Kegerreis Stoves, Bernville, PA

Kegerreis Stoves moved to their current location on PA State Route 183 in Bernville in 2004, and at the time had a large, lit static sign at their entrance. “We saw other LED signs in the area and thought it looked like an interesting way to advertise,” said Brian Kegerreis, owner. “We talked to Horst Signs about our options.” Kegerreis is a family owned and operated retailer that began as a home-based business in 1982. They fill a specialty niche in their area and operate all year round, so providing constant messages on their products and services is vital.

In June of 2014, Horst Signs installed a double faced LED sign at the Kegerreis location to capture the attention of traffic in both directions. The sign garnered attention immediately as customers came in and said they hadn’t noticed the retailer before. At their fall open house and spring grill sale, visitors filled out survey cards for event door prizes. In 2015, 75% of attendees said they learned about Kegerreis from their sign out front. 

The responsiveness of the Ignite software is perfect for their business, since it allows them to change their message often over the course of the week. “We always post time and temperature readings for the community. Plus, the sign lets us respond to changes in weather, like pushing wood pellets when the temperature drops or grills when spring arrives,” said Kegerreis. “Plus, the LED screen is an ideal medium for a business that sells fireplace inserts and stoves. The warmth of our products really comes through on the display and gets notice.”

Just one year after installing the sign, Kegerreis experienced their best sales year ever. They use an occasional newspaper ad, but have taken the advertising money they previously spent on local static billboards and invested that into their sign. By restructuring their advertising budget and driving traffic, they paid for the sign in the first year of ownership.

They have high praise for their sign company too. “Horst Signs did a great job on the design,” said Kegerreis. The sign was even designed to be taken apart and moved, should Kegerreis ever decide to relocate within their area.

Nathan Martin, project manager at Horst Signs isn’t surprised by the success at Kegerreis Stoves. “We’re pretty loyal to Watchfire,” said Martin. “As a company, they have great service and technical support. Their onsite demos are an effective sales tool for us. We knew Watchfire was the right choice for Kegerreis.”