Storefront Awnings: Your Options
by Lina Martinez
Almost all businesses nowadays have an aggressive marketing department. Several platforms exist for marketing nowadays, but they all have one primary objective; getting people trooping to your store. You can spend millions on marketing and yet put off clients when they visit your store. One trend catching up in fast-food joints, cafes, and restaurants is the use of awnings to serve their clients outside. Stores dealing with other items can also invest in awnings to protect the items on their glass displays from UV rays that would fade or weaken them.
Outdoor signage for your business in the Philippines is also another benefit awnings will lend your venture along with an approximately 25% reduction in energy costs. With different design options, you can customize the awning to make your business visible from miles away. Your business awning can be made of metal or fabric and be placed on the entrance of the store or along the walls and space outside.
The following are some of the storefront awning ideas that will transform the look of your shop and generate a welcoming atmosphere.
Slope-Style Awnings
These are the traditional option for commercial awnings. This classic awning option is ideal for ice cream parlors and coffee shops where clients want to enjoy their purchases with no worry about their destruction by the sun. The slope-style awning also suffices for stores that have considerable taxi traffic since the patrons will be sheltered from weather elements when being dropped or picked from the storefront. To this end, they are commonly used in high-end establishments with valet parking.
Promenade Awnings
These have dome-styled tops and are at times called waterfall awnings. There are several variations of promenade awnings such as those with curtains and those without. Your awning can be further customized using egg-cart ceilings, rounded edges, graphics, or painted frame to make it stand out. The frames for the awnings are generally made of welded aluminum or tubular steel.
Esquire Dome Awnings
These exude an aura of class and elegance and extend just a bit further out compared with promenade awnings. They thus generate a shaded-like walkway into your store. Esquire dome awnings are used in niche industries, small boutiques, microbreweries, funeral parlors, and spas. They can be customized using loose or rigid valance and a frilled bottom edge.
Standalone Awnings
These are detached from your primary building and can be placed in all spaces. Standalone awnings are generally used by food trucks and food stores that serve their clients on the sidewalks. They can also be used by businesses to designate smoking areas and bike racks for customers and staff. They are an ideal choice for maximizing your available space while creating new usable areas.
The above awnings can all be illuminated using different means. You can choose to have the lights within the awnings or above them. These lights will illuminate the design you include on the awnings and allow people to see your business and logo even in poor visibility conditions. While it seems easy to pick an awning, opt for a supplier well-versed in the business signage industry to ensure it impacts your bottom line.