The Worst Sign on Court Street

NOTE: UPDATE APPENDED.

Some weeks ago, Joe's Restaurant, an old diner and a standby of Carroll Gardens' Court Street for years, packed it in. The space was then rented to a yogurt joint. Which doesn't sound too bad on the face of it. But with the shop, called 16 Handles, comes this horribleriffic monstrosity of a sign, which made its debut a few days ago, scarring the eyes of innocent locals and frightening mild-hearted dogs and children.

Do store signs have to be approved by local community boards? If so, how did this garish piece of visual offensiveness get by the town fathers? This is, by far, the worst, the ugliest sign in the 20-plus block of stretch of Court Street. It is worse than McDonald's, Popeye's and Dunkin' Donuts, and that is saying something. The so-bright-they-hurt colors were obviously chosen to attract the attention of the freeway driver whizzing by a roadside rest stop. But this is a quiet neighborhood commercial strip in an old residential area. The chain is so ignorant of the neighborhood that on their website, they list this location as being in Cobble Hill.

UPDATE: The owner of the franchise contacted me and had the following to say:

Your blog was sent to me via a friend and I wanted to send a comment on behalf of 16 Handles. 

We agree that the signage used at this location does not fit the vibe or feel of your neighborhood.

It wasn't the intention of our franchisee to upset the community. 

We have heard you and we thank you for your feedback.

Our mission is simply to bring smiles to communities. The sign we hung clearly missed the mark. 

Having said that, we are working to have the sign removed and replaced with one which is more suitable for the neighborhood.

Jon Lake, vp operations - 16 Handles

I am stunned, as I have come to expect authority never to respond to the complaints of community members. All I can say, is, while I may not like the sign, the man who hung it is a gentleman. I applaud his reaction heartily. And, when the shop opens, I will try the yogurt.