When Frattallone’s Ace Hardware became Frattallone’s Hardware, 16 operating stores needed to be rebranded inside a fixed transition deadline. The job was not simply to replace names on buildings. It was to decide what could be reused, what needed repair, what lighting should be modernized, and how to complete the work consistently across every location.
Arrow Sign Company had supported Ace Hardware signage for decades, and that working relationship continued with Frattallone’s Hardware through the rebrand. The existing relationship gave Arrow a practical starting point for a rollout where speed mattered, but so did cost control and the condition of the sign assets already in place.
Client
Frattallone’s Hardware
Scope
Multi-store rebrand, sign repair and lighting modernization
Scale
16 stores
Constraint
Fixed transition deadline
From a Name Change to a 16-Store Rollout
A single-store rebrand is relatively straightforward. A 16-store conversion is a different kind of project. Each location had its own building conditions, sign types, mounting methods, lighting systems and maintenance history.
The goal was consistent at every store: remove the old Frattallone’s Ace Hardware identity and establish the new Frattallone’s Hardware brand inside the required transition window. The path to that result had to be adapted to the sign package already installed at each location.
Rebrand Without Replacing Everything
One of the most important parts of the project was deciding what did not need to be replaced. A brand change does not automatically make every cabinet, raceway, support or sign structure obsolete. Where existing components were still serviceable, Arrow reused them rather than defaulting to a complete tear-out.
That approach reduced unnecessary replacement cost and, in some cases, shortened the work required at a store. The rollout became a combination of rebranding, selective replacement and repair instead of a blanket replacement program.
Repairing and Modernizing the Sign Package During the Conversion
The rebrand also created an opportunity to address maintenance issues that already existed. When crews were opening, modifying or reinstalling signs, damaged components and aging systems could be addressed while the sign was already being worked on.
Lighting was part of that work. Where appropriate, Arrow retrofitted older sign lighting to LED or replaced outdated lighting systems altogether. Combining the rebrand with repair and lighting modernization meant the customer could improve the condition and reliability of the sign package at the same time the new identity was installed.
Instead of scheduling separate future service calls for work that was already visible during the rebrand, the project could solve several needs in one coordinated visit.
Consistency Across Different Storefronts
The stores themselves were not identical. Burnsville, Arden Hills, White Bear Lake, Minnetonka and Grand Avenue in St. Paul each presented different storefront conditions and sign configurations.
The challenge was to preserve a consistent Frattallone’s Hardware identity across those differences. Placement, scale, lighting and the relationship between the sign and the building all had to feel intentional while still working with the infrastructure already present at each property.
Before and After: Burnsville
The Burnsville location shows the conversion clearly: the existing storefront before the rebrand and the completed Frattallone’s Hardware identity after installation.
Working Inside a Fixed Transition Deadline
The fixed transition deadline added another layer to the rollout. Surveying, fabrication, repair decisions, lighting upgrades and installation all had to be sequenced so that delays at one location did not jeopardize the overall program.
That is where an established working relationship helped. Arrow already understood the type of work, the customer’s expectations and the operating environment. The project could move directly into coordinated execution rather than beginning with a long learning curve at every store.
A Rebrand Can Also Be an Asset-Renewal Project
What can be reused? What needs repair? Which lighting systems should be upgraded? Which stores need more extensive work than others?
The result was more than a name change across 16 stores. The rollout preserved usable sign assets, corrected maintenance issues, modernized aging lighting and delivered a consistent new identity inside the required transition window.
Planning a Multi-Location Rebrand?
Arrow Sign Company supports multi-location sign conversions, repairs, lighting upgrades and exterior branding projects throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin.