I drive by Deli George each day- across from KTVB - and I wonder each day, what is up with their sign?- Kari Erichson, Boise
BOISE - It's the tiny deli with the big sandwiches near KTVB's home base on Fairview - Deli George. The shop opened in the late 1990s, and features imaginatively named sandwiches like What A Ham, Gobble Gobbleicious or Chicka-Dilly Philly.
But outside of the food, the deli might be known for something else - its awning sign. A simple three line description spells out what you'll find inside:
Deli Sandwiches Continental Meats And Cheeses
There's just one small problem. The sign is upside down.
While you might be hoping for an exotic explanation - it boils down to something simple: the sign maker goofed up.
George purchased the Italian-flag themed awning, and asked a sign painter to add the short description to the front. The painter obliged, but wasn't paying attention to which end was "up."< /p>
But before the sign was delivered - another series of events intervened.
"We ordered a sink from Portland. It didn't come with legs. I asked about it and they said 'you didn't ask for legs,'" deli owner George Blumenschein said. "We had a slicer delivered and it didn't have a motor."
After all the glitches, Blumenschein said he decided to just make the best of a less-than-ideal situation when it came to the sign. With money tight and too much sunshine pouring in through the window, Blumenschein decided to get the sign up as soon as possible.
"It's like being ugly, either you're going to be upset about it or deal with it," Blumenschein said. "We're a little special, a little strange, so it kind of fit."
Now, more than a decade later, the sign has become part of the Deli George story.
"We still get people who come in and ask me to come outside and look at the sign," he said.
Blumenschein says he will be buying a new sign in the not-too-distant future, to replace the aging awning. But he promises the new sign will still be painted upside down.
