Every so often a project comes together where the brand, the building, and the build blend like a recipe that just works. Lulu’s Kitchenette in Pleasantville, NY, was one of those.When the team behind Lulu’s came to us, they weren’t just opening another restaurant — they were staking out a corner of downtown Pleasantville and giving it a look that had to feel established on day one. The food is fast-fine comfort cooking with a serious following (the gluten-free program alone, built around a dedicated fryer and real cross-contamination care, has earned them a loyal celiac crowd across Westchester). A storefront like that has to earn its spot on a busy, walkable main street. That was our job: make Lulu’s look like it had always been there.
One Storefront, Every Surface
This wasn’t a single-sign job. Lulu’s needed a full exterior identity, and we handled all of it in-house — signage, awning, and window graphics working as one coordinated system. Dimensional “KITCHENETTE” lettering. Below the cabinet, we ran the wordmark in raised acrylic letters — 12″ and 6″ tall, half-inch thick, painted black and spaced off the sign blank so they throw a subtle shadow and catch the light. Flanking it, smaller 3″ flush-mounted letters spell out the menu cues: chicken, ice cream, salads, burgers, pies, fries. It’s the kind of layered, dimensional detail that separates a real fabricated storefront from a flat printed panel.
The café-style striped awning. The green-and-white striped awning with its scalloped valance is what gives Lulu’s that timeless, neighborhood-bistro warmth. With a 4-foot projection, it does real work — shade and shelter for the windows below — while setting the entire color story for the brand. At night, with the warm light spilling out underneath it, it’s the most photographed part of the storefront.
The blade sign. The round, two-sided projecting “Lulu’s — All-Day, Quality Eats” blade sign in fabricated aluminum is the detail that serves foot traffic. Pedestrians don’t read flat wall signs from the side — a blade sign is what catches the eye of someone walking up the block, and it’s a small touch that pays off every single day.
Window vinyl. High-performance vinyl lettering ties the windows into the system, repeating the script mark and carrying the brand down to eye level where guests meet it at the door.
Why It Works
The reason this storefront reads as cohesive isn’t luck — it’s that every element was designed and fabricated to belong to the same family. The script on the cabinet matches the script on the windows matches the script on the blade sign. The black dimensional letters pick up the awning’s crisp contrast. The materials — fabricated aluminum, raised acrylic, painted PVC with decorative trim, awning canvas, cut vinyl — are all different, but they were specified to work together.That’s the advantage of a full-service shop. When the signage, the awning, and the graphics all come out of one place, they don’t just coexist — they’re composed. Nothing looks bolted on, because nothing was an afterthought.
From Drawing to Curb
Projects like Lulu’s are exactly why we work the way we do: a single elevation drawing that maps every element — letter heights, projections, materials, mounting details — before anything gets fabricated. It’s how a storefront with this many moving parts comes together as one clean look instead of five separate decisions. Lulu’s Kitchenette has become a genuine Pleasantville destination, and we’re proud that the face it shows the street is one we built. If you’ve walked Wheeler Avenue and done a double-take at that striped awning, that was the point.
Planning a Storefront of Your Own?
Whether you’re opening a new location or refreshing an existing one, Signs Ink handles the whole exterior — signage, awnings, and graphics — from concept and permitting through fabrication and installation. One shop, every surface. Reach out and let’s talk about what your storefront could look like.
