One of the first renovation projects was to remove the old awning and strip the paint on the brick. We were expecting to find brick behind the awning, and the plan was to install a hanging sign in it's place.

Once the awning was removed, everyone was surprised to find old building signage from the 1950s with the text Wallace's.

Discovering the history and purpose of Wallace's was going to take some research.

After making a few calls, I was able to find out more about the old building signage. The Johnson City library was able to pull a business directory from the 1950s. It was discovered that Wallace's was a shoe store next to the popular Betty Gay women's clothing store. The Wallace's shoe store was first seen in 1955.

Wallace's Shoes was ultimately dissolved as a company in the 1990s, but the amazing discovery left quite an impact on me.

Before the old signage was discovered, I had already decided on a name and logo for theatre. However, once I saw the original retro logo it made me completely change directions. I really loved the aesthetics and retro look of the old Wallace's logo.

I hired a designer to capture the feel of the logo but update the text to Wallace Theatre. The new logo was meant to have a similar design to the old logo but add a modern touch to it.

In the end, it felt like the decision was made for me.