Ross Dress for Less sign in downtown Salem is an abomination

Usually I shun the word "abomination." Sounds too Old Testament'y. As in fornication outside of wedlock is an abomination. 

Not true. But here's a genuine abomination: the Ross Dress for Less sign that was recently installed on Salem Center brickwork. 

Walking up Liberty Street, this is the garish sight that meets your eyes as you reach Center Street. A disgusting large white sign that is way larger than the moderately attractive Salem Center sign above it. The sign clashes with everything around it. Including the red brickwork.

Approaching downtown Salem from the Center Street bridge, the abomination is doubly abdominable because you can see both sides of the sign. 

This is exactly what downtown Salem does not need.

The sign is totally at odds with efforts to make the downtown area more inviting, cool, artistic, pedestrian and browsing friendly. This tacky Ross Dress for Less sign would be an eyesore at a tacky strip mall, but at least the two forms of tackiness would harmonize in their communal bad taste.

Salem Center, though, made a valiant effort -- largely successful -- to reflect the charming old brick buildings that still grace downtown Salem. Now the ugly Ross Dress for Less sign dominates the pivotal Center/Liberty landscape, screaming "welcome to a plastic tasteless downtown."

Which most of downtown isn't.

I'm writing this blog post rant a few blocks away, at The Beanery coffeehouse. Yes, I look out the front window and see "Starbucks Coffee" in white letters across the street. However, the Starbucks sign is hugely less obtrusive than the Ross Dress for Less sign.

Here's my vow, Ross Dress for Less: I will never, ever set foot in your store until that sign is replaced with a much more attractive one.

Now I probably would never have shopped there anyway, because I'm not into that style of clothing, but I'm pretty confident that the sign is going to lead other people to shun Ross Dress for Less who really would have bought stuff there.

Case in point: three letters to the editor in the Salem Statesman Journal (see here, here, and here)

Why on earth did the city of Salem Sign Code allow such a garish and ugly (as well as oversized and cheap-looking) sign to appear on the otherwise tasteful brick facade of the Salem Center mall?

Hopefully, their foolish lack of judgment can be re-thought and corrected.

This is the most important entrance to our downtown from the west.

Susan Trueblood Stuart, Salem

The Ross sign, so apply described by Susan Trueblood Stuart in her Feb. 13 letter, is indeed garish and an insult to the mall and to the city.It’s interesting to note that what stimulated a need for a sign code many years ago was the garish display of overwhelming, tasteless business signs and billboards that greeted everyone driving off the Marion Street Bridge.

Have we come a “full circle” of indifference for some sense of aesthetic value for signage and enforcement of the codes? Business signs are getting larger and more demanding; huge billboards are allowed to identify the adjacent business, and we can’t ignore those billboards whose brightly colored messages change every few seconds.

Let’s not “sign off” on Salem yet, but we could have dignified, well-designed signs that identify and inform, not distract and demand attention.

Keith Chrisman, Salem

The city of Salem has spent money on making downtown Salem more inviting and then they go and allow the large, horrific sign to be placed on Salem Center.

How could this have gone through proper channels and still be allowed?

The sign needs to be changed.

Diane Plummer, Salem

Comments

[Tara]

Yes I totally agree! This sign is terrible. I work downtown and as I watched the progress I kept thinking, this cannot be. Surely the city wouldn't allow such a thing! It is the perfect example of TACKY I've ever seen! We recently had a family gathering that brought everyone back to Salem and the one thing that EVERY single person brought up, how horrific that sign is! It is an abomination! Quite unforgivable and I can't believe that the city approved it. Can't help but scratch my head...it needs to go.

[Tara]

Is there any way to demand a change? I don't even know how to get a campaign for that started but the longer it's up the more likely it will be there to stay.

[Annie Francoise McCuen]

This horrible tasteless sign is making our downtown mall look cheap and defaced. In South Salem! We have startied a movement to boycott this store location, everyone is talking about it, we don't know if the Ross for Less store is listening.

[mary cosgrove]

Please post a phone number for information regarding joining in on a boycott in the Itemizer newspaper. I consider this a high priority.
The sign is disgusting and does not respect the good tastes of many many Oregon citizens, including those who have moved here within the last 10 years. I have always admired the culture here. The sign is an insult to Oregon's culture.

[Blogger Brian]

mary cosgrove, my phone number is available on White Pages: Brian Hines, Salem. You could email me at the address in the right sidebar. Yes, the sign is horrible. Every time I drive past it, I think "so ugly..."