Westborough store erects unique sign over back entrance
By Ken Powers Community Reporter

PHOTO/SUBMITTED The new sign at Westborough Paint & Decorating directs visitors to the back door.

Westborough - With the traffic volume increasing along Route 30 and limited parking in the front of his 15 East Main St. store, Westborough Paint & Decorating owner Doug Curving decided to make the back entrance to his business more like a second front entrance.

"I've been thinking about sprucing up the back entrance for some time, actually," Curving said. "There's more parking back there and it allows people the opportunity after they're done at the store to ease their way back into traffic from the driveway or to go around the drivethrough of the bank next door and go out that way."

One more reason to make the back of the building inviting cropped up recently, too.

"That back entrance is visible from the Bay State Commons shopping complex that's behind it, and it's going to be really easy to see from the bandstand and park that are being built right behind us," Curving said. "People are going to be sitting at the bandstand and hanging out at the park and staring directly at the back of the store. Because of that, I thought it might be a good idea to come up with something that might give them a reason for wanting to come inside and take a look around."

What Curving came up with, with the help of designer Michael Hally, was putting a giant paint can over the back door, easily visible from the site that will become the bandstand and park.

And it's not just a paint can sitting above a door; Curving and Hally designed it so the paint can appears to have been knocked over and blue paint is spilling out in a thick stream.

The paint stream is actually an awning that covers the back door of the store and several of the stairs leading up to it.

"We wanted to do something that would be eye catching," Curving said, "so when people are over at Bay State Commons or the bandstand they'll look over and say, 'Hey, what's that?' We think we've hit on the perfect thing. We think the overturned paint can is quirky but fun."

The idea to erect the paint can began in the fall of 2006. The process to first get approval and then to have the can and stream of paint built and mounted took well over a year to complete.

"It was a long process," Curving said. "This was defi- nitely not one of those spurof the-moment things."

Curving said the first part of the process was getting approval from the town to put the can up. not because of its size, but because town bylaws state that a business can advertise on only one side of its building. Since the front of the building, which abuts East Main Street/Route 30, is already adorned with signs, Curving needed a special permit to put the paint can over the back door.

Because of the size of the job, Curving put the project out to bid, ultimately choosing ViewPoint Sign and Awning of Marlborough to do the work.

March 14, after 17 months in the making, the paint can was hoisted into place by a crane.

"It's great to have it finally finished," Curving said. "The response has been great. We've been getting lots of feedback. Everybody seems to love it."