Retro Road Vintage Sign Co.

Retro Road Vintage Sign Co. is operated out of my small home shop and is located in sunny Parksville B.C. Canada. Our goal is to create unique retro styled signs and creations using recycled materials and environmentaly friendly products. All our signs are unique one of a kind creations using a combination of traditional sign making methods and a little bit of technology when needed.

Owner, chief and head floor sweeper


      Lawrence Armstrong

      My name is Lawrence and I'm a signoholic....

      I started my sign making career in 1982 in Parksville B.C. operating my own small sign shop called Armstrong Signs. Back then all of my work was hand painted and I strived to perfect my lettering and design skills. Later in the mid nineties computers took over the sign industry and I adapted as needed to stay current and competitive. I still pulled out the brushes every chance I could as I've always felt there will be a need for hand lettering.

      In 1998 I felt the urge to be hand lettering full time again so I closed my sign shop and started a new business specializing in hand painted window splashes. I toured up and down Vancouver Island painting colourful window advertising on car dealerships and fast food restaurants. It was a glorious period for me being able to use my traditional sign making skills, see the island and meet tons of wonderful people.

      Trends change and the world of advertising changes faster than most. Many of my clients started exploring other avenues of advertising and business started to dwindle away so again it was time for me to change direction as well. I spent a bit of time away from the sign industry but the longer I was away the more I wanted to be creating again. I went to work for a small sign company in Parksville doing mainstream design and sign production.

      Something that would not go away was a burning desire to get back to my roots. Having a brush in my hand and a love for old vintage signs is what makes this old sign guy tick. I get far more personal satisfaction from creating something with my own two hands than from pushing the print button.....this got me thinking....and the idea of Retro Road came about.

      So now we start on another chapter where I can hopefully make a small difference in the world and truly do what I love to do.