Something Clever Moves, Sign Approval Stuck in 1402

We all understand the inconvenience of having to look for a sign to find a business. How rude it is for all these business owners to make their customers read rather than expecting us to automatically know where their business is. It's so much more convenient to be like Something Clever who currently is not allowed to have a sign identifying where they have moved to.

Believe it or not, Something Clever has to wait till at least late June before getting a sign to show where they exist. Not because they're waiting on supplies to make the sign. Instead, two entities are holding them back. The Historical Architectual Review Board (HARB) and the Franklin City Council (FCC).

We can understand why both these entities feel like they need to put this decision off till late June. Let's start with HARB which we promise is not an acronym for "harboring fugitives."

HARB focuses on the historical authenticity of Franklin. Obviously, before approving a mordern sign for a business selling modern clothing, they need to take several weeks to consult historically famous architects like William Lloyd Write who you have never heard of and who also died in 1959. They also need to consult the late Bonanno Pisano whose name sounds like a bananna an who also designed the Leaning Tower of Pisa. With so many historically dead architechs to consult, it makes sense this should be drawn out to late June.

If HARB approves the sign in late May, further approval must be sought from the Franklin City Council who coincidentally, has the same abreviation as an agency that polices radio and television.

The FCC must be thorough in their process of approving this sign. First, they need to make sure everything is spelled correctly. This necessary process could take weeks. I mean, let's be real.... We don't want a sign that says "Nothing Clever" now do we?????

If all is approved, then the new owners of Nothing Clever will be able to get their own sign made. In the meantime, they are not to use the old one without the council's approval because moving it might make the city look historically inaccurate. Even though the new vendor of the old location will be allowed to replace their sign, we wouldn't want the new location using a sign that should only be used two doors down.

What now? We wait. The history buffs of Franklin don't meet until late May and the radio police don't have their board meeting until mid to late June. I mean, it is 2025 and they could technically text an "all in favor, text 'aye'" to everyone on the board, but then again, it is Venango County and they are probably still using rotary phones. This way they can be more historically accurate.

In the meantime, to find the store, look for the vacant building with the "Something Clever" sign, turn right, walk two doors down, and walk into the building that looks like a store with no sign above it.

Come to think of it, the new owner of the old location is probably going to have to go through this too. Only they have to deal with the dilemna of approval to take the old sign down..... Fine. To avoid confusion, the new Something Clever will now be referred to as ________ and will forfeit their name to whoever moves into the old location. Or..... Franklin's process of getting a sign can be simplified to texting the board members today!