Artist: Backroad Threads

As seen on Seasons 3 and 4

Creating a simple roadside sign to advertise your wares is a tradition that dates back to at least the mid-1800s.

A roadside sign is marketing in its purest form: plywood, cardboard or an old piece of scrap metal (anything relatively flat will do); a paint brush, a spray can, or even some good thick markers. Legible handwriting and a spot close to the road, and you’re in business.

Today, some signs are familiar landmarks passed by locals for years, while others are designed to lure the tourists and provide a dash of authentic flavor to a Maine visit. Either way, the handmade, backroad sign is a traditional throwback and treasured feature of our Maine landscape.

Our shirts replicate actual hand-lettered signs spotted on the backroads of Maine.  They salute a place where “buy local” is more than a bumper sticker, and neighbors still end a transaction with a handshake.