EAST VARNUM, Pa. — The owner of a hardware store on Front Street told the East Varnum Zoning Hearing Board on Thursday that his business “is not a brand, never has been a brand, and doesn’t want to be a brand,” and then entered into the record a 64-page set of brand guidelines specifying how the store’s name, logo, and owner may be displayed.
Dennis Marchetti, 54, who has operated Marchetti Hardware & Bait since 1997, appeared before the three-member board to request a variance allowing a sign 14 inches taller than the borough’s limit. The hearing was called to order at 7:02 p.m. with all three members present. Marchetti was sworn in at 7:04 p.m., at which point he asked that the oath be read in the store’s approved typeface.
“I’m not a brand. I’m a guy who sells hinges. Please don’t stretch the hinge,” Marchetti said, referring to the store’s logo, a hinge, which the guidelines state may never be stretched, rotated, recolored, placed on a busy background, or “made to look like it’s having fun.” The document specifies three approved colors, Marchetti Red, Marchetti Off-Red, and a third color listed only as “Not That Red,” and a brand voice described as “friendly, local, and not interested in your opinion on the bait.”
Board solicitor Glenda Ferraro noted during questioning that the guidelines require a minimum clear space of 40 feet on all sides of the logo, and that Front Street Dry Cleaning, which shares a wall with the hardware store, had been operating inside that clear space since 1988. Marchetti testified that the matter had been resolved in March, when the dry cleaner’s building was moved 40 feet to the east “for brand consistency.” The board confirmed by inspection during a 22-minute recess that the dry cleaner is now located in the middle of Locust Street, where it remains open and has, according to its owner, “never been busier.” Section 9 of the guidelines, entered as Exhibit F, further governs the correct use of Marchetti himself, who may appear only in Marchetti Red, may not be shown smiling with teeth in any material smaller than a postcard, and must at all times be referred to in print as “Dennis (of Marchetti Hardware & Bait),” which the board’s minutes have since adopted.
Dr. Marjorie Teller, director of the Center for Measured Outcomes, said the Center’s research shows that 87.31 percent of small-business owners who say they are not a brand have a brand. “Of those, 41.06 percent have a brand voice, 12.4 percent have a mascot, and 3.2 percent have a mascot with its own brand guidelines,” Teller said. “We have not yet found a business owner who is not a brand. Further study is needed.” The Center has applied for a grant to continue the research and has submitted the application in an approved typeface.
Board member Harlan Duffy moved at 9:48 p.m. to approve the variance on the condition that the sign “not get any bigger than the store.” The motion was seconded and approved 2-1, with board chair Ruth Okonski voting no on the grounds that the hearing notice had used an off-brand red.
Marchetti told reporters after the meeting that he was relieved the process was over and that he had never wanted any of this attention. He then handed each reporter a one-page media kit, which states that the store does not have a media kit.