So... How Did ScaleSigns.com Happen?
Well...grab a cup of coffee.
This is probably a longer story than you expected.
Hi! I'm Thomas Garza, owner and creator of ScaleSigns.com, and this is the story of how a kid who loved trains somehow ended up combining printing, computers, Army helicopters, and model railroading into one company.
Looking back now, it almost feels like everything I did in life was preparing me for this business. At the time, I had no clue. But every job, every hobby, and every opportunity became another puzzle piece.
So let's start at the beginning...
The 1980s – Just a Kid Playing with Trains
Back in the early 1980s, I spent a lot of my free time at the Lansing Model Railroad Club. If there were trains running, chances are I was there.
Like most model railroaders, I loved everything about the hobby—building scenery, running trains, helping with projects, and just hanging around people who shared the same passion.
Little did I know those weekends would eventually turn into a business.
Puzzle Piece #1 – Learning How Printing Really Works
My first big career was at a company called Bezil Dezign.
We printed custom T-shirts for colleges, businesses, and pretty much anyone who wanted shirts made.
It might not sound exciting, but this job taught me something that would stay with me forever...
Precision matters.
Setting up a six-color screen-printing press wasn't something you could "get close" on. Every color had to line up perfectly. If one color was even slightly off, the whole design looked terrible.
For five years I learned everything I could about printing, colors, registration, inks, and quality control.
I didn't realize it then, but those skills would become the foundation of ScaleSigns.
Then Computers Came Along...
The late '80s were an exciting time.
Computers were becoming affordable enough that regular people could actually own one.
My first system ran MS-DOS and Windows 3.1.
If you're smiling right now...you probably remember those days.
If you're younger than that...just know it wasn't exactly fast!
I started teaching myself CorelDRAW and computer graphics. Suddenly I wasn't just making artwork by hand anymore—I could create it digitally.
Every night I seemed to learn something new.
Puzzle Piece #2 – The Job That Changed Everything
One of the members at the Lansing Model Railroad Club was a guy named Bill Ray.
Bill owned a company called Electrographics, and one evening we started talking about our jobs.
I explained that I knew printing and was also teaching myself computer graphics.
Bill smiled and said something like...
"I think I have a job for you."
I don't think he even finished the sentence before I said...
"I'm in."
Best career decision I could have made.
Walking into Electrographics was like walking into Disneyland for computer geeks.
Macintosh computers everywhere.
High-end graphics equipment.
Professional scanners.
Imagesetters.
Color proofing systems.
This wasn't hobby-level stuff.
This was where newspapers, magazines, and advertising agencies sent their artwork before it went to press.
One of my jobs was making color proofs using a 3M proofing system.
Basically, we'd take the four CMYK film separations—cyan, magenta, yellow, and black—and create a full-color proof so customers could approve their jobs before thousands of copies were printed.
It was amazing technology for the time.
I had absolutely no idea this machine would eventually help create ScaleSigns.
Then One Night...
My friend Kenny Cook was building a huge model railroad in his basement.
One evening we were looking over the layout.
Everything looked great.
Nice scenery.
Good track work.
Buildings.
Roads.
Then I looked at one of the streets.
And suddenly...
It hit me.
Where are all the signs?
Sure, there were signs available back then...
But honestly?
Most were just tiny pieces of paper.
They didn't look like real metal signs at all.
That's when my brain started connecting everything I'd learned.
At work I had access to a system that could print glossy, durable signs.
What if...
I sprayed the backs silver?
They'd actually look like aluminum.
Now I had an idea.
I just had to prove it would work.
Bill Said Yes
The next day I asked Bill if I could stay after work and experiment.
Thankfully...
Bill loved trains too.
That made my sales pitch pretty easy.
For months I stayed late almost every evening.
I printed.
Tested.
Failed.
Started over.
Printed again.
Some early signs were honestly pretty ugly.
But every batch got better.
Eventually I looked at one and thought...
"Now THAT looks real."
That was the moment.
Mid-Michigan Scale Signs Was Born
In 1995 I printed my first catalog.
The company was called Mid-Michigan Scale Signs.
Then I started visiting hobby shops around Lansing carrying samples.
Back then Lansing had six hobby shops.
Today?
None.
It's kind of sad.
Now I have to drive almost an hour just to visit one.
That's one reason I still believe in supporting local hobby shops whenever I can.
They're an important part of this hobby.
Things grew faster than I ever imagined.
Soon I had hundreds of different sign packs.
Then hundreds became thousands.
I started traveling to train shows across Michigan.
Every show introduced me to more customers.
Every customer gave me new ideas.
And every new idea became another product.
Eventually I became completely obsessed with researching real signs.
Road signs.
Railroad signs.
Advertising signs.
Warning signs.
Vintage signs.
Historical signs.
If it existed...
I wanted to recreate it.
Today I probably know more about traffic sign standards than any normal person should.
By 2000...
Things had exploded.
Over 10,000 product packs.
More than 4,000 different signs.
It had become one of the largest collections anywhere.
Life was good.
Then everything changed.
September 11
Like millions of Americans...
September 11 affected me deeply.
I had a wife.
Two daughters.
A good career.
But I felt called to serve.
So in April of 2002 I joined the Michigan Army National Guard.
After Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training as a helicopter mechanic, I realized something...
I absolutely loved Army life.
I wanted to do it full time.
After talking it over with my wife, I transferred to Active Duty.
That meant Mid-Michigan Scale Signs had to be put on hold.
The 2003 catalog became the last one for many years.
The Army Years
My first assignment was Fort Hood, Texas.
Three weeks later...
I was in Iraq.
Over the next decade I served multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and South Korea.
In total I spent 51 months in combat zones.
Iraq OIFII 2004 - 2005 (12 month tour) D Troop 1/7th Cavalry.
Iraq 2006 - 2008 (15 month tour) D Co 1-227 ASB
Iraq 2009 - 2010 (12 month tour) D Co 1-227 ASB
Afghanistan 2011 - 2012 (12 month tour) D Co 1-227 ASB
South Korea 2014 - 2015 (9 month tour) D Troop 2/6th Cavalry
My Awards for being away from my family for 5+ years!
That's more than four years overseas.
Would I do it again?
Absolutely.
Serving my country was one of the greatest honors of my life.
Go Army!
Hawaii...Then Korea
In 2014 I got orders to Hawaii.
Yeah...
I know.
Somebody had to do it.
I figured I'd finally restart my sign business.
Then the Army had other plans.
Nine months in South Korea.
So much for that idea!
But while I was in Korea, I bought the domain name...
ScaleSigns.com
I couldn't believe nobody else had taken it.
I knew someday I'd use it.
Coming Home
In 2017 I was medically retired from the Army.
That wasn't the ending I wanted.
I planned on staying much longer.
Instead, I came home to Michigan and started thinking about my old company again.
By 2019 computers had improved dramatically.
Printers were better.
Photoshop was unbelievable compared to what I used years earlier.
I visited hobby shops expecting to see amazing new signs everywhere.
Instead...
Most looked almost exactly the same as they had when I left fifteen years earlier.
I thought...
"Well...I guess it's time."
Starting Over...Again
I rebuilt everything.
Every sign.
Every catalog.
Every part number.
Every product.
Every web page.
Every package.
Everything.
This time I added details I couldn't create back in the '90s.
Rust.
Weathering.
Bolt heads.
Scratches.
Faded paint.
Even bullet holes in some hunting signs.
The goal wasn't just to make signs.
The goal was to make people do a double take and wonder if they were looking at the real thing.
The Comeback
At the Lansing Model Railroad Club train show in 2019, I rented two tables.
I honestly wasn't sure what to expect.
Then people started walking up.
"You're back!"
"I still have your old signs!"
"I wondered what happened to you!"
After being gone for almost fifteen years...
People still remembered.
That meant everything to me.
ScaleSigns.com Today
The website officially launched in 2022.
Since then we've shipped tens of thousands of products to model railroaders across the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and many other countries.
We're now on our third website redesign.
We've expanded into 3D-printed products.
And we're constantly improving our signs as technology improves.
That's something that will never change.
If better equipment comes along...
We'll use it.
If better materials become available...
We'll use those too.
Our goal has always been simple:
Build the most realistic scale signs we possibly can.
And honestly...
We're just getting warmed up.
Thanks for Reading!
If you've made it this far...
Thank you.
I know this wasn't exactly a short story.
But I wanted you to know that ScaleSigns isn't just another hobby business.
It's the result of over forty years of learning, experimenting, serving my country, and never giving up on an idea that started while looking at a model railroad.
I'm glad you're here, and I hope our products help make your layout just a little more realistic.
If you have any questions, send me a message through the contact form below. If you leave your phone number, I'll be happy to give you a call.
Thanks for stopping by, and happy modeling!