The Work We Do: Lisa Wedel Drozd, Wedel Signs
I’m Lisa Wedel Drozd from Wedel Signs in Riverhead, N.Y.
Wedel Signs is a third-generation family-owned business that’s been serving the East End of Long Island for the last 68 years.
My grandfather started this business back in 1950, along with my grandmother. He was a hand-letterer, and my grandmother was a calligrapher. She made a lot of interior signs and he made the exterior signs. In 1976, my father took the business over and he brought the sign business into the digital world. After my father passed, my mom played a huge role, and still does, in the continuing of the business.
As a kid, I would come to the shop and watch my grandfather letter and it was just mesmerizing. I could watch him for hours, just paint those beautiful signs. So we do outdoor signs, for businesses and houses, as well as interior signs for that personal touch. We specialize in sandblasted signs, carved signs also and gold leaf lettering. That’s kind of our niche out here on the North Fork.
I mainly do sales and design. It’s a very creative process and I love seeing the final product. I love coming to work every day, meeting people and helping them create a beautiful sign to help their business. We’re very proud to work with local businesses like Tanger Outlets, Splish Splash, Palmer Vineyards, Bedell Vineyards. Preston, we just did a beautiful sign for their outside.
It’s a really great feeling driving around Riverhead and seeing all of the signs that we’ve produced over the years. It’s especially a thrill for us to a see a hand-painted sign. That’s like art to us.
Now is a popular time of year for people to stop in and get a number sign for their house or a name sign or something special. We’ve also started staining wood and stenciling latitude and longitude numbers. They’re very popular.
We’re really proud to be a part of Riverhead and the East End. My grandfather started the slogan, “We Take Pride in Our Work,” and that’s a tradition that continues here at Wedel Signs.
“The Work We Do” is a News-Review multimedia project profiling workers around Riverhead Town. It is made possible by Peconic Landing in Greenport. See more photos on Instagram @riverheadnewsreview.