Channel Letters
Channel Letters in the Bronx, NYC
Channel letters are the illuminated, three-dimensional letters mounted above a storefront — the ones you can read from a moving car at night. We fabricate them in aluminum and acrylic at our shop on 3rd Avenue and install them with the electrical work and permit filing included.
- Timeline
- 3 – 5 weeks from approved artwork, including permit filing
- Quote
- Free, after photos or a measurement
What’s included
Built, filed and installed by one crew.
A channel letter is a custom-fabricated, three-dimensional sign letter with a metal return and an acrylic or polycarbonate face, lit from inside by LED modules.
- Materials
- Aluminum, acrylic, UL-listed LED
- Typical depth
- 3″ – 8″ returns
- Warranty
- 5 years on LED and drivers
- Permits
- DOB filing handled by us
- Face-lit, halo-lit (reverse) and front-and-back illuminated letters
- 0.063″ aluminum returns, 3/16″ acrylic faces, UL-listed LED modules and drivers
- Custom fonts, hand-set logos and channel-matched brand colors
- Raceway or direct-mount installation on brick, stucco, EIFS and metal panel
- DOB sign permit filing, landlord approval package and electrical coordination
- Retrofit of existing letters to LED with a 5-year warranty
Recent work
Photos coming from the shop.
We are photographing recent jobs for this service. Ask us and we will send examples from your block or your vehicle type.
Ask for examples
Send us a photo of your storefront or vehicle and we will show you completed jobs closest to it — same material, same lighting, same kind of wall.
Most of the channel letter work we do in the Bronx starts with a problem: the storefront is dark at 7 pm while the block around it glows. A tenant sign or a flat painted panel does not survive that competition. Channel letters do, because the light source is inside the letter and the face is engineered to diffuse it evenly.
We build letters in-house on 3rd Avenue: CNC-cut aluminum returns, acrylic faces cut and painted to a matched Pantone, LED modules laid out on a calculated grid so there are no dark spots, and a driver sized with headroom so it does not run hot. The finished set is burn-tested for 24 hours before it goes on the truck.
For buildings with an existing sign, we can often keep the raceway and retrofit new letters onto it, which saves the cost of new mounting and electrical. For new construction, we work from the architect’s elevation and coordinate the blocking and junction box before the facade closes up.
Our process
Four steps from photo to installed.
- 01
Discover
We look at the building, the setback, the lighting and the budget. If a sign needs a permit, we tell you before you pay for artwork — not after.
- 02
Design
You see the sign on your own building, in daylight and at night, before anything is cut. Two rounds of revisions are included.
- 03
Fabricate
Letters, faces, frames and vinyl are produced in our Bronx shop. Every circuit is tested for 24 hours before it leaves the building.
- 04
Install
Our own crew handles permits, electrical coordination, rigging and cleanup. We do not subcontract the install and we do not leave exposed wiring.
Questions
Channel Letters: what people ask
Straight answers with real numbers. If your question is not here, call the shop.
How much do channel letters cost in NYC?
Letter count, letter height, lighting type and mounting condition move the number more than anything else. Halo-lit letters, very large letters and landmark-district review add steps. The quote is free: send photos of the storefront, we measure the wall, and you get a firm number in writing.
Face-lit or halo-lit — which should I choose?
Face-lit letters are brighter and easier to read from a distance, which matters on a wide avenue. Halo-lit letters throw a soft glow against the wall and look more architectural up close, which suits restaurants, salons and hotels. On a narrow street with foot traffic, halo-lit is usually the better-lookng choice; on a highway-adjacent corridor, face-lit wins.
Do channel letters need a permit in the Bronx?
Yes. Illuminated channel letters require a DOB sign permit in New York City, and the filing has to match the dimensions and location on the approved drawing. We prepare the filing, submit it and coordinate the inspection. If your building is in a landmark district, the Landmarks Preservation Commission also has to review the design.
How long do LED channel letters last?
With quality modules and a properly sized driver, expect 50,000 to 80,000 hours — roughly 10 to 15 years of nightly use. We test every circuit for 24 hours before the sign leaves the shop and cover LED and drivers for 5 years.
Can you repair or relamp letters another shop made?
Usually yes. If the aluminum returns and faces are sound, we can replace the LED modules, drivers and wiring for a fraction of a new sign. If the faces are cracked or the returns are rusted through, a new set is the better investment and we will tell you which one you are looking at.
What clients say
The work speaks first.
NewGen totally transformed our storefront. The illuminated sign they put up is eye-catching — customers tell us all the time they found us because they saw the sign. Professional from start to finish.
They wrapped our vans and the quality is outstanding. Tight edges, no bubbles, perfect color. Our fleet looks like a million bucks now. We have gotten new clients just from people seeing our trucks in the street.
Where we install
Channel Letters for the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn & Queens, New Jersey and lower Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Pairs well with
Usually bought together.
Storefront Signs
Cabinet signs, monument signs and complete storefront sign packages that make a block-corner business impossible to miss.
LED Signs & Light Box Repair
New LED modules, drivers and retrofit kits — plus diagnosis and repair of flickering, dim or dead light boxes.
Sign Repair & Maintenance
Storm damage, dead ballasts, failed faces, vandalism. We service and restore signs we did not build, too.
Next step
Let’s make your brand impossible to miss.
Tell us about the storefront, the vehicle or the project. You get ideas and a clear price within one business day.
Mon–Fri 9–6 · Sat 10–5 · Shop visits by appointment