the worst sign on the high street? No. But certainly not the best. A shame considering what Lee did for Billings and the murals on Kirkdale. Lee has done plenty of what ifs in the past, but very few businesses have actually implemented them despite the mostly positive feedback, the main exception being Billings.

While Lee certainly is not the only one that can do this, and while I think we should support deserving businesses in the high street (the ones that care about how they present themselves, what they offer / sell and how they treat their costumers). It's a shame this Aquatics shop didn't get a better signage design / done.

Not a shop that looks inviting enough in my opinion. I'm up for giving new businesses a chance, but shouldn't they try to be better than what's already in the high street first? I don't this guys have a good signage, a shame specially if they're actually good but this is not reflected on the outside.

[Rachael]

Lee's comments here made me expect MUCH worse. If I'd seen it without reading this thread first, I might have agreed with him! However, I don't think comments like 'Will they never learn?' are fair. I'm betting the owners of this business spent a lot of time and thought over this and feel like they've really put in the effort. They can't be lumped in with the other traders who leave signs broken, or throw up cheap and nasty signs with no thought (like Shoes / Diya Phones down near Cherry and Ice).

[robbieduncan]

I think they have attempted to blend in to the existing colour scheme. No doubt they are starting with very constrained budgets so can't afford a total repaint. I think the window surrounds etc were already that dark green colour.

[robbieduncan]

Speaking of shop fronts what do our resident critics make of this almost modern art installation display I snapped this morning on my way up to the station?

[Smiffy]

I can't see what the problem is, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the sign (in my opinion). I think the whole frontage looks pretty smart.
If the owner's seen this thread he's probably wondering why the hell he bothered setting up here.

[admin]

If the owner's seen this thread he's probably wondering why the hell he bothered setting up here.

A reminder that the thread rubbishing the new Tattoo shop in Kirkdale ended up having a positive impact. More people now know the shop is there and most(?) have a more positive impression. So a great publicity coup for the owner.

When you are trying to get your name known - almost any publicity is good publicity!

Admin

PS My tiny gripe is not the design but the howler of wrongly formatting the phone number 0203 nnn nnnn instead of 020 3nnn nnnn. If they can't even get that correct, what else might they do wrong?

[mosy]

Admin, lots of people do the 020 thing wrongly, genuinely thinking it to be right. That's a minor detail though.

I can't say I agree with you that any publicity is good because I accept that some don't like the sign or think it could be better, that is their opinion - but it is not acceptable IMO to imply that because they personally don't like the sign it could imply a lack of care by the business itself. You even do yourself by "If they can't even get that correct, what else might they do wrong?" Can't people give new shops/businesses a chance first?

Such comments on here are unjustified and unwarranted IMO given the shop hasn't even opened up yet. Being contentious doesn't make it right to do that.

In this case, anyone who knows anything about running an aquatics shop will know it's a labour of love and a lot of effort and that customer service is paramount due to the nature of looking after live fish properly. They might be tiddly little things but no-one wants them to die due to incorrect water quality etc. Believe it or not, people get attached to fish, perhaps not quite so much as a cat or dog but no-one and certainly the owners would be happy to think of them as a disposable/replaceable item.

@ Smiffy: Exactly what I thought and not for the first time.

However, I'm sure Clifton Aquatics will do well - apart from the care aspect, as I said, it's a long way to the next nearest one. From memory, aside from myself, I think only Eagle has wished them well. That's pretty good going considering 29 replies doncha think?

[biscuitman1978]

PS My tiny gripe is not the design but the howler of wrongly formatting the phone number 0203 nnn nnnn instead of 020 3nnn nnnn. If they can't even get that correct, what else might they do wrong?

I'm pleased to hear I'm not the only one who holds this view!

[sugahill cafe]

Sorry Admin i disagree that a good STF slaughtering (even before opening) results in good publicity for any new business.

[admin]

Admin, lots of people do the 020 thing wrongly, genuinely thinking it to be right. That's a minor detail though.

Lots of people may - but a professional sign writer should NEVER. That's why we employ professionals - to get things right and be held accountable if they do not - even if the brief we gave them was a bit duff. Presenting telephone numbers is a major part of their trade.

It all contributes to a feeling of Sydenham Road as Amateur Street. Is this what we really want?

Admin

[mosy]

Agreed. I counter that with a decent roller shutter - the partially open-grid sort rather than the functional "full" roller shutters that make me feel like I'm walking in a downtown "hood" after closing time and in the dark.

I like to see the good things and really can't see anything bad about this shopfront. I am picky, but if 020 is all that's against them IMO, it's just finding fault for the sake of it. But hey, carry on - it seems to be what people like doing to new and welcome shops. Mad as a box of frogs I say if they and presumably you want a vibrant high street.

[Robin Orton]

PS My tiny gripe is not the design but the howler of wrongly formatting the phone number 0203 nnn nnnn instead of 020 3nnn nnnn. If they can't even get that correct, what else might they do wrong?

They're not the only ones to get it wrong. My newly acquired Iphone (I've finally entered the 21st century) won't allow me to enter a mobile number in the correct format (077 7777 7777) but insists on 07777 777777. (It seems to do 020 numbers OK though.)

[Manwithaview1]

If I had a picture I'd post it Mosy.

I"m not sure what you mean about that PM'd opinions part. ......[clip]..

Sorry forgot to answer that. Sure you do, it's where you said you would justify your comments to deebee via nest PM before you edited it.

Forgot to answer Cont. P.92 also. It's a Private Eye thing - I think it's Cont'd P.294 or whatever. The number's irrelevant, the gist is too many words would follow if went into chapter and verse.

Yes continued on p.94...

[admin]

My newly acquired Iphone (I've finally entered the 21st century) won't allow me to enter a mobile number in the correct format (077 7777 7777) but insists on 07777 777777.

Sorry, Apple (and Google Android) are right. 07nnn defines the operator and chargeband (not all 07 numbers are equal - try dialling 07050 nnnnnn). These codes are given out by Ofcom. The remaining six digits are given out by the operator to their customers. Hence code + number = 07777 777777.

You do theology and I'll do numerology

Oooops, I was forgetting 666....

Admin

[Robin Orton]

Thank you for putting me right, Admin. I have clearly been under a misapprehension for many years. I thought I remembered that when the current numbering system was first introduced the official advice was that all numbers should be grouped xxx xxxx xxxx, including mobiles. But I cannot now find any authority for this, and I must assume that I have misremembered (or that the guidance has changed?)

However I did find this on the OFCOM website (http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binari ... c_2013.pdf, p. 11), which suggests that my hitherto preferred system, although no doubt wrong, is not totally irrational:

070: Personal Numbers
076 (except 07624 – see Part C5): Radiopaging Service
071 to 075 inclusive and 077 to 079 inclusive: Mobile Service

[Pally]

Billings is a brilliant example of very good signage but I wonder what the cost was. We need various options to suit all budgets and a way of getting to new shops opening to advise and support in advance! Don't know if that is possible or not. And it would be great if present shop owners could be advised of ways to upgrade what is already in place to suit different budgets too.