Our Story
In 1945 Bill Clarke, husband and father, left the Navy after serving in World War II and, being a restless and creative soul and artist by passion, began his own sign business hand painting billboards, showcards, and vehicles in order to support his family while also creating art. After a few years on his own, he was approached by Colonial Stores grocery chain to work full time for them with their sign team. In 1973, his second son, Gray Clarke and his third son, Tim for a brief time, joined him and started a new business, now officially named Advance Graphics Signs. they moved into their first commercial space, the Seay Building at the corner of London Bridge Road and Virginia Beach Blvd. During Bill's and Gray's time working together they worked on large building wall signs, screen printing, showcards, window and boat lettering. They were a sought after creative duo, invited to New York, Cleveland, Chicago, and here in Virginia Beach to build and paint elaborate, miniature, colonial style false cities within abandoned discount chain store spaces, providing a flea market atmoshpere.
Gray had a brief stint away from the family business screen printing halloween masks for Star Band Company in Portsmouth, VA. But eventually returned to his passion. In 1974 he took the reigns of his father's sign business, moved it to its current location near the corner of Dam Neck Road and General Booth Blvd. His wife, Teresa McClung Clarke, and he began focusing on real estate signs and post installations, running their business out of a corner of their living room while raising two young girls of their own, Ann and Mandy.
Gray's entrepreneurial spirit, high esteem for his art, and McGyver-esque savvy skyrocketed his business to success. He expanded by building a commercial space right on his property, where he could work and be an available husband and father. His children remember him as a work-a-holic who was always home and available to them.
Fast forward to 1995, his second daughter, Mandy, decided to learn the family business, starting as a sign delivery driver while still in high school and eventually learning her way up to running the sign shop, designing, and fabricating signs herself. In 1998 Mandy married Jeffrey Sheppard and they began raising a family of their own while still partnering with Gray, building their sign business. Eventually Jeffrey also came into the sign business making and producing signs while Mandy focused on designing and administration and Gray coordinating real estate sign installations.
Advance Graphics Signs is a company steeped in tradition, where family comes first and business is life and integrity is the highest ideal. Now, for the fourth generation, that story is still being written.......
