Petaluma’s Barber Sign Co. sold after 80 years in business

After eight decades in business, family-owned Barber Sign Company sold to two local Fastsigns franchises.

Kevin Jones and Tony De Souza, owners of Fastsigns of Sonoma County, with Santa Rosa and Petaluma shops, bought Barber’s Petaluma operations. Walter and Karen Perlic, owners of Fastsigns of American Canyon, purchased Barber’s Vallejo office.

“While we represent a national, full-service creative visual communications company benefiting from a wide network of resources and capabilities, independent Fastsigns locations are built to serve each unique community,” Jones said. “We are fully integrated into Petaluma and consider our acquisition of Barber, a long-established authority in the sign business, a rare privilege. Barber’s trust in us underscores the synergies between our companies and our ability to serve and enhance the quality relationships they’ve established with Petaluma’s most storied companies over 80 years. We share the same unwavering commitment to client service and have an expanded line of custom services and creative options.”

Brothers Lewis and Warren Barber started Barber Sign in 1935 and specialized in neon signs to hand-painted billboards, according to the company website. Lewis Barber is said to have been a well-known fine artist and sign painter, and he directed sales and graphic design for more than 50 years. Warren Barber handled neon tube bending, fabrication and installation. Warren Barber’s sons, Mark and Paul, joined the company in the early 1970s and operated the business in Petaluma and Vallejo.

“Fastsigns does incredible, quality work,” said Paul Barber, co-owner. “My family’s company built a reputation that I’m deeply proud of over generations. Fastsigns is well-poised to continue that tradition and has embraced the evolution of signage production from hand-drawn and -cut pieces to today’s plethora of digital options. I am looking forward to seeing these two franchises grow and thrive.”

Effective this month, Barber’s shops, clientele, employees, production and operations transfer to Fastsigns. The franchises’ operations will double in capacity, the owners said. The Vallejo location will gain expertise and installation capabilities in electrical and architectural signage, adding to its already comprehensive service and product lines. Mark Barber, co-owner and electrical signage expert in Vallejo, will remain with Fastsigns for technical guidance and support.

“Incorporating Barber Sign Company is a perfect fit to our overall mission of being a full-service and one-stop visual communications company,” Walter Perlic said. “With the knowledge and product offering of the combined companies, we are better-positioned to help our current and new customers’ businesses grow, while continuing to provide the service they expect and deserve.”

Carrollton, Texas-based Fastsigns was started in 1985 and now is owned by Levine Leichtman Capital Partners. The company opened 12 new franchises in June, adding to its roughly 600 locations in nine countries worldwide. The company plans to open 45 to 50 more locations by year end.

“We are much more than signs, we are a service company,” Perlic said. “We care about our customers and consult with them to bring value to their businesses. We enjoy working with other businesses and organizations in our community to keep this a great place to operate a business.”