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Nevada City planning panel approves Think Natural sign with typographic and punctuation changes
Summary
The commission approved a 4.5‑square‑foot sign for Think Natural salon with conditions: remove the leading ellipses, capitalize the 'A' in the business name, add a comma after 'hair,' and the applicant may include the word 'natural.' The diamond graphic was removed from the approved sign face.
The Nevada City Planning Commission approved a sign permit for Think Natural, a new salon at 207 North Pine Street, after a lengthy review of color samples, composition and wording.
Amy Lisa McCandless, planning staff, introduced the application and said the proposed one‑sided sign would measure 36 by 18 inches (about 4.5 square feet) and would use muted background and font colors intended to match the building façade. Applicant Jen Archbald told the commission she wanted an understated cloud motif and a faint diamond symbol, and described the salon as a focus on well‑being, hair care and henna services.
Commissioners questioned legibility from the street, the use of ellipses before 'Think Natural,' and whether a tagline such as 'natural hair, henna' should appear. Commissioner Anne said she was concerned the ellipses could be read as uncertainty; another commissioner urged consistency with the historic 'Mother Lode' sign character. Archbald said the ellipses were optional: 'I can add them or delete them,' and described the diamond and cloud as part of her brand.
After discussion, a commissioner moved to approve the sign with modifications: remove the ellipses, capitalize the 'A' in the applicant's pen name, allow the applicant to add the word 'natural' if she wishes, and require a comma after 'hair.' The motion passed on a roll‑call vote with all commissioners voting yes.
The applicant said she would recede any diamond graphic further into the background if included elsewhere on the storefront and accepted commissioners' guidance to prioritize legibility and balance. The commission advised she may place decorative elements, such as the diamond, in windows or other storefront locations that are not part of the regulated sign face.
The commission's action was limited to the sign face as presented; any future changes to size, placement or additional signage will require further review or a new application.
The commission moved on to the next agenda item.
