Kenosha, Wisconsin-based Uke’s Harley-Davidson is an historic dealership. Although not in its original location, it is still owned and operated by the son and family of the original owner, who first opened the store in 1930.
The current 60,000-square-foot facility, which Uke’s opened in 2003, is in a great spot—located just off Interstate 94 between Chicago and Milwaukee, with an estimated vehicle count of nearly 79,000 driving by each day.
Recently, however, improvements to the interstate negatively affected the dealership’s exposure. Construction raised the elevation of the highway five feet near the store and the speed limit was raised to 70 miles per hour. That meant the old signage was difficult to see coming from one direction and impossible to see coming from the other.
“We had to do something to upgrade our sign and make us visible again,” said owner Keith Ulicki. “I wanted to add a digital sign so we could change out the messages and capture the attention of passing motorists.”
So Uke’s turned to Michael’s Signs in nearby Racine, Wisconsin. Like Uke’s, Michael’s has been family owned since 1948.
“This is a gorgeous dealership,” says Steve Prochaska of Michael’s Signs. “Once we started planning for the new pylon sign, we knew we needed to spruce up the other signage to keep pace and make it more energy efficient.”
The new pylon sign is 45 feet tall, 15 feet taller than the old one. Michael’s also swapped out Uke’s old fluorescent sign cabinet and replaced it with a bigger, taller cabinet featuring a double-sided 16-mm LED digital display, made by Danville, Illinois-based Watchfire. Replacing the cabinet sign meant refacing and retrofitting a large set of “UKE’S” channel letters from neon illumination to LED.
In addition to showcasing Harleys, the new digital sign is used to advertise open houses, special events, training classes, a rental program, and time and temperature. The message center has the ability to showcase video, which Uke’s plans to do.
“It’s incredible how easy it is to change a message,” said Ulicki. “Our sign was installed on a Friday, so it was important for us to get messages up for the weekend. Within two hours, we had six messages up.”
Ulicki says he also likes that Watchfire signs are high quality and American made.
Proof of the sign’s effectiveness is in the showroom.
“Everyone I talk to in the motorcycle industry tells me that floor traffic is down,” says Ulicki. “Since we installed our new signage, we are to the plus side.”
Left in place alongside the new signage was a 70-foot tower that Nanc Ulicki, Keith’s wife, refers to as the “jewelry case.” It’s used to display 10 Harley-Davidsons.