The Peru Gazette

Bob Kaschak and his office display

Bob’s business sign is a great example of his craftmanship.

By John T. Ryan (Please Share)

Peru – Bob Kaschak’s business card reads: “Creating advertising works of art.” His many customers undoubtedly agree. Kaschak is the owner and operator of Artisan Sign and Design located at 3092 Main St. in Peru. You can find his signs in Peru, in many other North Country towns, the Hudson Valley, Pennsylvania, and as far away as Alaska. He crafted a sign for Polished Salon is across the street from his business.

Kaschak has been in the sign business for twenty-nine years. His wife Teresa handles the business bookkeeping and does a lot of the sign painting. Bob commented, “Teresa has a wonderful eye for color selection and design.” For the first twenty-five years, Artisan Sign and Design was a home-based endeavor, first on Plattsburgh Air Force Base when he was a member of the U.S. Air Force and later at his Peru residence. Kaschak explained, “I never put a sign out front in respect for my neighbors. All of my sales have been by word of mouth and from our website. We bought this property four years ago. It’s the first time I’ve operated in a commercial location.”

Kaschak usually has six to eight jobs in progress. He initially meets with clients to discuss their goals, then returns to his office to develop conceptual drawings. When he believes he’s satisfied the client’s needs, he schedules an approval meeting. The entire process, including crafting a sign, typically takes sixty to ninety days.

A recent Peru Gazette photo of the sign Kaschak donated to the Town of Peru for Sullivan Park brought Artisan Sign and Design to many people’s attention. Kaschak says crafting the two-sided three-dimensional sign was a “labor of love,” as it took him about 140 hours to design and manufacture. The sign should be there for many years because Kaschak uses high-density urethane as his base material. He explained, “Urethane has taken over the sign industry. It’s relatively inexpensive, and the best thing about it is that it lasts for a long, long time, from twenty to twenty-five years.” Kaschak also uses acrylic-based paints. He explained, “Acrylics have replaced oil-based paints on signs just like they have on houses. They look good for a long time.”

The vast majority of Kaschak’s signs are hand-crafted. Still, a few months ago, he purchased a computer-controlled CMC router enabling him to create even more complex dimensional shapes crafted to hundredths of inches. Some components can take the router as long as nine hours to process. The uniform high-density urethane is an ideal machining material.

There are undoubtedly many reasons for Bob Kaschak’s business success. The wholehearted support of his wife Teresa and sons Sean and Mark has been a significant contributor. He also has innate skills. He recalled, “I hated math in high school, but I loved industrial arts, machining, and working with my hands.” He’s also fortunate to practice a profession where its practitioners share knowledge. Kaschak is a Letterhead, a group of talented sign makers who travel from many states and countries to share ideas and techniques. Bob said, “It’s an informal get-together. We meet at someone’s shop, set up tents, and share our knowledge.”

The Letterheads have a saying about sign makers – “World famous, locally unknown.” That expression may fit Bob Kaschak. He placed a beautifully crafted sign in front of his business; however, he quietly practices his craft back from the highway in his workshop. It’s there that he has the peace to create his beautiful works of art.

Concept drawing of his Sullivan Park sign

The finished product that he donated to his community.