
"I think I was at the point in my life when I was interested in being self-employed," Allen says. "... (A Plus) was something that I could kind of change and make mine. Not that it wasn't an artistic company, but it wasn't what it is now. It was more just primarily a sign shop. With my artistic background, I felt like I could turn it into something unique and create a culture that would (have) a fun atmosphere to work (in) and be able to surround myself with other creatives."

"(The tradition) was dying," Allen says. "Also, (those signs) are beautiful; they age well. When you see a 50-year-old handpainted sign, and it's faded ... to me, it's almost a beautiful art on the side of a building."

The business has created signs and done art such as the Welcome to Brookhaven train car in Brookhaven, Miss., the sign over Barrelhouse in Fondren and more.
<em>For more information, visit aplusigns.com.</em>